Doogee S98 Rugged Smartphone review

60 seconds review

This is the second smartphone with a secondary display that we are reviewing. was the first Unihertz Tiktok 5G Smartphone Which was launched on Kickstarter in late 2021 and still has some supply issues. Doogee is dipping its toes with the second Rugged Phone S98 with a secondary display feature. Truth be told, we’d prefer implementation over the V20, which is a better — but more expensive — smartphone from the same vendor. However, given the S98’s price tag, we’re pleasantly surprised by the hardware spec sheet, which anchors it solidly in the midrange basket: 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and three rear cameras that include a 64-megapixel shooter.

Doogee S98: Pricing and Availability

Doogee S98 Available directly from the manufacturer’s site for $340 (about £/AU$), a $160 savings over its suggested retail price. At the time of writing, there was a delay of a couple of weeks for the three global warehouses currently stocking the smartphone. It is available in Wine Red, Classic Black and Phantom Gray colours. aliexpress Sold it exclusively for $260 (about £/AU$) so it’s worth buying. Remember that these prices do not include local taxes and handling fees that may be levied by third parties.

(image credits: future)

Doogee S98 : Design

There isn’t much to write about the S98’s design. This is a tried and trusted template with an industrial design that uses a metal frame covered with rubber for shock protection.

(image credits: future)

Given the size of its display (6.3-inch) and its large battery capacity, it should come as no surprise that it’s a large phone – 172 x 82 x 15.5 mm for a 320-gram weight that’s about the size of two. has other rivals, Oukitel WP17 and the Ulefone Kavach 10 5G, The main attraction is on the back side; Between the four sensors and the LED flash entered a circular 30mm display, more on that later.

(image credits: future)

The front screen is a 6.3-inch display with Full HD+ resolution, a pinhole selfie camera sensor and a Corning Gorilla Glass overlay (rear display is also available).

(image credits: future)

The left side houses the SIM card slot and a customizable button while the right has a volume rocker, a power button, and a separate fingerprint reader (we’d love to have the two combined).

(image credits: future)

A flap on the bottom edge hides a USB Type-C connector. As expected, the S98 follows IP68/IP69 and MIL-STD 810G guidelines.

(image credits: future)

Doogee S98 : Hardware

detail page

Doogee S98 comes with the following hardware:

CPU: Helio G96

GPU: Arm Mali-G57

to hit: 8GB

Storage: 256 GB

Screen Size: 6.3-inch

oath: 2340×1080

weight: 320g

Dimensions: 172 x 82 x 15.5 mm

rear camera: 64MP, 20MP, 8MP

front camera: 16MP

OS: Android 12

battery: 6ah

The S98 has a Mediatek Helio G96 system-on-chip similar to the Dimensity 700, only slightly slower, using a more mature manufacturing node and without 5G. It is backed by 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage.

Doogee used a 64-megapixel Samsung camera sensor for the main snapper, a 20-megapixel Sony IMX350 night vision camera, an 8-megapixel Samsung wide-angle camera, and a 16-megapixel Samsung camera for the front-facing camera. In addition to the charger and cable, you get a warranty card, a screen protector, and a user manual. The 6Ah battery supports fast charging (33W) and wireless charging (18W).

(image credits: future)

Doogee S98: In performance and usage

Standard

This is how the Doogee S98 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

PCMark (Task 2.0): 9524

Pass Marks: 6686

Passmark CPU: 3188

Geekbench: 501 (single); 1729 (Multi)

3DMark Wildlife: 1168 (Vulcan); 329 (Extreme)

We didn’t expect much from the S98 as it is based on a mid-range processor. Benchmark results show that it is slightly faster than devices powered by the G95 and slightly slower than handsets based on the Dimensity 700. So expect it to be good enough for most tasks with a bit of gaming.

In addition to the stock Android 12 build, the S98 comes with the standard set of apps typically found on MediaTek-powered smartphones: the ubiquitous toolbox (with pedometer, compass, etc.), Easy Launcher (for senior users), GameSpace and Children space; These create virtual environments for target users with varying levels of lockdown capabilities (such as access to apps or mobile networks).

(image credits: future)

You can configure the rear display to be on the back and even turn it off. In terms of features, you can pick up calls and control the music player and that’s all. We had similar criticism against TikTok 5G; There’s no compelling reason to use the rear screen as it’s not a power-saving e-ink display (like the Hisense A5) and doesn’t have a killer app.

Should I buy Doogee S98?

also consider

dual screen Unihertz. from tiktok Which is more expensive and takes up half the system memory. On the other hand, it has 5G connectivity thanks to the MediaTek Dimensity 700. TikTok also lacks wireless charging, a new Android 12 OS and night vision camera.

as an alternative, doogee v20 A worthy alternative to the S98 at a higher price point. It keeps all the good bits (256GB storage, 8GB RAM, 64-megapixel camera, night vision) and adds 5G capabilities and a design that’s less industrial and more intuitive with a consumer audience.

First reviewed April 2022

• Need a smartphone that can beat and doesn’t require a case? Check out our full list of the best rugged smartphones

Source