Meet the world’s first ruggedized Android smartphone with UWB

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Blackview BV8900 Pro, the world’s first rugged smartphone to feature UWB, is available for $216.
• Tough, powerful, great battery life, and future-proof.
• 4G only, chunky.

I’ve been testing a lot of Android phones lately, but there’s one feature that I feel is sorely lacking on these devices — UWB support.

UWB, or ultra-wideband, is a low-energy, short-range radio technology that’s been around for a couple of decades (it went under the name “pulse radio” for a while). UWB uses super-fast signal pulses — anything up to a billion a second — sent across a wide swathe of the radio spectrum (from 500MHz to several gigahertz). 

Also: I tested Blackview’s new dual-screen phones

This capability allows UWB to not only be used for applications, such as pinpointing other UWB devices, but the technology is also resistant to interference issues that plague Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Probably the most commonly known application of UWB is AirTags, but that’s something set up for iPhone users. Support for UWB on Android is lacking, but it is getting better — slowly. 

Also: UWB: What it is and why you still really need an iPhone to use it

Here, I look at Blackview’s BV8900 Pro, which is the world’s first ruggedized smartphone to feature UWB. 

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Blackview BV8900 Pro

A ruggedized smartphone that’s built like a tank, which packs the very latest UWB technology under the hood.

View at AliExpress

Blackview BV8900 Pro tech specs

• OS: Doke OS 3.1, based on Android 13
• Display: 6.5-inch, 1080×2408 FHD+, 405 pixels-per-inch, low-blue-light certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 7
• RAM: 8GB (+ 8GB virtual RAM)
• ROM: 256GB
• Processor: MediaTek Helios P90, octa-core, 2.2GHz
• Rear cameras: 64-megapixel, 8-megapixel, and 2-megapixel
• Front camera: 16-megapixel
• Battery: 10000mAh, with 33W fast charging
• SIM: Dual SIM support
• Biometric: Fingerprint and face recognition
• Water/dustproofing: IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810H
• Finishes: Black, orange, and green 

On the surface, the BV8900 Pro looks like many of the other Blackview handsets I’ve tested and reviewed.

It’s a chunky smartphone that’s encased in black rubber, with a toughened glass display. The rubber and 10000mAh battery add bulk to the handset, but the tradeoff is that the battery offers around 13 hours of video-watching time, and over a month of standby.

The device is designed to be dropped and abused, and water, dirt, dust, mud, or high/low temperatures are no match for it. There’s even a lanyard loop built into the handset, so you don’t lose it in the jungle or over the side of a boat while you’re being battered by storms.

This smartphone is a survivor.

The handset also features reverse charging, so you can use the phone as a power bank and send power to other devices.

The Helios P90 chip keeps this handset humming along, and it’s powerful enough to keep everything running smoothly without blasting through your battery life. I had no problems at all with lag or stuttering while using this handset, which has 8GB of RAM that’s backed up by another 8GB of virtual RAM.

Also: My search for the best cheap Android tablet is over

Ruggedized handsets can, by the virtue of being encased in rubber, cause the processor to overheat and be throttled, but the cooling system — which consists of silicon and graphite heatsinks, and an array of copper cooling pipes — keeps the chip cool, even under heavy loads.

On top of all that, the BV8900 Pro has UWB support, which given the current state of support for UWB on Android, doesn’t mean a lot right now. But I expect this situation to change over the coming months as Google deploys its rival to Apple’s Find My network, and UWB locater tags for Android, which are similar to AirTags, are unleashed.

Also: This 200W charging beast can power six devices at once (and it’s smaller than you’d think)

However, to get you going, the BV8900 Pro comes with a UWB tracking tile that you can attach to your keys, pet dog, or whatever else you want to keep an eye on.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Blackview BV8900 Pro is currently available for $216, making it quite a low-cost way not only to grab a rugged smartphone with a massive battery, but also one that is future-proofed by having UWB built into the hardware.

It’s a great handset, and one that is built to last. 

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