This rugged Android phone is so enormous you can use it as a power bank, too

May 31, 2023

`This rugged Android phone is so enormous you can use it as a power bank, too`

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This rugged Android phone is so enormous you can use it as a power bank, too

The new Doogee S100 Pro is the most massive mobile phone I’ve tested in decades. But packed into its giant form are cool features like a camping light and night vision camera.

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer on

At a time when smartphones are almost obsessive about getting thinner and lighter, the new Doogee S100 Pro bucks the trend. This is, without a doubt, the biggest, chunkiest, heaviest smartphone that I’ve tested, weighing in at close to a pound.

Yup, this is a gigantic smartphone.

ZDNET RECOMMENDS

Doogee S100 Pro

The Doogee S100 PRO is a highly ruggedized 4G Android smartphone coming equipped with a massive 22000mAh battery, a 130 lumen multi-mode camping light, and reverse charging to top up other devices.

Use the discount code DGS100PRO for 10% off the price.

View at Amazon

Doogee S100 Pro tech specs

Battery: 22000mAh / 33W fast charging
Processor: Octa-core Helio G99, 2.2GHz, 6nm
Display: 6.58-inch FHD+ 120Hz IPS 2408 x 1080-pixel Waterdrop display with Gorilla Glass 5
Operating System: Android 12
Cellular Technology: 4G
Memory: 20GB RAM (12GB + up to 8GB Extended RAM)
Storage: 256GB ROM
External Storage: T-Flash Card up to 2TB
Weight: 400g
Dimensions: 178.5 x 83.1 x 27.3mm
Color: Rose Gold, Classic Black, Moonshine Silver
SIM slots: Support nano SIM1 + nano SIM2 OR nano SIM + TF card
Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and Face ID
Camera: 108MP AI main camera, Sony 20MP Night vision camera, 16MP Wide Angle & Macro Camera
Positioning: L1 and L5 dual-band GPS
Sound: Stereo speakers
Ruggedization: IP68 / IP69K / MIL-STD-810H

Also: This rugged Android phone is fit for the outdoors and the office, too

I’ve had the S100 Pro for a couple of weeks now and I still can’t get over just how massive this smartphone is. It’s truly colossal, dwarfing my iPhone 14 Pro Max, and it even makes huge handsets like the thermal-camera-equipped Ulefone Power Armor 18T seem petite.

The Doogee S100 Pro make the massive Ulefone Power Armor 18T looks tiny

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The iPhone 14 Pro Max looks absolutely comically tiny compared to the S100 Pro

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

It’s hard to find something new to say about smartphones. They’re slabs made of glass and plastic. They all mostly look the same, work the same, and pretty much perform the same tasks. But the sheer size and weight of the S100 Pro makes it stand out from the crowd.

The S100 Pro is like a brick in the hand!

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Then there’s the battery.

Its predecessor, the S100, featured a massive 10,800mAh battery that I thought was a total monster. The S100 Pro more than doubles this, taking the battery capacity to 22000mAh. This is a truly gargantuan battery, bigger than many high-capacity power banks, and gives the handset a massive standby time of 2350 hours. In fact, this handset supports reverse charging, which means that you can use it as a power bank to charge other devices.

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Since this is such a huge battery, charging is best done using a wire and the included 66W charger (and in my testing, even this fast charge feels slow), but it also supports 15W wireless fast charging (which is anything but fast!).

As far as performance goes, Android 12 is run smoothly by the octa-core Helio G99 2.2Ghz processor backed up by the 12GB of RAM. If you need more RAM (and I didn’t find a case where I did, but you might), this can be expanded by 8GB to take it up to 20GB.

Also: You might be using the wrong microSD cards

256GB of storage is also quite decent, but you can bump this by up to another 2TB using a microSD card. Since there aren’t any 2TB microSD cards in production yet, you’ll have to settle for 1TB. But be aware, there are a lot of fake microSD cards out there, so only buy high-quality brands. I suggest going for the 1TB cards from Lexar, PNY, or SanDisk.

A rubber plug protects the charging port on the bottom

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

As far as ruggedization goes, the S100 Pro is rated to IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810H, which means that it can withstand drops from heights up to 6 feet, submersion in 4 feet of water for 30 minutes, and is completely protected from dust and sand ingress.

Everything is protected from detritus, even the SIM tray which features a really nice silicone seal.

SIM tray features a silicone seal

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

On the rear are three cameras — a 20-megapixel Sony IMX350 night vision camera, a 108-megapixel Samsung HM2 main camera, and a 16-megapixel wide-angle and macro camera.

Also: This $180 Android tablet is capable of things my iPad Pro can only dream of

These are pretty much what I’d expect from a Doogee handset — more than good enough for things like social media, but a quality of image that is lacking when you compare the output of the latest iPhones or high-end Android devices.

Below are some sample shots from the S100 Pro.

Sample shot from the Doogee S100 Pro (downscaled from full size because of filesize considerations)

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Below the camera array is what Doogee call a “camping light.” This is a LED COB (Chip On Board) array capable of 130 lumens of output. This is super bright, and while the phone can keep this output up for 18 hours, there are 1/2 and 1/4 settings for this intensely bright light.

Also: The brightest flashlights you can buy

The light has a throw of about 20 yards on full power, and is great as a worklight or camping light (although I’m not sure about taking such a bulky handset with me on hikes!), but be aware that the flashing modes can be very disorientating, especially for those who are sensitive to visual disturbances.

The "camping light" is bright even in full daylight! — The “camping light” is bright even in full daylight!

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

If you want to see what’s around you in the dark, then now you can because as with many Doogee handsets, this one too features night vision mode. This isn’t a feature I use a lot because you end up having to stare at an ultra-bright screen while in the darkness, which kills both your night vision and blinds everyone around you.

Also: The 5 best portable power banks

So, do you need a Doogee S100 Pro?

Well, if you’re looking for an absolutely massive power bank of an Android smartphone, then this is definitely worth a look. As well as being a rugged smartphone, it might be one of the most rugged power banks I’ve tested too.