The Blackview BV8000 Pro is one of the best equipped rugged smartphones out it in the market. Indeed the handset packs a MediaTek Helio P25 and a whopping 6GB of RAM, definitely more than what you’d need when going hiking. That said, these category of devices’ selling point is their build quality and durability, so how does it fair under that aspect? Let’s find out in this quick hands-on!
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Blackview BV8000 Pro: Specifications
- CPU – Octa-Core 4×2.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 + 4×1.6 GHz ARM Cortex-A53
- Chipset – MediaTek Helio P25
- GPU – ARM Mali-T880 MP2, 900 MHz
- Camera – 16 Megapixels Dual-LED and AF Rear Camera | 8 Megapixel Front camera
- Memory – RAM- 6GB | ROM 64GB External Memory Support up to 128GB (Uses SIM 2 Slot)
- Display – Screen size 5.0 inches FHD (1080×1920 Pixels)
- Battery – Non-Removable 4,180 mAh Lithium-Polymer
- SIM – Hybrid Dual SIM (Micro+ Nano/microSD)
- Sensors -Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Hall Effect, Fingerprint,
- Operating System – Android 7.0 Nougat
- I/O Interface – 1x Micro SIM Card Slot, 1x Nano SIM Card Slot or microSD/TF Card
- Slot, Type-C USB v2.0 Port, 3.5mm Audio Out Port, Power Button, Volume Button,
- Dimensions – 153 x 79.2 x 12.6 mm
- Weight – 223 Grams (With Battery)
Blackview BV8000 Pro: Hands On
Since it’s a rugged phone, the Blackview BV8000 Pro doesn’t shine for being thin, light or having slim bezels, and it doesn’t have to. The smartphone is instead really thick at 12.6mm and heavy at around 223 grams.
The build quality is top notch as the BV8000 Pro is full covered in a full metal frame with soft rubber parts around the borders to potentially remove any risk of damaging the phone in accidental drops. The phone can also be easily disassembled by removing the Philips and Torx screws around the body.
So overall the phone appears really solid in the hands and you definitely feel like you could murder somebody with it, not that you should.
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Let’s now go through some of the things I didn’t like too much. I think the most annoying thing about the phone is the rattling noise it makes when you shake it, this isn’t due to the physical buttons being lose, but instead one of the SIM slots not locking in correctly. Now, there are two possibilities, I either got unlucky and received a “defective” unit or I mistakenly made it loose when “played” with it the first time I opened up the back of the phone. In any case, this is easily solvable by inserting your SIM in that slot and leaving the second slot — that locks properly — empty.
Some other aspects I didn’t like are: weak notifications LED, display isn’t too bright, too deep 3.5mm audio jack didn’t allow me to use most of my headphones (albeit this is probably done to keep the phone waterproof), and same goes for the USB type-C port.
The last thing is more of a personal annoyance, as I need to swap SIM cards on phones more often than the typical user, is the fact that to insert a SIM or micro SD card you have to unscrew the four screws on the back of the phone. This isn’t really a problem for those who buy a phone to use it constantly without swapping SIM card every other day, plus this is one of the factors that make the phone IP68 waterproof.
Let’s finish with a positive note — the side-placed fingerprint scanner. I love its position and it’s super accurate with a positive unlocking percentage of almost 100%. It also appears to never take into consideration “wrong” fingerprint tries, which could mean slightly less security but it won’t trigger the request of a PIN if you accidentally touch it with any part of your hand too many times.
Blackview BV8000 Pro: First Impressions
I must say I’m really liking the phone, although I’m not really into rugged phones. I believe that users who need this kind of device will find it a great option. On the software side it’s smooth as it should with it’s excellent hardware, but you’ll learn more about that and other details in the full review; stay tuned!