Blackview BL8800 Pro 5G Review – New Flagship Rugged Smartphone

The well-known rugged phone brand Blackview has put its new 5G flagship in the global market, the Blackview BL8800 series (BL8800/BL8800 Pro) Undoubtedly it’s one of the best-rugged smartphones in the market including leaders such as Doogee and Oukitel that offer us value for the price.

Blackview BL8800 Pro is designed to crush the use limits that normal phones simply can’t bear by equipping with high specifications for overall top-notch performance. featuring a Thermal By FLIR®, a gigantic 8380mAh battery, 8GB RAM 128GB ROM, and of course, support 5G networks. So, has everything to impress you no matter what you’re using it for. So, how well it performs and whether it is worth a buying, all this and more in this review.

• Doke-OS 3.0 (Based on Android 11)
• MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G
• Mali-G57 MC2
• 8GB LPDDR4X + 128GB UFS2.1
• 6.58″ FHD+ Display, 2408*1080
• 50MP Quad Rear Camera + Thermal By FLIR®
• 8380mAh Battery, 33W Quick Charge
• 5G Network, NFC, GPS Functions
• IP68 & IP69K & MIL-STD-810H | Glove Mode

Design And Build Quality

In such devices, showing durability and ability to handle challenges is the first thing that catches your eye, and this is what comes with it Blackview BL8800 Pro is solid and rugged, it features a large screen on the front of 6.58 inches, and on the back a high-quality synthetic rubber layer with a length of 176.2mm and a width of 83.5mm with a metal frame and fixation screws that gives you a kind of thickness with 17.7mm. It feels great when you hold it in your hand despite its weight of 367g, which is considered very heavy and this is acceptable in a durable phone, I hope its performance is worth it. If you ask me about the manufacturing quality, there is nothing to complain about, because Blackview has always been working on providing quality products to users all over the world at an affordable price.

On The Front

In front of the device is a full screen measuring 6.58 inches with very thin bezels on the sides, and at the bottom, there is a narrow chin, in addition to the Dot Drop notch from the top that contains a 16MP camera in the middle of the top for taking selfies and video chats, which we will talk about a lot soon.

On The Back

At the back, has a rugged-looking panel made of a high-quality synthetic rubber layer, Which gives it an appearance of solid and durable. What will catch your attention is the quad rear camera set with night vision and a LED Flashlight in the upper middle. At the bottom of the back is the name “Blackview” and just below it is a lanyard hook and speaker. And what makes it more durable, is in the corners, there are cushions for extra protection and comfort when holding the phone.

Ports And Buttons

As for the ports, the phone comes with a USB Type-C port from the bottom with a tight, secure lid for waterproofness. The buttons are, the usual, the power button build-in fingerprint sensor, volume button, and dual SIM without memory slot. It should be noted that there is a customizable shortcut button on the side for 7 function shortcuts and quick access to your favorite app.

If you notice the 3.5mm audio jack is missing, that means either you have to use wireless headphones or a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter.

Waterproof

Most modern phones can’t bear continued exposure to water, dirt, dust, or extreme temperatures well, and could easily break as a result of such abuse. Thankfully, that’s Blackview BL8800 Pro is covered by high-quality synthetic rubber and rated with IP68 and IP69K, which means it is dust-resistant, scratch-resistant, shock- and drop-resistant, and water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes and resistant to drops from 1.5m high. Moreover, it can withstand high pressure and high-temperature washing test, and withstand 100 bar (1450 psi) high water pressure and 80°C high water temperature.

In addition, it also has MIL-STD-810H certification, a military standard certification that ensures the integrity of the device is maintained in almost any situation. And this version is the latest revision of MIL-STD-810, which includes numerous changes from its predecessor, MIL-STD-810G.

Blackview BL8800 Pro – Display Quality

The screen uses IPS technology size 6.58 inches FHD+ with an 18:8 aspect ratio and a very good resolution of 2408 x 1080 giving you bright, sharp colors and wide viewing angles which are more than great for consuming visual content on YouTube or otherwise. The screen visibility stays relatively poor under the sun but doesn’t make a big deal.

In short, with the BL8800 Pro, I will say that it’s one of the best screens for Rugged smartphones in the mid-range category, you will get the best value for what you pay, a large and high-quality screen suitable for media consumption, whether you are watching the video, playing games or browsing the social media.

Blackview BL8800 Pro – Cameras

For those interested in photography and video, one of the main points of the Blackview BL8800 Pro is the cameras. In terms of their specifications, there is nothing to worry about, but the last word remains in the actual performance.

On the back, you get a Quad-camera setup that features a 50MP S5KJN1SQ03 primary camera that features improved light sensitivity and color fidelity, which captures striking texture and color every time you snap a photo. For the rest of the cameras, you have a 20MP IR night vision camera backed by two IR LEDs, 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP depth camera.

For people who are into selfies, especially night selfies, Samsung®ISOCELL 3P9 16MP front camera won’t let you down. It’s powered by Tetrapixel™ technology that mimics big pixels to take a brighter picture of 4Mp while demosaic algorithm creates detailed 16Mp high-resolution images. This increases light sensitivity to greatly enhance image quality in both bright and dark lighting conditions.

More camera modes include HDR, Night mode, PortraitColor, and Underwater mode. Besides, the BL8800 Pro supports cinematic 2k video recording that supports 30 frames per second so you can capture your favorite moments in stunning detail, just as you remember them. Basically, this highly unified camera system can back you up to shoot in any conditions, day or night, wide or ultra-wide, on land or underwater.

On average, the night mode on a phone camera can absorb enough light so as to produce clear night photos, but that’s with the prerequisite of light or low light. What makes the BL8800 series truly stand out is it can let you see and take photos or videos in complete darkness. In addition, it comes with an even more useful thermal imaging technology that not only lets you shoot and see in sheer blackness but also enables you to see heat, day or night. Underwater camera mode is another jaw-dropping for this series which let you shoot in water.

Blackview BL8800 Pro Performance

Well, Its time to expose Blackview BL8800 Pro to some tasks that need more effort and there is nothing better than playing games with high settings, the conditions here differ according to the application, game, or any type of program that need large resources, and because the processor used here is MediaTek Dimensity 700 octa-core SoC with an integrated 5G modem based on 2 high-performance ARM Cortex-A76 cores at up to 2.2 and 6 power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores at 2.0 GHz and 7mm architecture, not the fastest Dimensity CPU on offer by MediaTek but moves the brand into 5G coverage for its phones, Also, this processor it’s present in many models of famous brands the existing in the same category of durable phones such as Oukitel WP15 and Ulefone Armor 12 5G, even Doogee V10 or Doogee S97.

The graphics processing used is Arm Mali-G57 MC2 up to 950MHz, not the best, but its value for the price makes up for it so that it performed well in games depending on the type of game and its requirements, and sometimes there is some kind of lag in medium games although it did not constitute hitch, and that’s in games like CoD mobile and PUBG. However, all you have to do is play on medium settings, more than those settings, yes you can play games but not with the perfect experience.

Memory

Most of the applications run very quickly and thanks to the 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage capacity, it would be suitable for installing any application you need, without the ability to expand.

And for multitasking, browsing between applications was smooth because it is equipped with an 8GB RAM LPDDR4X dual-channel which is more than enough for most of the tasks that you can do with a smartphone such as keeping many applications or large games running in the background. In Short, for multitasking, this smartphone will give you a very positive experience.

Playing Content & DMR Information

To play the content on YouTube, was very smooth. You can play videos at a maximum of 1080p at 60 FPS without any problems or lag, And this is the highest quality you can get. Next, let’s take a look at the DMR information and Widevine security. I can tell you I’m a little disappointed with this because it’s only Widevine L3 stream certification, so you won’t be able to get HD on Netflix or other streaming services. and this level maybe not be found on all Chinese smartphones without exaggeration. However, you can still enjoy Netflix and all other streaming services in 480p resolution.

Software

Running on the newly-launched Doke OS 3.0 (based on Android 11) which brings a massive overhaul over the Doke OS 2.0, including more intuitive gestures to navigate, smart app pre-loading, more user-friendly design, an upgraded notebook supporting recording, handwriting, reminding, and encryption, etc.

Connectivity

Blackview BL8800 Pro is a dual-SIM smartphone equipped with a SIM slot that accommodates 1* 5G and 1* 4G nano-sim cards that support all bandwidth offerings of 5G and 4G and so on, which provides a super speedy user experience. And the most talked-about 5G network will supposedly be 10 times faster than the 4G network carrier with 2.3GBp/s download and 1.2GBp/s upload which allows us to say goodbye to said buffering when playing 4K videos and gaming lag.

To connect to WiFi networks, It supports dual bandwidths of 2.4GHz and 5GHz to provide low latency and faster transmission speed. of course, there is Bluetooth 5.2. That’s not all, there are also some basic sensors for a smartphone, including a gyroscope, accelerometers, and even an electronic compass. Also, has NFC so you can make mobile payments (Supports Google Pay).

BL8800 Pro Battery And Charging Time

And completes Blackview BL8800 Pro of his success through a built-in 8380mAh non-removable Li-Po battery that allows 3 days for moderate use such as surfing the Internet, Google, YouTube, and following social media, of course, the time is less when playing games or using 4G, but it will stay with you for a whole day on one charge it mostly takes about 90min to fully charge using Type-C with 33W fast charging, it’s very fast and I can say that the battery was very good compared to any battery on other budget rugged phones.

Besides, BL8800 Pro supports reverse charging which comes in handy when another device is short of power such as a smartphone, smartwatch, earphones, etc, So you can make it as a power bank at any time.

Final verdict

Blackview BL8800 Pro is another rugged phone with a high-resolution screen and great cameras, long-lasting battery with 33W fast charge, 90Hz fluid display, top-tier 4G processor, latest Doke OS 3.0 based on Android 11, 50MP AI quad-camera, night vision function, etc. All this does not mean that it is flawless because cannot watch Netflix in HD resolution even the GPU is not above average. But, compared with rugged phone counterparts, it’s excellent in every aspect while being affordable. So, the BL8800 Pro will not disappoint you and is well deserved to be one of the best rugged phones for 2022.

Blackview BL8800 Pro Price And Where To Buy

The Blackview BL8800 Pro Smartphone is currently available on the AliExpress Store for a very good price So, don’t miss out on this great deal. And to view its price or buy it, you can access the offer by clicking on the store icon.

• Blackview BL8800 Pro Smartphone
• Type-C Cable
• Charger
• User Manual

Color	Black, Orange, Green
Rugged rating	IP68 & IP69K & MIL-STD-810H
Network	5G: N1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/77/78/79 TDD： B34/38/39/40/41 FDD: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28A/28B/30/66 WCDMA： B1/2/4/5/6/8/19 CDMA：BC0/BC1/BC10 GSM: B2/3/5/8 SIM Card Slots: Dual SIM, Dual Standby (Nano-SIM)
Hardware	OS: Doke-OS 3.0 (Based on Android 11.0)  CPU: MediaTek Dimensity700, Octa-Core,  2*2.2GHz Cortex-A76, 6*2.0GHz Cortex-A55 RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X ROM: 128GB UFS2.1 Card Extend: Not Support
Display	Display Size: 6.58 inch PPI: 400, DPI: 480 90Hz refresh rate, 85% Screen-to-body Ratio Panel type: IPS  Resolution: 2408×1080 pixels FHD+
Camera	Rear camera: 50MP+20+8MP+2MP 50MP main camera 20MP IR night vision camera 8MP ultra-wide camera 2MP depth camera  Rear Camera Sensor; S5KJN1SQ03-FGX9+GC8034+GC032A+IMX376 S5K3P9-SP 16MP front camera
Language	Multi-Language
Battery & Charging	Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 8380mAh Battery Quick Charge: 33W  Charge Interface: Type-C
Other Features	WIFI: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac  Bluetooth: BT5.2 Positioning: GPS+GLONASS+Beidou+Galileo Sensor: Proximity, Light, G-sensor, Gyroscope, Magnetic, Compass  NFC: Yes  RGB: Yes  OTG: Yes  FM Radio: Yes  Fingerprint: Yes Wireless Charging: No  3.5mm Headphone Port: No  FOTA(firmware over-the-air) updates: Yes
Size & Weight	Product Size: 176.2*83.5*17.7mm Product Weight: 367g