What you need to know
- Rugged phone maker Doogee has announced a successor to the S96 Pro.
- The Doogee S96 GT features improvements in processor, internal storage, wireless charging, and video recording capabilities.
- Doogee’s latest rugged phone retails for $250, though you can grab it for $50 less as part of a limited promo.
Most rugged phones often come with ludicrous specs that you might find useful in some situations, but Doogee’s latest model does away with a few gimmicks and introduces a few improvements over its predecessor.
Doogee has unveiled the S96 GT, which is available to purchase for £227/$249.99 via AliExpress. The phone is currently on sale for $50 less than its regular price, and it comes in a limited-edition gold variant.
The Doogee S96 GT is the successor to the S96 Pro, which was released in late 2020, and while it retains some features and specs from the previous model, there are some improvements here and there. The most noticeable difference is in the chipset, with the S96 GT powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 processor as opposed to the Helio G90 on the S96 Pro.
Despite being a two-year-old chipset, the Helio G95 SoC promises a fast and smooth gaming experience, capable of handling titles like PUBG Mobile. Doogee has also added a 256GB variant in addition to the 128GB model, paired with 8GB of RAM. It runs Android 12, with no word on whether it will receive Android 13.
As it’s a rugged smartphone, the Doogee S96 GT is protected by a toughened black shell with an orange insert in addition to the special edition gold option. Like many of the best rugged Android phones, the Doogee S96 GT features an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as MIL-STD-810G certification for durability in harsh environments.
Perhaps its marquee feature is the 20MP night vision camera at the back that Doogee says can capture images up to 15 meters away. Other than that, the S96 GT includes the same camera setup as its predecessor, comprising a 48MP wide-angle shooter, 8MP ultrawide angle camera, and a 2MP depth sensor.
Meanwhile, the selfie camera has been improved from 16MP on the S96 Pro to 32MP on the latest model. The S96 GT can also record videos in 4K resolution.
Keeping the lights on is a 6,320mAh battery with support for 24W fast charging. The phone also packs an upgrade on the wireless charging front compared to the S96 Pro, with support for 15W wireless charging.
Elsewhere, it looks pretty much similar to the previous model. It sports the same 6.22-inch IPS LCD display with a 720 x 1520 resolution. The screen is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass sheet, though the version is not specified.
