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Rugged phones get a bad rap. They were written as a new work, a huge behemoth that should only show its face in a construction site or in a military capacity. But Doogee, a Chinese company, has seen beyond some niche cases to bring us the Doogee S200, a mid-level smartphone with some extreme ruggedness but enough features to brush the tips of the fingers on the trunk category.
Available for as low as $229 on AliExpress or $339 on Amazon , the S200 is almost a steal with extreme durability, nearly all-day battery life, and features you’d expect in a premium-grade smartphone . However, there are some caveats. For example, since this phone is not sold in the US market, it will not work on some 5G networks of some of the larger carriers. And the performance, while good, doesn’t match other mid-tier phones. But somehow, it manages to run some of the most taxing games surprisingly well.
However, the S200 is not expensive for those looking for a tough smartphone with ridiculous endurance and performance that will surprise them.
Doogee S200
The Doogee S200 brings solid durability and excellent battery life to a solid gaming phone under $500.
Pros
- Super rude design
- Very good battery life
- Amazingly powerful game performance
- Interesting camera features
- Really affordable
Cons
- 5G network in the US is limited
- Performance is not as strong as the base model’s competitors
- Cameras are a mixed bag
- No Android 15
Doogee S200 Review: Design
“Is that a case?”
“Why is it so heavy?”
“You can use this thing as a weapon!”
These are the common responses I got from everyone I showed the Doogee S200 to. And while putting the smartphone in a sturdy sock and using it as a makeshift blackjack is an interesting idea, it’s not for the S200. As someone who has broken a phone or two in his life, I’m a fan of most phones. This is a sign of its inherent toughness. The phone has IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD 810 ratings. That means the phone is water and dust resistant. It is also drop-proof and can withstand a fall from 5.9 feet (1.8 meters). It even has covers over the USB-C port to keep out water or dust. The display is made of Corning Gorilla Glass to prevent scratches.
Granted, that extra protection adds up quite a bit. The 7.1 x 3.23 x 0.63-inch device weighs a chunky 12.9 ounces. This makes the Google Pixel 9 (7 ounces, 6 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches), Samsung Galaxy S24 SE (7.5 ounces, 6.4 x 3 x 0.31 inches), No Phone (2a) Plus (6.7 ounces, 6.4 x 3 x 0.33 inches), and iPhone 16 (6 ounces, 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches) feels like a featherweight in comparison.
Despite the chonkiness, Doogee has a mech-based design that will surely appeal to Gundam, Transformers, and Power Rangers fans, The aerospace-grade alloy rear panel in black and pewter gray is composed of a series of sharp angles that recede into gentle slopes. . The centerpiece of the design is what Doogee calls the sub-screen. It’s like the Dynamic Island found on modern iPhones, in a more convenient location (More on that later). The 1.3-inch circular AMOLED mini display is surrounded on both sides by four chambers with camera sensors.
The phone continues the mecha-look with four prominent screws running along the sides. The volume and fingerprint reader/power button are on the right, with a dual SIM card tray and a button that users can customize for three different actions – one for single, double, and triple presses. The USB-C charging port sits on the bottom of the phone, hidden under a rubber gasket.
The front of the phone usually consists of a display surrounded by relatively thick bezels, especially at the top and bottom. A teardrop camera protrudes slightly above the display.
Although the black-and-gray colorway is cool, I wish I could get my hands on either of the green-and-yellow versions, because I love a pop of color.
Doogee S200X Review: Display
It’s not OLED or even AMOLED, but I’d still take the S200X’s 6.7-inch IPS LCD screen. As I watched the second second of the Squid Game, I saw every drop of blood splatter as it left the bodies of the unlucky contestants. The deep red offers a stark contrast against the cheerful rainbow-painted floors of the “Six Legs” episode on the 2400 x 1080 display. Of course, it’s not as clear as the aforementioned screens, but for the price, I’m not going to pooh-pooh what the S200 has to offer.
The screen is not as bright as Pixel 9but I have no problem reading articles in direct sunlight. Games like Dead Cells and Zenless Zone Zero run smoothly with the auto-refresh rate that automatically increases the rate from the standard 60Hz to 120Hz when playing or working on something particularly taxing. Doogee also includes a barebones Game Mode that aggregates all your games and disables notifications.
Let’s talk about the sub-screen. This is a useful way to interact with some applications and functions of the phone without engaging the main display. In addition to the clock, you can read notifications, control your designated music app, check battery life, take photos, answer calls, and other helpful features.
Doogee S200 Review: UI and Performance
Unlike other Android phones, the Doogee runs stock Android-Android 14. The 2.2-GHz octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor, 12GB RAM, and 256GB onboard storage are quite spry, allowing zippy navigation between apps and home screens. I only saw a slight slowdown when I started playing Zenless Zone Zero, and after I launched 50 pages in Google Chrome, several G-Suite apps, BlueSky, and Threads.
It should be noted that the smartphone is listed with 32GB of RAM. That’s because Doogee has mapped some of the 256GB of RAM to trick the system into thinking it has more capacity to install applications.
Even if the S200 hasn’t made the jump to Android 15 yet (and I’m not sure it will), you still get a lot of features from the previous OS, such as more customization of the lock and home screens. You also get better security and data protection, such as using biometric authentication instead of passwords for additional apps. Speaking of apps, there’s Toolbag, which is a collection of apps reminiscent of the phone’s potential build tools. There is a Protractor, Plumb Bob, and Level. Doogee also threw Pedometer, NFC Card Emulator, and Mirror in there, which is a bit confusing.
When I ran Geekbench 6, the S200 returned a single-core score of 990 and a multi-core score of 2,471. It’s a solid score, but it doesn’t match the Left Phone (2a) (1,198/2,824), the Pixel 9 (1,699/4,241), or the iPhone 16 (3,412 and 8,416).
Doogee S200 Review: Camera
Doogee has equipped the S200 with an impressive array of cameras and features. The main shooter is 100MP with a 20MP night vision camera and a 2MP macro sensor. The photos I got had good color, but the details were sometimes fuzzy. The wasp nest layers I took on a cloudy day were not as sharp as I expected. As well as a bouquet of roses dipped in glitter. However, I was impressed with how well the phone captured my dog’s fur even when one was moving while he licked his brother.
But my favorite shots by far are the night vision shots. That’s it, night vision. Although it makes me look like something out of a horror movie, the mode is great for capturing my dogs’ shenanigans in near-pitch black darkness. There’s also an underwater mode, but since the phone isn’t designed for scuba diving or deep immersion, I’m not sure what you’ll be photographing. The 20MP selfie cam is pretty good, capturing more than a few of my gray hairs and colorful spots.
I really like how many camera modes the S200 offers. Besides Night Vision, there is Beauty, 100MP, Super Night, GIF, and Mono, to name a few. But I lack the option to hit wide or ultrawide shots. The phone also lacks optical stabilization, only offering digital, which is why some of the details in your images aren’t as sharp as they should be. The Night Vision and Macro cameras do that, leaving the poor 100MP sensor to do all the heavy lifting. And maybe I shouldn’t complain if the phone is undeniably cheap, but if other similarly priced phones can do it, I can’t help but notice.
Doogee S200 Review: Battery
The S200 has many great features, but the best is the battery life. Its 10,100mAH battery lasts almost 24 hours, at 23:12, when playing a 24-hour YouTube video at 50% brightness. The phone has Quick Charge 3.0, which means the S200 can reach a 50% charge in just 30 minutes. And if you’re in a pinch, you can use the S200 as a charging brick with a reverse charge feature.
But Doogee, I have a bone for you to pick. Why, oh why, do you have a big ole’ plate on the back of the phone that looks like lightning bolts? I thought it meant that the S200 had wireless charging capabilities. But imagine my surprise when I put the phone on not one, but two different wireless chargers and got a bupki. Then I thought it was NFC, but it wasn’t.
Doogee S200 Review: Verdict
Should you buy the Doogee S200? It depends. The S200 has a lot going for it. It’s super strong and durable, has great performance, and better battery life. The rear sub-screen adds some convenient functionality, and man, is Night Vision cool. And you really can’t beat that price. But I’m not sure how many people are willing to settle for 4G in an era of 5G. In addition, the cameras with all its features will be better, and I am not sure that Android 15 will come to the S200. But for people looking for a rugged, rugged, semi-premium flagship phone under $500, the Doogee S200’s competitors are few.
