Unihertz TANK Phone Review – Unihertz is a professional smartphone brand that has launched several successful campaigns on Kickstarter (first started in 2017). Unihertz’s philosophy is that they believe that there should be different types of smartphones for all kinds of people. That’s why they are committed to making unique smartphones even just for minority groups. Hence, their latest TANK smartphone is a niche product.
What is it?
Unihertz TANK is a mighty smartphone tailor-made for outdoor enthusiasts. It is the biggest smartphone that I’ve ever come across in my life and that is not an exaggeration.
TANK features a massive 22000mAh battery, 66W fast charging, 8GB+256GB memory, a 108MP camera, and an IP68 rating.
So let’s find out if it’s any good.
What’s in the box?
- Unihertz Tank
- User Guide
- Warranty Card
- Type-C to Type-C Cable
- Screen Protector
- USB-C Power Adapter
First impression
Again, the physical attributes of this TANK phone are mind-boggling. When I first held it in my hand, it was made from high-quality material, it didn’t feel cheap in any shape or form. It feels solid, heavy, and robust. The back side resembles Buzz Lightyear’s rocket.
Its thickness is 2.6cm and its weight is 575 grams (that’s more than half a kilogram). It weighs as many as three regular phones in total. Let that sink in. However, its 22,000 mAh battery capacity is much more than three smartphones combined.
How are the specs?
If you thought this TANK phone is under-specced, you’d be wrong.
Here are some of the features:
- 6.81-inch FHD
- 108MP AI Triple Cameras
- 8GB
- 256GB ROM
- Face and fingerprint unlock
- 22,000 mAh
- 66W Rapid Charging
- MediaTek MT6789
- NFC
- Bright Flashlight
- Water, dust, and drop resistant (IP68 & MIL-STD-810H)
The processor is running on MediaTek MT6789 Helio G99 (8 cores, 8 threads, with a frequency between 2.0 and 2.2 GHz) with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM Storage. I didn’t notice any performance lag when using it. It’s working flawlessly almost like a flagship phone.
The display is 6.81-inch Full HD with a 60 Hz refresh rate. I also didn’t find any fault with the display despite it not being an OLED screen. It’s bright and colourful enough for my taste.
Physical Buttons
On the right side, there are two volume keys (up and down) and a fingerprint power key (to unlock). I noticed that the volume keys have some texture. It’s a nice touch so that you can know you’re pressing the volume buttons.
The left side has a camping light button (in red) and a torch light button. The dedicated button for light is something that I’ve never seen before. It’s surprisingly handy and something that I wish other manufacturers would consider doing one day. Mind you, the camping light is seriously bright, it’s so bright that you are not supposed to look at it directly. It could blind you so to speak. Since I am not an outdoorsy person, I didn’t test the camping light in its habitat. But I assure you that the 1200-lumen camping light is super bright and the brightness level can be adjusted.
The SIM card tray is on the top and you don’t need a special key to unlock it like most phones. With TANK, you just need to pull the tray using your nail manually. This is too easy.
At the bottom, you’ll find the USB-C port for charging and a headphone jack (a rarity indeed in today’s age) within a waterproof rubber seal.
Any cool built-in apps?
Unihertz TANK has some built-in apps worth mentioning such as (they’re all pretty self-explanatory):
- Noise test
- Compass
- Flashlight
- Bubble level
- Pic hanging
- Heart rate
- Measure height
- Magnifier
- Alarm
- Pedometer
- Plumb bob
- Protractor
- Pressure
- Speedometer
- Underwater camera
- Camping light
Cameras
There are three rear cameras and one front camera:
- Night vision camera – 20 MP
- AI camera – 108 MP
- Macro camera – 2 MP
- Front camera – 32 MP
I took a few photos in my garden (they are unedited), and I must say they look better than I expected. The photos came out great and were more than enough for my taste. The picture quality is sharp in detail and the colour is perfectly balanced in terms of saturation.
How’s the battery?
Now we get to discuss the main feature of this phone, which is the gigantic battery size of 22,000 mAh. When I played around with the lights, it only reduced the battery by 1% which is fascinating. Considering the lights are the most battery-draining feature for a phone. The battery can last up to one week with regular use. Unihertz says TANK has 2380 hours of standby time. That is impressive.
It takes 1.8 hours to get to 90% because of its 66-watt rapid charger. Plus you can use this phone as a power bank if you want. I guarantee you that this may come in handy one day.
Tech Specs
Basic Information
- Dimensions: 175.6 × 85.30 × 23.9 mm
- Weight: 560 g (With Battery)
- CPU: MT6789 Octa-Core 2.0-2.2GHz
- OS: Android 12
- Memory: 8GB + 256GB UFS 2.2
- Battery: Non-Removable 22000mAh Battery
- SIM Card Type: Dual Nano SIM Card
- Micro SD: No
Display
- Cover Glass: Panda MN228 Glass
- Display Size: 6.81 inch
- Resolution: 2340 x 1080 pixels
Camera
- Rear Camera: 108MP (Main Camera + 20MP Night Vision Camera)
- Front Camera: 32MP
Connectivity
- Band: 2G GSM (Band 2/3/5/8), 3G WCDMA (Band 1/2/4/5/6/8), 3G CDMA2000 (Band BC0/BC1), 4G FDD-LTE (Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28A/28B/66), 4G TDD-LTE (Band 34/38/39/40/41)
- Wi-Fi: WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz, Wi-Fi Direct, WI-FI Display, Wi-Fi Hotspot (v2.0)
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, Bluetooth 4.1+HS, Bluetooth 5.3
- NFC: Yes
GPS: GPS + GLONASS + BeiDou + GalileoFeatures
- Sensors: Fingerprint, G-Sensor, Gyroscope, Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor, Compass, Baroreceptor
- Fingerprint: Yes
- Facial Recognition: Yes
- Infrared Port: Yes
- USB: USB Type C
- USB OTG: Yes
- Programmable Key: Yes
- Loudspeaker: Yes
- 3.5mm Headphone Jack: Yes
- Wireless Charging: No
- FM Radio: Yes
Misc
- Colour: Black
- Splash, Water & Dust Resistant: Yes
- Shock Resistant: Yes
- SAR Value: Head SAR (EU): 0.155 W/kg, Body SAR (EU): 0.683 W/kg, Head SAR (US): 0.227 W/kg, Body SAR (US): 0.793 W/kg
Unihertz TANK Review – Verdict
So in conclusion, Unihertz TANK is like the Macgyver of phones (google it if you don’t understand that reference).
If you are an adventurous person, you’ll need a phone that you can count on. And that phone is the Unihertz TANK. It can do most things that you’ll ever need in a phone.
Given it’s jam packed with features, I find it to be an enticing value proposition at USD $399.99 RRP. Check its official page for more information and to purchase one, or you can also grab it on Aliexpress.
Note: Unihertz TANK review sample was supplied for reviewing