realme 8 ProvsUlefone Power Armor 16S

realme 8 Pro

Ulefone Power Armor 16S

realme 8 Pro

The Realme 8 Pro is a smartphone that trades away some features from its predecessor in exchange for a new high-res camera. The phone boasts a bold and flashy look with a metallic gradient finish and a prominent logo on the backside. However, it lacks water-resistant coating, unlike last year's model. The display remains largely unchanged, featuring a 6.4-inch AMOLED panel with a 1080p resolution and a regular 60Hz refresh rate. While there is a small upgrade in touch sampling rate to 180Hz, the display still offers excellent contrast and content sharpness. Audio quality has taken a hit, with only a single speaker at the bottom that's not very loud and scores just average on audio charts. The phone does offer expandable storage on top of its 128GB built-in capacity. Performance-wise, the Realme 8 Pro is on par with last year's model and some other flagship killers in its price range, thanks to a Snapdragon 720G chipset. Battery life is similar to the previous model, but charging has been downgraded from 65W to 50W. The camera upgrade is the major selling point of this phone, featuring a large 108MP nona cell sensor. Photos taken with the main camera are detailed and have excellent contrast, but can appear slightly smeared when zoomed in. The ultrawide cam takes average-looking photos, while close-ups from the macro camera are soft and noisy. Night mode performs better, producing balanced and true-to-life photos with gentle noise reduction. Selfies are taken with a 16MP front-facing cam, which has decent quality but lacks resolution compared to last year's model. The phone can record videos in up to 4K at 30fps, but without stabilization in that format. Overall, the Realme 8 Pro is a solid mid-ranger with some notable upgrades, but its price point makes it tough to recommend unless you're specifically looking for a high-res camera and can find it at a discount.

Ulefone Power Armor 16S

The Ulefone Power Armor 16S is a rugged smartphone that delivers impressive performance without sacrificing its durability. Its 5.93-inch HD Plus display may not be the sharpest on the market, but it's more than sufficient for everyday use and can even handle outdoor activities under direct sunlight. Built to withstand harsh environments, the phone meets IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810H standards, making it dustproof, waterproof up to 1.5M for 30 minutes, and shockproof. However, this rugged protection comes at a cost - the device is bulky (18.3mm thick) and weighs 405g. Under the hood, the Power Armor 16S packs an Unisoc T616 processor clocking at 2GHz, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. While this setup handles day-to-day tasks smoothly, gaming performance is decent but not exceptional, and photography capabilities are limited due to the mediocre camera performance. One standout feature is the massive 9600mAh battery, which offers up to several days of use on a single charge. The phone also supports 18W fast charging. Additionally, it features a super loud 122dB speaker that's perfect for calls or media playback in noisy environments. The Power Armor 16S runs on Android 13 and offers a clean and smooth user experience. While it may not be the most powerful device on the market, its rugged build, decent performance, and massive battery make it an excellent option for those who need a tough and reliable phone that can handle the elements.