Review of the Blackview BV9200: A New Flagship Rugged Phone

Choosing a rugged smartphone no longer has to mean sacrificing performance as the rugged mobile market develops and incorporates more cutting-edge technologies. Blackview prioritizes expertise and quality, and its products go through rigorous quality testing procedures and tight requirements. The BV9200 is a new tough smartphone from Blackview. It has a handy design that eliminates the battery capacity to make it simpler to use and carry. Despite our distaste for the Doke-OS interface and the bloatware that goes along with it, this is still a strong gadget that can come in very handy for outdoor workers.

BLACKVIEW BV9200 KEY FEATURES

Although tough phones are no longer popular, a few smartphone makers, including Blackview, continue to cater to this niche market sector. Today’s cell phones are stylish, and useful, and have functions that were inconceivable five or ten years ago. However, they are easily broken, and persons in specific occupations may require a gadget that is more durable than the usual glass slab.

Even though a MediaTek Helio G96 is still under the hood, the new BV9200 has a faster 120Hz display, a newer Android, better drop protection, faster charging, and a few useful features like a microSD card slot, wireless charging, a set of Harman Kardon stereo speakers, and double the storage. And Blackview managed to cram all of this into the same starting price as last year’s BV8800.

In reality, the BV9200 feels more like a regular smartphone. It offers about the same hardware as its “normal” competitors while giving additional protection. We are amazed to find such quick wired and wireless charging in the €300 price range, as well as the basic memory combination of 8GB/256GB. Let’s discover what’s beneath that thick shell.

BLACKVIEW BV9200 UNBOXING

The item comes in a regular retail package with all of the usual user instructions, a USB-C to USB-C connector for charging and data transfer, and a 66W fast-charging brick.

There is no case for the phone, however, we do not believe it is required. After all, it is the BV9200’s main purpose. Furthermore, we are pleased to see the charger included this time, as last year’s BV8800 was delivered without one.

CAMERA

Despite an unusual combination of sensors, the camera on the BV9200 performs admirably. Although the main sensor is 50MP, the highest image size captured is 13MP in a 4:3 ratio, resulting in much fewer files. Having more sensor pixels than those on the output results produces sharp and color-accurate results.

Our main concern is that strong lighting is required to get the best shots, as the focus is weak in less-than-ideal lighting situations. This is particularly true for the night vision option, which we would avoid utilizing.

However, daylight photography allows for some great shots that are generally free of optical aberrations and color changes. For those looking for the greatest results, we recommend Beauty mode and HDR, since they make the best use of the ArcSoft True-Chroma software, which works behind the scenes to extract the best image quality.

The ultra-macro mode may go as close as 10mm to the subject, while the beauty mode has ten levels of effect. One of the camera’s most impressive features is its ability to shoot video at resolutions higher than 1080p. It can record 2K or, more precisely, 1440p (2560 x 1440) video. The only disadvantage of that functionality and video capturing is that there are no adjustments for the frame rate. It’s 30fps at all resolutions, with no other option.

The phone camera application supports H264 or HEVC encoding, balancing compatibility and efficiency. Additionally, image stabilization is always available, regardless of capture resolution. Overall, the BV9200’s camera outperforms expectations, and unless you want night vision or other specific sensor settings, it performs adequately.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The Black BV9200 smartphone makes an impressive first impression, as you can see that the business uses MIL-STD-810H-compliant material on the back panel, with a stylish orange option. The back panel is notable for its strong construction, while the corners are supplied with smooth foam-like material. With this combination, the phone’s drop resistance increases, and you won’t have any issues using it in adverse conditions.

In addition, the rectangle camera module with the Blackview logo improves the entire design. Not to mention that most armored phones have large bodies and weigh a lot. All of the rules apply to BV9200 as well. The handset weighs 310 grams and has a side frame of approximately 13.6 mm. However, if you’ve previously used an armored phone, the holding experience isn’t that unpleasant.

In addition, for added protection, this phone includes a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. On the other hand, the water drop notch 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel is surrounded by heavy bezels. But it’s nice to see that you’re getting 1080p resolution for content, and the UI navigation is helped by the 120Hz refresh rate, which can be adjusted based on the user’s demands. Additionally, it has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection but lacks sufficient brightness support.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

Overall, the phone’s performance is superb, and the 120MHz mode of the display makes the interface appear much smoother than usual. The BV9200 improves your convenience by offering 30W wireless charging, eliminating the need to look for a lost charging cable. Relax and enjoy a quick and simple way to charge. The wireless charger only provides 30W charging when used with the Blackview BV9200, but it is still compatible with other phones.

The Blackview BV9200 has a MIL-STD-810H-certified body, is drop-proof at heights of up to 1.2m, and combines leading IP68 and IP69K waterproof ratings to a depth of 1.5m for 30 minutes to endure extreme weather and settings. In addition to the standard resistance ratings, it has a robust frame, metal sides, and reinforced rubber around the corners for improved grip and shock absorption. Even the camera’s toughness improves significantly with its drop resistance, which can sustain a 1.2m death break.

Blackview only provides an L3 security level for the BV9200, limiting the streaming quality of most services to 480p (640 x 480), regardless of screen size.

However, in some services, such as watching some, but not all, streamed movies through Google TV, movies appear with a wide black border around them, probably due to an error in the OS’s compilation, and no icon appears to rescale them to full display. Even though the screen is adequate for watching TV shows and movies, the BV9200 lacks Widevine L1 and has unpredictable scaling issues.

Buy it if...

• Rugged design, IP69K, shockproof, and drop-tested to 1.8m height.
• Adequate performance, 8GB/256GB base memory, and 120Hz display.
• Fast wired and wireless charging; reverse wired charging is supported.
• Harman Kardon-tuned stereo speakers.
• NFC, FM radio, and notification LED.

Don't buy it if…

• FM radio requires USB-C headphones to operate, which are not provided.
• It lacks specialist camera gear, such as thermal or night vision.
• The display is not bright enough for outdoor use.
• Poor battery life, especially for a tough phone.

FULL SPECIFICATION