Introduction
Ulefone is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer popularly known for its durable devices. Their Armor series is designed to withstand harsh environments and support them with decent performance and necessary features, hence they have been gaining popularity among outdoor enthusiasts.
The Ulefone Armor 21 is the latest avatar in the series, continuing the tradition of ruggedness, courtesy of the MIL-STD-810H and IP68/IP69K certifications for shock, drop, vibration, dust, and water protection. Key Armor 21 highlights include a 6.2-inch display, triple rear cameras, a robust 8300mAh battery, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and support for wireless charging.
It was intended for adventurers, campers, and construction workers alike, and was marketed as a sturdy and reliable device that could withstand the harshest conditions. With features to complement active lifestyles, the Armor 21 has promised to be durable and perform well in navigation outdoors on challenging worksites.
Design
The Ulefone Armor 21 features a chunky design, its core targeting outdoor activities. With the device measuring 170 x 83 x 16mm and weighing approximately 320g, this is quite bulky but still comfortable to hold.
The IP68 and IP69K ratings give resistance to dust and water, the latter of which should see it survive being submerged in as much as 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes. Besides that, it’s also MIL-STD-810G certified and can withstand drops, shocks, vibrations, extreme temperatures, among other unfriendly conditions.
The back cover of the Armor 21 is made of tough, textured plastic for a secure grip, while the frame itself is manufactured from aluminum alloy. This phone is available in two color schemes: Black and Orange.
Physical controls are a power button and volume rocker on the right side, customizable function keys on the left, and a dedicated camera shutter button. For extra convenience, the fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button.
For ports, you get a bottom-placed USB-C slot, which sits alongside a speaker grill and main microphone. Up top, you find a 3.5mm audio jack.
In other words, Armor 21’s rugged build grants it the capability of withstanding rough outdoor use and, therefore, lasting longer than a regular smartphone in case of occasional drops or extreme conditions.
Display
The Ulefone Armor 21 features a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display, offering a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. It has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 409 ppi, so visuals are quite sharp and clear.
It comes with a standard refresh rate of 60Hz, common in devices within this budget category. That much is enough to keep the majority of tasks running smoothly. Of course, larger refresh rates would certainly make smooth animated content even more fluid, but 60Hz feels entirely adequate for the average consumer.
For brightness, the Armor 21 maxes out at 500 nits in HDR content playback, which should make it decently viewable when outdoors and give it a pretty decent HDR performance. It does feature HDR10 support and Widevine L1, too, meaning that it should be able to stream high-quality content straight from services such as Netflix.
While the display specifications are not exactly bleeding edge, a mix of 1080p resolution, decent brightness levels, and HDR support makes for a pretty decent experience whether it’s gaming or watching videos. Additionally, the IPS panel offers good viewing angles, meaning most users should find the display adequate for everyday use.
Camera System The Ulefone Armor 21 comes fitted with a triple rear camera setup along with a single front-facing camera.
Rear Cameras
It’s a 64MP primary rear camera; it has an aperture of f/1.8 with the use of pixel-binning technology that produces vivid 16MP photos. It also supports auto-focus and comes with an LED flash. It is capable of recording 4K videos at 30 frames per second. There’s also an 8MP ultra-wide camera that provides a 120-degree Field of View for an f/2.2 aperture-perfect for landscape shots in wide view.
A 2MP depth camera adds the portrait mode effect by artificially blurring the background to bring the subject in focus.
Front Camera The device features a 16MP front camera with an f/2.0 aperture. It also has support for face unlock and records video in 1080p at 30fps.
Performance The Ulefone Armor 21 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G35 chipset. It will surely bring good and reliable performance to this budget-friendly rugged phone. An octa-core CPU comprises two big cores, which balance power and efficiency.
The device comes with 4GB of RAM, which is adequate for general usage and may not be quite enough for heavy multitasking. It also includes 128GB of inbuilt storage, expandable via microSD card. For graphics, one finds an integrated PowerVR GE8320 GPU, adequate for most games and applications in this price range.
Core job that the Armor 21 executes is giving you decent, consistent performance for everyday tasks. It comes powered by the Helio G35 chipset coupled with 4GB RAM, which works flawlessly for all the tasks. As such, casual gaming will be quite possible, though not very smooth with heavy games, especially in higher graphics settings.
All in all, the Armor 21 serves up some pretty good real-world performance-what you’d want from a rugged phone in this price bracket. Not built for top-tier power, this device excels in durability and battery life over any cutting-edge specs.
Battery Life The Ulefone Armor 21 sports a big 5800 mAh battery, which is pretty impressive for a rugged phone its size. According to the company’s claims, the battery can easily support 3 days of use even with heavy usage.
With the provided 30W fast charger, in half an hour, the Armor 21 reaches 60% charge, while a full charge takes about 1h and 40 minutes. That’s relatively fast for such a large battery.
A large battery combined with fast charging allows for quite excellent battery life. With over a day’s mixed usage, you get around 10 hours of screen-on time for video streaming, gaming, and app usage. If power efficiency is optimized with Android, this can add several days of more standby time to it.
When it’s to be taken outside for long shifts or voyages, or even for travel, the battery of the Armor 21 promises reliable power. And with fast charging, you can get a quick top-up where time is short.
Software
The Ulefone Armor 21 launches with Android 12. It’s a clean, stock Android experience that should feel pretty familiar to most people.
Among some major software features, we have:
Clean Android 12 interface; no bloatware, no unnecessary customizations
System-wide dark mode support
Digital Wellbeing tools to check on app usage and set notification controls
Better privacy controls with notification dot permissions and location access
Access to the latest services provided by Google such as the Privacy Dashboard and Privacy Sandbox
Icon, font, color theming, and more with Material You theming
Live Caption automatically transcribes speech to text
Quick settings toggles easily access oft-used features
Multi-user support so different users can have their own apps and content
Inbuilt app screen recorder
Improved media controls and device controls in the notification shade
Improved one-handed use features such as gesture navigation and a floating keyboard
There are not many apps pre-installed on the phone. The additions of note are the Armour Lab app for managing durability features, an Updater, Sound Recorder, Calculator, Downloads and File Manager. Thus, the software is streamlined, up-to-date and focused on core Android capabilities.
Unique Features
Ulefone Armor 21 is a surprisingly unique device that features some special things which not many phones boast.
Waterproofing
The Armor 21 comes with an IP68 rating for resistance against water and dust. It means the device can withstand immersion up to 1.5 meters deep in the water for up to 30 minutes without taking any damage. In addition, its ports are sealed to avoid intrusion from dust and sand.
Drop Protection
Ulefone claims that the Armor 21 can withstand drops from as high as 1.2 meters onto concrete. Indeed, its rugged build and shock-absorbent materials passed several military-grade drop tests, which makes it perfect for active or outdoor use.
Thermal Imaging Camera
Exclusive to the Armor 21 is the integrated thermal imaging camera, capable of detecting heat signatures in the dark of night and even through smoke. It has the ability to pick up on changes in temperature of up to 400°C, serving useful functions such as finding heat leaks or pursuing game in the night.
Laser Rangefinder
With the addition of an infrared laser rangefinder, the Armor 21 can measure distances up to 40 meters with 1-meter resolution, which may come in handy for hikers, surveyors, and golfers alike.
Air Quality Monitor
Equipped with air quality sensors, the Armor 21 detects hazards such as VOCs, CO2, temperature, and humidity while it displays real-time air quality readings on its backlit LCD display to help one maintain a safe and comfortable air environment.
Overall, with the Ulefone Armor 21, one notices the ruggedness, thermal imaging capability, and advanced sensors that make it a diverse smartphone fit for both work and adventure.
Conclusion
The Ulefone Armor 21 stands out among rugged smartphones because of the combination of military-grade durability with flagship features in a very affordable way. The following are some key points:
Ruggedized Design: Armor 21 has passed 15 military-grade standards for shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, and humidity. Moreover, the polycarbonate back plate and elevated bezels of the device provide additional protection against drops. Its IP68/IP69K ratings make it dustproof and waterproof at up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.
High-End Specs: The Armor 21 comes fitted with a Helio G35 processor, complemented by 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You will also find a 16MP triple camera and a 6.1″ FHD+ display. Performance from this device is basically at par with any other high-end smartphone, running most tasks smoothly.
Long-Lasting Battery: The huge 6000mAh battery will last as long as three days under normal use, while it supports 18W fast charging.
Software Up-to-Date: It ships with Android 12 out of the box, so at least a guarantee of two major OS updates and three years of security updates are assured.
Wicked Camera Setup: Triple rear camera packing inside 16MP main sensor, besides 2MP macro plus depth sensors and 20MP front-facing shooter. Camera modes include Night, Portrait, and Pro for added versatility in photography.
With a price of about $250, it offers really great value for your money compared to other rugged smartphones, which usually sell for more than $500.
In summary, Ulefone Armor 21 strikes an impressive balance between toughness and modern smartphone functionality. It’s well-suited for those who look forward to a strong device that will serve them either in some outdoor activities or high-demanded work environments, but still decently perform with its powerful battery and at an affordable price. It stands higher than its class while still being very budget-friendly.
