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This modular Android phone made my Pixel 9 Pro feel boring - but it left me confused
ZDNET's key takeaways
- The Oukitel WP200 Pro is currently available for $599 on the company's website and will soon be sold via Amazon.
- A detachable Bluetooth earpiece with a touch screen that also attaches to a watchband makes this phone incredibly fun.
- The WP200 Pro is heavier than your average phone.
Oukitel has produced some of the more interesting phones on the market. One phone includes a built-in projector, and all of the company's phones are relatively rugged and have batteries that crush the competition.
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Oukitel phones tend to look a bit industrial; at first glance, it's obvious that they were built to withstand rugged conditions. They often look like they'd be best suited for the set of a Transformers film, but they all function exactly as an Android phone should.
Recently, the company sent me the WP200 Pro Upon opening this phone, my first thought was, "What in the name of Frank Canova* is going on here? (* The man credited with inventing the smartphone.)
My experience
When I took the phone out of the box, I noticed a rectangular "hole" on the backside of the chassis. What was this for? Digging deeper into the box, I found what looked like a Bluetooth earpiece.
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What the what?
It took me all of 30 seconds to understand what was going on. The Bluetooth earpiece fits in the backside hole for storage and charging. This way, you always have a Bluetooth earpiece whenever you need it.
Cool!
And it gets better.
Also inside the box was a watchband without a watch. Guess what? That earpiece has a touch screen and fits in the watch band. Voilà! Instant smartwatch.
This is crazy.
It really is a transformer, and I am seriously impressed.
OK let's keep our expectations in check.
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First off, the CPU is an MTK Dimensity 8200. Although earlier models of the Dimensity chips were seen as midrange (at best), these later options are considerably more powerful. The chip shipped with the WP200 Pro consists of a framework of 1 x 3.1 GHz - Cortex A78, 3 x 3.0 GHz Cortex A78, and 4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex A55. That's nothing to sneeze at.
Thanks to that CPU and 24GB of RAM, this phone outperforms every midrange phone I've ever tested. At $599, this odd-looking phone becomes quite intriguing. There's no lag, the animations are buttery smooth, and the display is brilliant.
Another thing that surprised me was the lack of bloatware. I've grown so accustomed to low-end and midrange devices that ship with too many useless apps. The WP200 Pro shrugs off that tradition and gives you a fairly standard set of default apps.
In the App Drawer, you'll find a folder titled "Toolbox." In that folder are the following apps:
- Bubble Level
- Picture Hanger
- Measure Height
- Magnifier
- Alarm
- Plumb Bob
- Protractor
- Compass
That's about as "toolboxy" as you can get on a phone.
But what about that extra bit of technology? The earbud/watch combo?
It's surprisingly effective.
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The watch doesn't compare to my Pixel 3, but it's certainly a fun option for anyone looking to enter the world of smartwatches while also getting the additional Bluetooth earpiece.
As I mentioned earlier, the earpiece snaps into the back of the phone for storage and charging. When stored on the phone, the earpiece behaves exactly as it would if attached to the included watchband. You can tap the touch screen, see the time, check your activity/sleep/heart rate, play music, and check the weather.
Can a phone be any more fun than this?
Seriously, it's pretty cool to have all of your phone peripherals (minus a pair of Bluetooth headphones, which I wouldn't be surprised to see Oukitel do next) in one.
What about the camera?
Phone cameras have become an integral part of daily life, so it's important for a phone to have a decent camera. Although the WP200 Pro cannot stand up to the Pixel 9 Pro camera (what phone can?), it does a pretty good job. The one drawback I found with the camera is that locking on focus for subjects without a face can be tricky. I could never get nearly the focus from the WP200 Pro that I get with the Pixel 9 Pro.
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Even with the Macro option, close-up focus was a bit of a challenge.
The Pro mode was the only way I could get decent focus when trying to snap photos of objects without faces.
As far as modes are concerned, you get Facebeauty, 108MP, Picture, Video, Macro, Pro, Slow-Motion, GIF, Time-Lapse, Night-View, Panorama, and Portrait. The Facebeuty mode does a good job, but faces can get washed out. That's par for the course with such modes, so this isn't really on Oukitel. For me, the most useful mode on the camera was Pro because I could manually adjust the settings (ISO, WB, Focus, etc.) to best fit my needs.
ZDNET buying advice
If you're not one to worry about fitting in or FOMO, the WP200 Pro phone is a lot of fun. It is heavier than the average flagship phone (as are all the company's rugged phones), and the design will seem kind of futuristic for most, but it performs well and the Bluetooth headpiece/watch attachment makes this phone a truly interesting buy.
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Is it worth $599? That depends. Do you need a phone that can withstand the elements and includes an attachable earpiece/watch? Do you need tons of internal storage and a battery that will outlast most major brands? If so, the WP 200 Pro is for you.
I found the WP200 Pro to be about as fun a phone as I've ever used. If you're one to buck the trends, it might very well be the right device for you.
The specs
- CPU - 1 x 3.1 GHz - Cortex A78, 3 x 3.0 GHz Cortex A78, and 4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex A55
- RAM - 24 GB
- Storage - 1 TB
- Display - 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED with a 1080×2412 resolution, a 394 PPI pixel density, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and a brightness of 500 nit
- Cameras - Front: 32 MP, Main: 108 MP, Macro: 2MP
- Battery - 8800mAh polymer with a standby time of 47.5 days.
- Body - Dimensions: 163.6 x 77.85 x 13.7mm and a weight of 311g