DOOGEE S95 Pro
This is not the golden age of mainstream smartphones anymore. The crazy time of smartphones may have long gone – now its the time of smartphones with incremental updates.
However, the segment of rugged smartphones is rising up. There is no certain standard dictating how a rugged smartphone should look like. From this point, DOOGEE is definitely on the top of the range with its latest modular rugged phone, DOOGEE S95 Pro. If the DOOGEE smartphone is just waterproof, shockproof and scratchproof, I wouldn’t be impressed. But the most attractive feature of the S95 Pro are the attached modular components.
DOOGEE S95 Pro Review: Design
DOOGEE is one of the most prolific rugged phone producers. After upgrade over the past few years, it has developed a unique design on its rugged devices. Especially for the DOOGEE S95 Pro, compared to most large rugged phones, DOOGEE has worked to refine its smartphone design by making it relatively lightweight (284g) with an extremely tough built. But for a rugged phone, thin body size is not the priority. The S95 Pro is armed with a solid metal frame and special rubber sheet which was claimed as ‘industry-leading’ rubber protection. Such a combination of metal frame and rubber protection allows users to enter extreme conditions – without worry.
There are two SIM slots on both sides of the phone frame. One is simply applied for SIM card, and the other one can be taken for either a second SIM card or a micro-SD card as external storage. Below the SIM1 slot, there is a sequence of buttons including volume buttons, a power button, and another fingerprint recognition sensor. The military-style of the rear design brings a unified and clear production positioning for the device. The S95 is rated IP68/IP69K, which is on top of the usual dust and water resistance. And it also has MIL-STD-810G certification.
In addition to this, the S95 Pro equipped triple rear cameras, including a Sony IMX 582 48MP camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera (117°) and 8MP depth sensor. As a module phone, it has a magnetic module port for attaching the official modules. So far, the DOOGEE has developed a speaker module and another power module.
DOOGEE S95 Pro Review: Display
The S95 Pro features a 6.3-inch screen with a 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 covered. And it supports a MiraVision tuning, which allows users to tailor picture quality based on their needs, and further choose Picture/User Mode by themselves.
Hardware
The S95 Pro equipped an MTK Helio P90 Soc, which is considered as a worthy opponent of the Snapdragon 710. And it offers 8GB RAM and 128GB Samsung UFS 2.0 storage, which is not as fast as the UFS3.0 used in 2020 flagships, but still better than the eMMC storage used in other mid-rangers.
Speaker Module & Power Module
Like the other rugged phones, the 5150mAh large battery is necessary for long-lasting endurance when facing an awful situation. After seeing some rugged phones with even 10000mAh, the S95 Pro’s battery capacity may not be surprising. However, the attachable 3850mAh battery pack and the size-down body provides another solution. The phone can fast-charge at up to 24W.
The speaker module has two 27mm speakers and a kickstand to prop up the phone. No need to worry about power consumption as the separate battery inside can last for around 10 hours. A noteworthy detail is that the speaker module will cover the phone’s camera while the power pack will not, which is much reasonable as we can imagine what scenarios users will put these two on. But these modules are not as waterproof or shock resistant as the phone is, so pay attention not to drop them on the ground or in the water.
Use experience
The S95 Pro runs the Android 9.0 Pie system, which is kind of disappointing. The system was updated to February 10, 2020, with the January 5, 2020 security patch level. As for its performance, it’s known that most Rugged phones cannot be compared to the performance of mainstream flagships and the S95 Pro is no exception. However, with Helio P90 onboard the S95 Pro is still one of the most powerful rugged smartphones. Helio P90 is pretty good for the device, after all, a rugged phone’s priority is always its toughness and its capacity of adapting to different bad conditions.
In our daily use, it did match our expectations of a top rugged phone. The rubber protected the machine well when accidentally dropping the phone on the ground. Especially the thickened rubber of four corners could sustain the impact of dropping and not even hit the display. Then we exposed it in the rain for over an hour and it came out fine.
Cameras
We took some photos with the S95 Pro. The 48MP primary camera can produce relatively true colors with a good resolution. The wide-angle samples could reach a wider angle but still, need to improve the anti-distortion. Just look at the samples and see whether it met your needs.
Conclusion
The S95 Pro is an excellent rugged phone that can handle extreme conditions. But what’s more surprising is its modular capability that expands its features. There are even some interesting ways to make good use of the module set. For example, connect to the computer with the speaker module and turn it as MIDI.
With an affordable price tag, the S95 Pro is not just another alternative to a primary smartphone. It is an ideal choice for those who enjoy outdoor activities or have to work outdoors, such as adventure enthusiasts or construction workers.
