Doogee S98 Review – Flagship Rugged Smartphone with Rear Display

The S-Series from Doogee stands out for its obvious superiority in the value-for-price point as a flagship rugged smartphone series, which makes its phones shine every year in this category. And now, after the success of the Doogee S97, is back with the launch of a new upgrade under the name Doogee S98, which comes with a set of improvements in specifications and features that might make it to the top of this category. So let’s get to know more about this smartphone if that deserves the title of king. all this and more in this review.

Briefly, its equipped with great specifications in terms of the 6.3″ LCD FHD+ Waterdrop Screen and MediaTek Helio G96 Octa-Core chipset, up to 8GB RAM and 256GB Storage, 64MP Triple Rear camera even a large battery capacity, and most importantly, has a durable design with IP68 & IP69K protection, and the more surprising, the Android 12 and rear display.

• OS Android 12
• MediaTek Helio G96 Octa-Core
• 8GB RAM + 256GB UFS 2.2
• 6.3″ LCD FHD+ Waterdrop Screen
• 1.1 inch Smart Rear Display
• 64MP AI Triple Rear Camera
• 6000mAh Battery, 33W Fast Charging
• Dual 4G Network, IP68 / IP69K / MIL-STD-810G, NFC

Design And Build Quality

The design of the Doogee S98 is solid and rugged, it features a large screen on the front of 6.3 inches, and on the back, a high-quality aluminum with a length of 172mm and a width of 82mm with an aluminum-alloy frame and with rubber cushions to suck the impact and give a kind of thickness with 15.5mm a wonderful feeling when held in your hand, despite its weight of 320g may be heavy for some, But it’s normal in a durable phone, I hope its performance is worth it. If you ask me about the quality of the manufacturing, there is nothing to complain about it, Doogee is always working to provide high-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 6.3 inches with very thin bezels on the sides, and at the bottom, there is a narrow chin, in addition to the Waterdrop display with 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

The back has triple cameras with an infrared night vision lights sensor, and the unique design is complemented by a 1.1-inch smart rear display that comes in a circular shape, and all of this is placed in a compartment with a bump in the upper center. At the bottom of the back is the name “DOOGEE”. on the side of the back comes in 3 colors including Red, black and orange.

Ports And Buttons

As for the ports, the phone comes with a USB Type-C port from the bottom and a microphone and speakers. The buttons are, the usual, the power button, fingerprint sensor, volume button, and dual SIM with the memory slot. It should be noted that there is a customizable shortcut button on the side to customize the function to turn on the flashlight, take a screenshot, and more. Also, Type-C ports are well protected by rubber flaps that isolate the electrical parts from water.

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 included in the package adapter.

Waterproof

The Doogee S98 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. 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-810G certification, a military standard certification that ensures the integrity of the device is maintained in almost any situation.

Doogee S98 – Display Quality

After Doogee V20, now the Doogee S98 is back with a dual display, one on the front, the other on the back. The front is a 6.3” LCD display with an FHD+ resolution (1080*2340 pixels) with a peak brightness of 480nits for a more immersive experience. It is thin, energy-efficient with great performance for gaming and viewing experience, and gives you bright, sharp colors and wide viewing angles which are more than great for consuming visual content on YouTube or otherwise. And comes with an extra layer of Corning Gorilla Glass as protection from drops and scratches.

S98’s unique design is complemented by a 1.1-inch smart rear display that comes in a circular shape, A unique design that is backed by functionality. For instance, when the phone is on its face, it displays notifications, music control, and checking battery levels, which can also be customized.

In short, with the S98, I will say that is one of the best screens in the Rugged Smartphone category, you will get the best value for what you pay, a high-quality screen suitable for media consumption, whether you are watching a video, playing games or browsing the social media. You can double-tap to wake up the rear display or configure it to display when the phone is face down.

Doogee S98 – Cameras

One of the main points of the Doogee S98 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 Triple-camera setup that features a 64MP OV64B4 main camera with an F/1.8±5% Aperture, 90° FOV, and Support PDAF, For the rest of the cameras, you have a 20MP Night vision camera with a SONY IMX350-AAMH5-C sensor chip and F/1.8 ± 5% Aperture, 80° FOV. 8MP Wide-angle Camera with Samsung S5K4H7 Sensor chip and F/2.2 ± 5% Aperture, 130° FOV.

The camera can be configured to operate in night mode, panorama, slow motion, and a pro mode where you can manually change settings such as ISO and white balance. Also, has a beauty mode so you can add filters to make your face smoother, slimmer, or enlarge the eyes. You can zoom in to images with 4x digital zoom, and the Doogee camera app allows for UHD, panoramics, and the usual social media-friendly features.

Front camera

In the front for selfies or video chats, you get a 16MP camera with a Samsung S5K3P9SP Sensor chip with an impressive algorithm, and several modes to choose from. Also, has facial recognition which is quick and accurate in good light conditions, although it does struggle to recognize me in dimly lit conditions.

Doogee S98 Performance

Well, Its time to expose Doogee S98 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 is the ultra-fast speed by equipping it with the top-end 4G octa-core chipset, MediaTek Helio G96, aka the MT6781, is an SoC launched in Q3 of 2021 and sports 2 powerful cores of Cortex A76 at a frequency of 2.05 GHz, and 6 cores of Cortex A55, at a frequency of 2.0 GHz, and 12 nm precision manufactured by TSMC.

This provides a balanced solution for both performance and energy management. Based on the AnTuTu benchmark, Helio G96 scores 301167, way much closer to the 337945 met by a 5G chipset, MediaTek Dimensity 800. However, its GPU is only Mali-G57 MC2, which is a clear downgrade from the G76 MC4 that came before in the Helio G95.

The new processor carries the same specifications as its predecessor, Helio G95, with small updates in terms of support for cameras and screens and the use of a newer Bluetooth version. But it also comes with a significant drop in graphics performance due to the use of a much weaker graphics unit than its predecessor. But on the positive side, we are expected to see a significant improvement in terms of thermal stability and power consumption, as the Mali-G57 MC2 unit is dedicated to this purpose.
In all, you can see that the Helio G96 processor is a completely overhauled version of its predecessor with improved camera and screen support and a big hit to the graphics unit. This processor’s present in many models of famous brands such as Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S and Blackview BV8800, Infinix Note 11 Pro, and more.

Graphics Unit

And as we mentioned 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 high 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 256GB UFS2.2 storage capacity, it would be suitable for installing any application you need. Yes, the capacity is large and you have the ability to expand via a Micro SD card to 512GB.

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 & DRM Support

Playing the content on YouTube, was very smooth. You can play videos at a maximum of FHD at 30 FPS with HDR and 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 Level 3, 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. It’s really unfortunate, especially with a good screen quality in this category.

Software

One of the standout features of the Doogee S98 is that it will be an early adopter of Android 12 with a burden-free design and new features centered around work, convenience, play, and for a better user interface, privacy dashboard, and some interesting customization additions with UI that has better gesture navigation controls, a Dark Theme, and contains most of the features that come with the system, the most important of which is the presence of all Google services, Making the smartphone experience smoother and more personalized.

As I always say, the stock Android system is best for cheap devices, with a simple and smooth launcher for better performance, especially since it does not contain pre-installed apps or games, I really hate this because of the large number of ads, However, it has some toolkit apps in the outdoor toolbox folder will give you a compass, a pedometer, and a height meter as well as an alarm bell, flashlight, and more. but does not burden the device and is without pop-up ads.

Connectivity

Doogee S98 is a dual-SIM smartphone equipped with a SIM slot that accommodates two 4G nano-sim cards that support all bandwidth offerings of 4G and 3G and so on, so its expected that you will get wide coverage for calls and internet, In addition to having a MicroSD card on the same socket.

To connect to WiFi networks, the S98 supports dual bandwidths of 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and of course, there is Bluetooth 5.1. That’s not all, there are also some basic sensors for a smartphone, including a gyroscope, accelerometers, and support for 4 navigational satellites (GPS, BeiDou, Galileo GPS). Also, has NFC so you can make mobile payments ( Supports Google Pay ).

Doogee S98 Battery And Charging Time

Doogee S98 has a built-in non-removable Li-Po battery with 6000mAh that allow 1.5 day 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 2 hours to fully charge 6000mAh using Type-C with fast charging supports 33W, S98 also supports 15W wireless charging. So, I can say that the battery was very good.

Final Verdict

In short, the Doogee S98 smartphone looks like it’s built to be durable in every inch. It offers average performance unless you are looking for a high-end gaming experience. The camera array on the back is of very good quality for a mid-range smartphone.
More disappointing is the lack of L1 DRM support for HD streaming like Netflix, especially with the great screen, but it’s fun to watch HDR content on YouTube at FHD, and that’s not forgotten by the good battery and fast and wireless charging, and if you wonder about the rear display, it does not give the phone any exceptional feature more than an aesthetic appearance. However, I think the S98 is one of the best-rugged smartphones in 2022.

Doogee S98 Price And Where To Buy

The Doogee S98 New Flagship Rugged Smartphone is currently available in Banggood and 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.

• DOOGEE S98 Smartphone
• EU Charger(11V/3A)
• Type-C USB Cable
• Anti-explosion film(pre-applied)
• Packing Box
• User Manual
• Card Slot Opener

Model	DOOGEE S98 Global Version (8GB+256GB)
Network	2G: GSM: B2/B3/B5/B8  3G: WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/6/8/19  4G: FDD-TLE: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28A/28B/66        TDD-LTE: B34/38/39/40/41  SIM Card Slots: Dual SIM Dual Standby(2 Nano SIM Card+1 TF Card)
Hardware	OS: Android 12.0  CPU: Helio G96, ARM Cortex A76/Cortex A55, Octa Core, 2x Cortex A76 2.05GHz 256KB L2, 6x Cortex A55 2.0GHz 128KB L2, 1MB L3  GPU: ARM Mali-G57, 3600M pixel/sec@900MHz  RAM: 8GB  ROM: 256GB  Card Extend: Support T-flash Card Up to 512GB
Display	Display Size: 6.3 inch LCD FHD+ Waterdrop Screen  Resolution: 1080*2340  FHD+  Brightness: 480cd/m2/ Screen Contrast: 15000:1
Rear Camera	AI Quad Rear Camera: 64MP+8MP+20MP  Main Camera: 64MP Sensor: OV64B4  Aperture: F/1.8±5%     Sensor type: 90°  PDAF: Yes  Wide-angle Camera: 8MP Sensor: S5K4H7   Aperture: F/2.2±5%  Sensor type: 130° FOV  PDAF: Auto-Focus  Flash led : No  Software function: Picture, Water Mark  Night vision camera: 20MP Sensor: IMX350-AAMH5-C  Aperture: F/ 1.8± 5%  Sensor type: 80° FOV  Portrait Camera: 2MP  Flash led : Support infrared night vision lights, Not Support Flash led  Camera Support: UHD / Photo / Macro / Night Mode / Pro Mode / HDRGif / Filter / Beauty / Panorama / Slow MotionTime Lapse / Intelligent Scanning
Front Camera	Front Camera: 16MP Sensor:S5K3P9sp  Aperture: F/2.0±5%  Sensor type: 80°  Camera Support: Photo / Filter / Beauty / Gif
Language	Multi-Language
Battery & Charging	Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 6000mAh Wireless Charging: 33W  Charge Interface: Type-C  Charger Type: EU Type
Other Features	WIFI: 2.4G/5G, 802.11ac/a/b/g/n  bluetooth: BT5.1  Positioning: GPS | Beidou | Glonass | Calileo  Sensor: G-sensor, Proximity sensor, Ambient light senor, Compass(magnetic), Geomagnetism, Gyroscope, Hard Coulometer  Unlock Options: Side Fingerprint Unlock + Face Unlock  NFC: Yes  OTG: Yes  FM Radio: Support  Three Defence Standards: IP68/IP69K/MIL-STD-810G
Size & Weight	Product Size: 172mm*82mm*15.5mm  Product Weight: 320g