Doogee S96 Pro review: This thing is a tank

Mainstream smartphones aren’t necessarily built to last. This shiny piece of glass and metal is unlikely to withstand the harsh environmental conditions. So what will happen then? This is where robust smartphones come into play. The Doogee S96 Pro offers a long-lasting experience at an affordable price. The question is whether it will hold up in everyday life? Find out in Android Authority Doogee S96 Pro review.

See also: The best rugged phones

• Doogee S96 Pro (8GB RAM, 128GB): $ 389 / £ 370 / € 319

With a price of just under 400 US dollars, the Doogee S96 Pro is in the midfield when it comes to robust Android phones. The S96 Pro comes in only one option – 8 GB RAM with 128 GB storage, expandable up to 256 GB via microSD card – the S96 Pro definitely offers a considerable amount of storage reserves. The phone is available in two colors: Fire Red and Mineral Black. The device we tested arrived with Android 10 and the custom Doogee skin on top. Unfortunately, there is no update to Android 11 for this device, although during our time the device received an Android security patch dated March 5, 2021.

In terms of other specs, the Doogee S96 Pro runs on the MediaTek Helio G90, has a huge 6,350 mAh battery and a 6.22-inch 720p display. On the bottom there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a USB-C port. There’s a single firing mono speaker on the back that gets pretty loud, and there’s even a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Finally, Doogee has integrated a smart key on the left that can be reassigned for a variety of different apps or functions such as the underwater camera.

In the box you get a USB-C charger, a plastic pry tool for the waterproof SIM card slot, two screen protectors, a wrist strap and some very Apple-like headphones.

The S96 Pro is built like an absolute tank. The device is waterproof and dustproof according to IP68 and IP69K and comes with a MIL-STD-810G certification for fall protection. The latter isn’t the latest MIL-STD-810H rating offered by some rugged phones, but it is protected against shock, vibration, heat, cold, moisture, and more. Thanks to the metal and rubber construction, this phone can take just about anything. I tossed it a couple of times, ran it under high pressure water, and even dropped it, and it was unharmed. Doogee packaged the S96 Pro with Gorilla Glass 5, which should bring some confidence when you drop the phone face down.

Of course, if you are considering a sturdy device it is more than likely due to its durability, although you will be pleasantly surprised to find that this title has some unusual features as well. The Doogee S96 Pro comes with a 20 MP IR night vision camera and works. We’ve seen night vision cameras in other phones like the more expensive Ulefone Armor 11, but the Doogee S96 Pro does much better and delivers sharp and accurate images. Unfortunately, the camera can only take night vision images, not videos.

None of these functions matter if the device doesn’t last a full day. Fortunately, the gigantic 6,350 mAh battery included in the S96 Pro means the device can easily last two. In my tests, which consisted of heavy social media usage, light photography, and some gaming, the device averaged eight to nine hours of screen runtime. Unsurprisingly, the standby battery performance of this device is great as the device consumes less than 1% per hour on average. It took about 90 minutes to boot the phone from zero to 100%, which is surprisingly quick for this type of device. The S96 Pro also supports wireless charging up to 10W, which is normally not seen on rugged phones.

The performance of the S96 Pro is comparable to other rugged devices on the market. It comes with the Mediatek G90, an older, mid-generation budget chipset that is comparable to the Snapdragon 730 in the Google Pixel 4a. The device also comes with 8GB of RAM, which is higher than most other rugged offerings, so you can run more apps at the same time without noticing any slowdowns.

What’s not so good?

Despite the great battery life and cool IR night vision camera, the rest of the experience has some quality control issues. While 720p displays are very common on rugged devices, my particular device had a few issues. I found the color accuracy to be pretty poor and the contrast was a little washed out. Also, I should mention that my particular device came with two dead pixels, which is not a good argument for quality control on these panels.

The Doogee S96 Pro’s camera system worked as expected for a rugged device, but I ran into one problem worth mentioning. I’m not sure if it was the camera app or the display, but the phone was continuously taking pictures when I tapped the shutter button once. It didn’t happen every time, but often enough to be annoying. This can be a problem if you are working in an environment that relies on taking pictures quickly.

Doogee S96 Pro camera examples

Here you can find high resolution versions of the camera samples.

Doogee S96 Pro specifications

At $ 389, it’s hard not to like the Doogee S96 Pro. Compared to more expensive competitors like the Ulefone Armor 11 ($ 580) and the Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro ($ 499), it’s pretty impressively great value for money. Both devices are more expensive and not nearly as durable as the S96 Pro. Not every phone will stand the test of time, let alone harsh environmental conditions, but the S96 Pro is one of the few devices that thanks to its rubber and metal construction could. Additionally, the inclusion of a sharp night vision camera could be useful for buyers working in dimly lit environments. And the great battery life means that those who stay away from their charger for long periods of time will have no trouble keeping the device running for several days.

The quality control display issue and camera errors can make the device a game of luck for some. But for those who are budget conscious, work in harsh environments, and take their device long, the Doogee S96 Pro offers some really tough knocks. If you’re looking for other top-of-the-range rugged phones, check out the Unihertz Atom XL ($ 329) and the Cat S62 Pro ($ 649) too.

It’s worth noting that the successor to this phone – the Doogee S97 Pro – will be released on Amazon in late September 2021. It has an even larger battery and a more powerful processor. We’ll be testing the phone soon to give our verdict, but the Doogee S96 Pro is still a good buy today.