Doogee S88 Pro review

Alternatives

Doogee is selling cheap rugged phones, so CAT offers are out of the question here. But Ulefone is surely the one Doogee has to fear the most.

The Armor X8 and Armor 8 are a bit cheaper than the €200 Doogee S88 Pro. Both are equally indestructible but offer inferior screens, chipsets, and batteries. On the other hand, the €290 Ulefone Armor 9E is quite the match for the S88 Pro - it has a similar screen and hardware, the same ruggedness, and an impressive battery, too. The 9E offers a much better camera kit, and you can attach Ulefone's endoscope to it, so maybe the extra €90 is worth it.

Ulefone Armor 8 • Ulefone Armor X8 • Ulefone Armor 9E

The verdict

The Doogee S88 Pro is one affordable rugged phone, which impressed us with its solid build and various resistances. It also packs one of the largest batteries we've seen within a smartphone, and it easily topped our all-time battery chart. These two alone are enough to sell it well.

Doogee isn't well known in many markets, and you better not expect firmware updates or good after-market service. And as we established in this review - the camera is rather unreliable.

But other than that - the S88 Pro is one really impressive phone - it can endure a lot and last you, say, a week on a single charge. And even if it doesn't survive some of the dangers you are about to put it through, you can simply buy another one because it's that cheap. That doesn't sound like a terrible deal, does it?

Pros

• It's rugged and it's cheap.
• The screen is and the chipset is adequate.
• Battery life is phenomenal.
• Android 10 is clutter-free.

Cons

• Doogee is a small, less known brand so prospects for support or updates are unclear.
• Camera performance is poor across the board.
• Speaker loudness and sound quality are lackluster.
• Reverse charging is only wireless, you can't use a cable.
• The screen notch is unnecessary.