Ulefone Armor 27T Pro rugged phone review

Ulefone Armor 27T Pro: 30-second review

Ulefone is one of the leaders in the rugged smartphone market, but what marks out their Armor series over other models is the unique additional functions and features that they tend to offer professionals. While other tough smartphones are designed for both those using the phones in harsh working environments as well as those looking for a tough, reliable phone for use in outdoor activities, the Ulefone Armor 27T Pro adds features that really focus on working trades.

Firstly, like most of the best rugged phones I've reviewed, the Armor 27T Pro comes with all the usual ultra-tough certificates, such as the MIL-STD-810H, which proves that the phone is up to military-grade durability. There is the all-important IP68/IP69K water and dustproofing, which, through the test, saw the phone submerged in a stream for half an hour with no adverse effects.

While being a tough phone with a large screen is a great feature, this phone's main selling point is the integrated FLIR thermal imaging camera, which can detect temperatures between -10°C and 450°C. This camera utilises the "My Flir Pro" App, which is able to detect heat signatures and display them as a colour representation on the screen. The app makes these signatures relatively easy to understand and could be used alongside other detection tools to locate pipes and wiring. The FLIR app and camera are straightforward enough to use. While it will highlight the temperature differences between items well with the colour overlays, seeing through walls to detect pipes and wiring is less obvious and really needs a trained eye, but for the most part, it's useful.

Likewise, the night vision camera, which incorporates NightElf Ultra 3.0 Algerithum, works exceptionally well. Where this camera really comes into its own is when you need to see around a dark space or area where the direct live feed on the screen enables you to see things in front of you that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.

When it comes to more day-to-day performance, the phone generally performs well; and although it is larger and heavier than most, the relatively slim design and styling make it easy to handle. The 5G reception and data transfer in areas that have access to the technology is fast and solid, and in 4G areas, the speeds and connection quality also seem to be robust. Likewise, the wireless connectivity on networks is also solid.

Inside, the CPU and GPU, with the rest of the hardware, do a great job when it comes to running most apps, with the benchmark results all showing that this tough phone can handle most Google app tasks and some gaming without issue. It's only when you start to push the processing and graphics abilities with the latest games that you'll really start to see a slowdown. But, as this phone really is work-focused, that shouldn't be an issue.

As we've seen with some of the other Armor phones, the addition of the USmart connector further enables you to expand on the phone's abilities, and connecting to the endoscope camera is easy enough. However, it does require a small screwdriver to fit. Once in place, it works exceptionally well, further adding to the usefulness of this phone.

Finally worth a mention is the battery, which offers up to 58 hours of talk time and almost 600 hours of standby, meaning that for most people, you'll only need to charge it before the start of the week. It should last the duration - so if you are working on-site without too much access to power, then this phone should see you through. If you do need a top, then there's the option for a 33W wired fast charge or 30W wireless, which is handy. Through the test, the reverse charging also proved to be a great feature, enabling camera batteries to be charged directly from the phone...

As a tough phone, the Armor 27T Pro has plenty to offer, along with all the usual rugged specifications. The thermal camera is handy, although you do need a trained eye and some time to understand what it is fully you're looking at, and it should be noted that it should be used alongside other detection devices and not instead. The My FLIR Pro App, night vision camera, and ability to use USmart accessories make this phone extremely useful, especially for anyone working in the building trade.

Ulefone Armor 27T Pro: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? Starting from $549?
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from Ulefone

The Ulefone Armor 27T Pro is priced at $549 and is available through Ulefone's official website by clicking here. You can also find it on Amazon, and various electronics retailers.

• Value: 4 / 5

Ulefone Armor 27T Pro: Specifications

Ulefone Armor 27T Pro: Design

There's no mistaking the Ulefone Armor 27T Pro as anything other than a rugged Smartphone built for durability and able to withstand harsh environments. The physical size at 182.8 x 86.8 x 18.5 mm and weight of 441g does make it larger than your average smartphone, but then as you check it over, you'll see the reinforced rubberised corners and aesthetics that are a trademark of this genre of the phone. Essentially, the design, whilst tough and designed to protect the phone, is still slimmer than some.

As we know from Ulefone the design isn't just for looks, with the build conforming meeting MIL-STD-810H certification, which should reassure you that it can withstand knocks, drops, vibrations, and even some quite extreme temperatures. As you'd expect for a phone that has been designed for using in the great outdoors as well as on-site, it meets IP68/IP69K water and dust resistance standards, essentially meaning that it will survive being dropped into water to a depth of 2 meters for at least 30 minutes. That time should be long enough for you to grab your diving gear if you do drop it into a river.

While the phone is larger than most, Ulefone has actually balanced the design well, making it comfortable to hold and not too unwieldy. What's nice about the size is that it features a large 6.78-inch display, which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, adding to the durability of the phone and again highlighting that this is a great choice for anyone working on site.

The screen, being so large, offers a brightness of 680 nits, which is about average and will enable you to see the screen in clear detail in all but the brightest conditions where a little sun shielding of the screen will be needed. The screen also offers a refresh rate of 120Hz, which will help to ensure any games or media playback is nice and smooth - although that isn't really where this phone's strengths lie.

On the front, you'll see the punch-hole design that houses the 32MP front camera with Samsung GD1 with an 80.4º field of view, which is useful for video calls and a few social media-friendly selfies. The main cameras, including the thermal feature, are placed in the usual position on the back of the phone. Here, the main 50mp ISOCELL GN1 Samsung image 1/1.13 sensor is fronted by an f/1.6 lens with an 85º field of view. There's also the night vision camera and Thermal camera.

Looking at what else the phone has to offer, there are dual SIM card slots, alongside a MicroSD/TF card to boost internal storage. Below this slot is a custom button that you can assign an app or feature to, and below this is a line of six contacts; this is essentially the USmart expansion connector where optional accessories can be plugged in.

On the base is the USB Type-C port which enables fast charging at 33W, and below this is a lanyard loop; then on the other side is the volume up and down, along with the power button. On top of the phone is the 3.5mm socket for the headphones which is a nice addition alongside the Bluetooth option.

• Design: 5 / 5

Ulefone Armor 27T Pro: Features

• 10,600mAh battery
• IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810H certification

At the heart of the phone is a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5T processor, and this is coupled with the ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. There's also 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM with 12GB Virtual RAM, making a total of 24GB and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage, which can be upgraded with a MicroSD/TF card to 2TB. This hardware provides a solid base for the intended use of the phone as something to use out in the field that will supply you with the power needed to make calls, use Google Docs, watch back media, and play some games.

Ulefone makes quite a few tough phones, and each one has a unique feature that differentiates it from the rest. The Ulefone Armor 27T Pro features a FLIR thermal imaging camera. This camera, which is the central camera on the back of the phone, is supported by the "My FLIR APP' which comes pre-installed. This app enables one to see heat signatures that would otherwise be invisible to the eye. The features have been designed for use with a wide range of applications in mind, including electrical and plumbing inspections or used to locate people and animals during search and rescue operations. The thermal imaging camera, unlike a conventional camera, only features a resolution of 80x60 with a 9Hz refresh rate and is designed for live temperature monitoring rather than capturing images or video. However, if you do want to take a video or image with this camera, it is possible.

Alongside the thermal camera is a 64MP night vision camera, which will enable you to capture images in darker conditions where other cameras would struggle. It is, again, a great addition for anyone working on-site or in a rescue situation.

The phone runs on Android 14, and aside from a few additional apps, such as the "My FLIR App", the interface is otherwise clean and clutter-free, so you can install the apps you need. As you'd expect from one of the latest phones, security features such as facial recognition and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor are all there, ready to use.

Another major feature of the phone is the USmart connector, which enables accessories to be attached, including endoscopes and microscopes, which are available separately. Other nice additional features include an FM radio, an outdoor toolbox of apps, an IR blaster so you can use it as a remote, NFC, custom key programming, GPS, GLONASS, Beidou and Galileo.

• Features: 5 / 5

Ulefone Armor 27T Pro: Performance

• Thermal Camera
• Plenty of storage options

Through testing, the Ulefone Armor 27T Pro puts in a solid performance for day-to-day use, including web browsing, navigation, making calls, and sending emails. The choice of the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 offers decent enough performance for most applications, only really struggling with high-end gaming. The GPU, Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, also handles the graphical demands of most applications well, however it does again struggle with resource-heavy games and applications such as Adobe Lightroom.

However, the phone's real strength lies in its professional abilities out in the field and in environments where other phones would struggle. While the phone handles Google Docs and, for that matter, most Apps with ease, the benchmark results showed average GPU results, further highlighting that this phone is really designed for professional rather than recreational use.

The main focus of that professional, alongside making calls and using the internet, is the inclusion of the FLIR thermal camera. While it takes a while to get the hang of using the different coloured visualisation for the different heat signatures, it all starts to make sense pretty quickly. The fact that there are temperature markers on the right of the screen further adds to the ability to read the scene in front of you. In our test, the FLIR camera was able to pick out animals in the dark and through foliage where they would otherwise have been invisible. Likewise, warm pipes on a radiator system can easily be identified alongside some wiring where the junction box showed increased warmth. For trained electricians and plumbers who are better able to read these screens then, this information is extremely useful as a quick way of identifying before more advanced tools are used.

While the thermal camera is the main focus, the two other rear-facing cameras and, for that matter, the front camera are all pretty decent and offer plenty of options. General connectivity through 5G and 4G, as well as using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for accessories, was all good and robust without any real connection issues.

Of course, being a tough phone, the last part of the test was to check the durability of the phone; in the water test, the phone was dropped into a river, although not to the depth of 2m and left for around 30 minutes. After taking the phone out and drying it off, it worked without issue, passing the waterproof test. Likewise, being dropped and thrown a short distance on soft ground proved the durability of the phone, and the screen stayed scratch-free.

The other point about this and all tough phones is the battery life, and here, the 10,600mAh battery offered plenty of talk time; we didn't check the full 58 hours advertised, but after three days of calls, media browsing and using the thermal camera, there was still 29% charge left. Plugged into a 100W PD port on a Blutti AC70, the phone is able to use the 33W fast charging, which takes around an hour and a half to charge fully.

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• Performance: 3 / 5

Ulefone Armor 27T Pro: Final verdict

The Ulefone Armor 27T Pro is a tough phone with a real focus on its intended market. While it may not have the graphic processing of some other phones, which is noticeable as soon as you start to play higher-demand games for all general apps and functionality, the CPU and GPU combo are more than powerful enough.

As a tough phone able to stand up against the elements, again, the phone proves that it can withstand the elements and submerges it underwater, dropping it, and generally treating the phone in a way that you would never subject your phone to, it took everything in its stride.

The two areas where the phone really stood out were the thermal camera, which worked incredibly well, although it takes a little work to understand what it is you're looking at. Like the thermal camera, the standard and night cameras are also exceptionally good, producing images both during the day and at night that you would be happy with. The other point is the battery life, which is exceptional for all areas of use, and the fact that you can use the phone's battery to reverse charge other devices is a huge benefit out in the field.

As a tough phone, the Armor 27T Pro meets all the needs and demands of working in challenging conditions, and while the processing might not be up to playing the latest games, it's perfect for the function for which it has been designed. Primarily, it is a useful smartphone that has the addition of a power thermal camera that can be used for work purposes.

Should you buy a Ulefone Armor 27T Pro?

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