Ulefone Armor 25T Pro in the test: outdoor cell phone with 5G, thermal imaging and night vision

Outdoor smartphones from manufacturers such as Ulefone, Doogee, Oukitel and Blackview are designed to survive in harsh environments and difficult conditions. They are characterized by robust housings, long battery life and special functions such as thermal imaging cameras or night vision devices. Durable materials with IP protection ratings protect them from falls, water and dust. This makes them interesting for outdoor fans and adventures, as well as those in construction work, rescue workers or forestry.

However, outdoor smartphones also have their weaknesses. The robust design often results in bulky and heavy devices that are not always comfortable to handle. In addition, they often do not come close to classic smartphones in terms of performance and camera quality.

However, the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro stands out positively in the test. It not only offers thermal imaging and night vision functions, but also comes in a comparatively slim housing, which is not a given for an outdoor cell phone. This test shows what strengths and weaknesses the Armor 25T Pro offers.

As you would expect from an outdoor smartphone, the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro is extremely robust. The frame is made of metal and has rubberized corners. The back has a carbon-like looking surface. The present camera module with all lenses and IR cameras is also reinforced with a metal frame.

The Armor 25T Pro is certified to the US military standard MIL-STD-810H and is said to survive drops from about two meters. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. We threw it onto hard surfaces from waist height several times and the phone suffered no damage. Thanks to the IP69K certification, it can withstand long periods of time under water (up to 30 minutes at a maximum of 1.5 meters), even hot water and high pressure. Of course, it is also dustproof. However, the USB-C port is not additionally covered.

Compared to an ordinary smartphone, the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro is large (dimensions: 177.4 × 81.4 × 12.5 mm) and heavy (326 grams). It is comparatively thin and light for an outdoor cell phone, which is why we certify that the Armor 25T Pro is more suitable for everyday use than a battery monster like the Armor 24 (test report) with a thickness of almost 3 cm. The practical programmable button on the left is in an attractive orange color.

The huge display with a diagonal of 6.78 inches has a resolution of 2460 × 1080 pixels (Full HD+). An IPS panel (LCD) is used, which delivers attractive image quality. Colors are clear, image sharpness and contrast are consistent and viewing angles are stable. The maximum brightness of around 750 cd/m² is surprisingly good. This increases readability outdoors as long as the sun does not shine directly on the display. This feature is important for an outdoor smartphone. However, many other outdoor devices suffer from too dark screens, but not in Ulefone. The LCD flickers up to 120 Hz, which ensures a smooth picture when scrolling or playing games.

When it comes to the camera, Ulefone limits itself to three pillars: a camera with 50 megapixels for traditional photos, an infrared camera for night vision shots in black and white with 64 megapixels, and a thermal imaging camera. A 32-megapixel lens is used on the front for selfies.

The main camera only offers electronic image stabilization (EIS). This means that you should always keep the smartphone as steady as possible to avoid camera shake. By default, the lens combines four pixels into one (pixel binning). Photos then correspond to 12.5 megapixels. If desired, you can also take photos with the full resolution of 50 megapixels.

Photos have a strong green and blue colour cast. Sharp images are obtained, but the dynamic range could be a little more pronounced, as could image detail. However, the camera is good enough for snapshots and the occasional photo. Even at 2x digital zoom, recordings appear a little noisy. Videos up to 2.5K at 30 fps are possible and appear a little shaky overall. Selfies look good.

However, the camera lags quite a bit in the dark. So then it’s time for a 64 megapixel night vision camera. It uses infrared and produces black and white images even in complete darkness. This can be practical if you want to photograph wildlife at night or photograph a room without its own light source.

The thermal imaging camera with a resolution of 160 × 120 pixels, which detects heat signatures at a distance of up to 1000 meters, is exciting. It is especially useful for rescue teams to find missing people in the forest, even in complete darkness. This camera is also suitable for detecting overheating of technical equipment or thermal bridges in buildings and for observing wild animals. The thermal imaging camera records temperatures from -20 to 550 ° C with a sensitivity of 50 mK and an image frequency of 25 Hz.

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The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 acts as the drive. The SoC (System on a Chip) with a 6 nm architecture is perhaps the biggest weak point of the Armor 25T Pro. The octa-core processor (2x Cortex A76 and 6x Cortex A55) delivers average performance overall. With benchmark results of 9000 points in PCMark and 1350 points in 3DMark Wild Life, the Armor 25T Pro ranks in the lower middle zone of our tests.

The performance is similar to that of smartphones under 200 euros (best list). However, it’s not as bad as it might seem. This power is more than enough for everyday use, as long as you don’t overdo it with multitasking or games with complex graphics.

The internal memory is generously equipped with a working memory of 256 GB and 12 GB of RAM. Expansion is also possible using a microSD card. Thanks to the Dimensity 6300, the Armor 25T Pro also supports 5G networks, which is not a given for outdoor smartphones. The fingerprint sensor is located in the power button and works reliably. The mono speakers, which sound only average, are less good. The programmable button can be assigned up to three functions for short, double and long presses.

Wi-Fi 5 and USB-C 2.0 connections are no longer exactly up-to-date, but are normal for the price range. Bluetooth 5.2, NFC as well as an infrared port and FM radio (works without antenna) are on board. Positioning is extremely accurate using GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS and NavIC. During the GPS test we were able to determine a high accuracy of one meter.

The operating system is Android 14, Ulefone puts its own, colorful user interface on top and spares users from bloatware. At the time of the crime in August 2024, the security patch is dated May 2024 and is therefore already out of date. With Ulefone, automatic updates are expected irregularly. About page for software download However, it is possible to contact the manufacturer by email and request the data for the ROM including instructions.

The battery capacity is 6500 mAh. This is a lot for a normal smartphone, but relatively low for an outdoor cell phone. In the battery test, the Armor 25T Pro lasted about 16.5 hours, which is still a good value. In practice, the smartphone lasts up to three days with moderate use or two days with intensive use. This is not as long as the Armor 26 Ultra (test report), but the 25T Pro is only half as thick. It charges via cable at 33 watts or wirelessly (QI) at 30 watts. The charging process from 20 to 100 percent takes just over an hour.

The Ulefone Armor 25T Pro offers a strong overall package, which is why we can only recommend it to anyone interested in an outdoor cell phone. Technically speaking, it may be a simple mid-range smartphone at its core, but it offers an efficient mix for use as an outdoor smartphone. The LCD is reliable, and the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro is almost “thinner” than other devices of its kind. The integration of thermal imaging and night vision camera at a comparatively affordable price is also exciting.

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