DOOGEE V20 - The RUGGED phone you would (REALLY) want to destroy !!!
Thinking about rugged smartphones, a device with an armored appearance but aesthetically ugly but above all immediately comes to mind poco performing, on the other hand the resistance to shocks and falls should be the key aspect of these devices. The matter changes with the new Doogee V20, which maintains its indestructibility by attracting the public thanks to an interesting hardware, an infrared camera for night vision and a secondary display. Let's find out if these features are just marketing habits or if they really offer a functionality in use.
The term design poco goes well with the category of rugged smartphones, but the Doogee V20 is an exception, with a formula that mixes resistance and care for materials. The back of the smartphone is rubberized with a carbon fiber finish (I don't think it's real), pleasant to the touch and resistant. It is precisely on the rear that we find an absolute novelty on this category of smartphone, or the presence of a second 1,05-inch display, whose usefulness is comparable to a knife without a blade.
In fact, through it, whose visibility under direct sunlight is really minimal, we can only view the time, date and remaining charge (4 different selectable styles), view an incoming call (visible caller ID) to answer. or reject it and finally have the commands for skip track, play / pause of the music player at your fingertips. But be careful, this only works with the native player and moreover only if the main screen is active, therefore a useless function as is the presence of the second display, which only served to raise the costs of the product.
Next to the useless secondary display, we find the photographic compartment which consists of 3 optics, 1 LED flash and an infrared module for night vision, To enrich the aesthetics of the product, we find metal inserts on the side profiles, which make the Doogee V20 but at the same time increase the weight which reaches 296 grams while the dimensions are expressed in values of 81,2 x 170,5 x 14 mm. This translates into a total absence of ergonomics and the fact that even after a few minutes of use, the smartphone will weigh on comfort, making any situation unpleasant.
On the brushed metal profiles, on the right we have the volume keys and the power key that incorporates the biometric sensor for unlocking the phone by means of fingerprints, whose reactivity is not the best, but at least in terms of unlocking reliability he performed very well. On the opposite side we find the SIM tray, able to accommodate 2 in nano format or by renouncing the Dual SIM function, we can insert a micro SD card to expand the integrated memory. Know that this rugged phone is able to connect to 5G networks on both slots and despite the typically oriental origin, the 20 band is supported.
We also find an additional button that is programmable: with a single click, double click or long press we can call up quick actions such as start an audio recording, start the SOS function, take a screenshot or we can start an application at our convenience. This is really a useful function, for those who perhaps usually use the smartphone with dirty hands due to work, and in this way there would be less interaction with the display, protecting it from dirt and scratches in general, even if in reality we do not have to have any these fears, counting on certifications such as IP68, IP69K, MIL-STD 810G which translate into resistance to temperatures from -55 ° C to + 70 ° C, resistance to immersion in water for 30 minutes with a depth of 1,5 meters, only to name a few.
It should be noted that there is a protective glass on both displays, already applied by the factory, but of poor quality, as it cracked at the first drop test from less than a meter in height. Neither However, you will find a replacement in the package. The resistance to falls and bumps is however guaranteed by the reinforcements on the rigid rubber profiles, both on the upper and lower frame where we find the presence of the main microphone, USB Type-C input for charging and data transfer with OTG support (no video output ) and mono speaker. The charging input is protected by a flap and it should be noted that each charging cable is suitable for insertion, which should not be underestimated, in addition to the fact that the positioning of the speaker is spot on, allowing the sound to escape without impediments. In this regard, the volume is really high but the quality is not excellent, with an imbalance towards the high tones. There is also no 3,5mm wired headphone jack but you'll have to take advantage of the Type-C.
It is also a pity that the FM radio only works with wired headphones, which could be uncomfortable and dangerous if we think about the use of the smartphone on site, for example. On the other hand, the Doogee V20 screen is surprising, a 6,43-inch panel provided by Samsung with AMOLED technology and Full HD + resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels) in 20: 9 format.
The only disturbing element is the punch hole that integrates the selfie camera, but its presence is really reduced with a diameter of only 2,4 mm while the frames that embrace the display are more pronounced. Apart from this, the color rendering of the panel used is decidedly revolutionary in comparison to the range of belonging of the device, but despite the AMOLED technology, the brand has not thought of inserting functions such as the Always On Display nor the HDR support, but above all Widevine DRMs are level 3 and therefore streaming from platforms such as Netflix and similar will not be in HD. Even peak brightness stops at just 500 nits with poor visibility in direct sunlight, which is another sobering thing considering the audience the rugged phone is aimed at. And if I really have to put the load from 12, the display is affected by a bug that shows the trail of icons dragging on the home screen.
I said that the AOD is absent, but at least we find a status LED in the large upper frame, as well as a large ear capsule and the proximity and brightness sensors, the latter suffering from a continuous malfunction, as when it recognizes of having to shoot at the maximum brightness level at the screen, he freezes on this level.
On the other hand, the connectivity and relative yield are good. I am referring to the presence of a Bluetooth 5.1, GPS with connection of Galileo satellites, dual WiFi and NFC for mobile payments. Reception is also good, counting on 5G or 4G + with decent speed in speed tests, while for calls the audio was crystal clear.
We are talking about performance, which on this Doogee V20 impress and surprise positively, counting on a hardware base that is expressed with a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, octa-core solution with 2.2 GHz clock and 7nm production process, able to reach almost 364 thousand points on AnTuTu. The processor is flanked by the ARM Mali-G67 GPU, 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage.
This combination of elements allows the Doogee V20 to also be used in areas poco congenial to rugged phones, or even in the Gaming field, benefiting from latest generation titles with good gaming performance, contenting themselves with graphic details that are not at the highest levels. Overall, the smartphone is always ready and responsive, with a good speed in opening applications but the system, based on a practically stock version of Android 11 and patch of March 2022, suffers from some significant bugs. In fact, it happened to me several times that the phone restarted by itself or that it was unable to open a certain app. Even Android Auto did not perform perfectly in some circumstances.
As for autonomy, this is one of the greatest advantages of this device, relying on a 6000 mAh battery capable of reaching almost 3 days of use without giving up. Also present a fast charge at 33W and a wireless charging at 15W. But if on the one hand I have delighted you with the "carrot" now I touch the "stick", in fact I am talking about photographic rendering.
The photographic sector of Doogee V20, at least on paper, can be interesting considering the presence of a 64 MP main camera with HDR support and f / 1.8 aperture. We then have an 8 MP camera with ultrawide function and 130 ° FOV and finally a 20 MP camera with the possibility of viewing in the dark by means of infrared. Precisely the latter should be one of the main features of the Doogee V20, but its use and performance seems more comparable to that of a security camera, almost a black and white filter, but above all who goes around the total dark to take pictures and / or videos?
The selfie camera is a mundane 16 MP with no further specs, adding virtually nothing to the expectations I had about the Doogee V20. In good lighting conditions the shots are acceptable, in the norm, while the wide-angle camera returns very saturated colors and poco faithful to reality, like that of the 10 euro action cameras. The videos lack any stabilization, although they can be shot up to 2K at 30 fps.
Normal 
Ultra Wide Normal Night mode
The bright colors like the red of a poppy undermine the image processing software, very simple and poor in specific functions, not to mention the photos at night, full of digital noise that is badly managed and that makes the images unusable. shots. Finally I add that the shutter speed and focus are embarrassing.
PROJECTED IMPACT
It seems clear that the Doogee V20 is superior in some ways to the various rugged phones in circulation, but its cost is not justified by anything. At the moment you can find it at around 291 euros, in my opinion many for a device that is uncomfortable to carry with you, it has no particular and / or special features dedicated to extreme work. The AMOLED display has no features typical of this technology and the "special" functions have proved to be just a way to raise the price without any real need met by them.
