We’ve tested the 5G smartphone with the world’s largest battery
We have reviewed a handset with a 22Ah battery capacity
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
We published our review of theDoogee V Maxlast week and this smartphone matches the Unihertz Tank for the smartphone with the world’s biggest battery. At 22Ah (22,000mAh), you won’t find anything bigger in the market right now (our review of the Unihertz Tank is incoming). It’s not for the faint of heart though but will almost certainly end somewhere in ourbest rugged smartphoneguide.
“Everything is set to 11 on the dial: Big screen, powerful SoC, lots of RAM and storage, an impressive camera selection, 5G, and the biggest battery we’ve seen in a phone so far.” reads our review although the V Max remains hardly pocketable given its size and weight (at 543g, 1.2 lbs).
At just under$350 from popular Chinese retailer Aliexpress, it is also far more expensive than buying a rugged smartphone with similar features and a 22Ahportable power stationbut the convenience of having a single unit is something that’s worth paying extra for.
Geared for the outdoors
At the heart of the V Max is the MediaTek Dimensity 1080, a 5G chipset that’s paired with 8GB of RAM (expandable to 20GB using what Mediatek calls Dynamic RAM) and 256GB ROM. The rest of the specification is on part with what one would expect from a solid mid-range smartphone: four camera sensors (including a 108-megapixel one fromSamsung), a large display, amicroSDcard slot and that massive 22Ah battery. Shame it doesn’t do wireless charging although it does OTG which should allow for some very interesting use cases like being able to trickle charge alaptop(or even power one).
Google has a new breakthrough to show why Android is better than iOS devices
Android 12 features, supported devices and what to know
Best rugged tablets (February 2023): Water resistant, drop-proof and shockproof slates
Compared to the Unihertz Tank, the V Max lacks the former’s 1200-lumen flashlight but offers 5G connectivity and a slightly lower price tag, enough to wow us. Both run onAndroid 12and promise an extra dollop of ruggedness thanks to IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810H ratings. Shame that neither do Wi-Fi 6E, which is a bit of a disappointment. The latest mainstream wireless connectivity technology would have given a welcomed boost to wireless speeds, especially when connected to compatiblerouters.
With some tweaks, you should be able to use it as a dual-SIMmobile hotspot, a wirelessWi-Fi extenderor a true wirelesssecurity camerawith night vision capabilities. Smartphones with big batteries have become more widely available since the buzz generated by the ill-fatedEnergizer Power Max P18K Popback in February 2019. Since then two 13Ah smartphones (Ulefone Power Armor 13andBlackview BV9100), a 15Ah smartphone (theOukitel WP15) and a 21Ah one (Oukitel WP19) have been launched.
Just bear in mind that big batteries do not always mean long(er) battery life; Some smartphones have enhanced capabilities that allow them to turn off resource hungry features, independently of whatGoogleoffers on Android. To find what you need to do to keep your smartphone alive for longer, check out these quick tips onhow to improve battery life on Android and iPhone.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled inwebsite buildersandweb hostingwhen DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.
TP-Link Archer BE3600 Wi-Fi 7 Router review
Ulefone Armor Pad 3 Pro rugged tablet review
Your doctor may have an AI assistant taking notes during your next Zoom call
