I used the Doogee S200 Max rugged phone for a week and the battery lasted on a single charge, but not everything impressed me

Doogee S200 Max: 30-second review

The S200 Max is a mid- to high-end rugged smartphone built for durability and features one of the largest-capacity batteries of this type on the market.

The build and design are instantly recognisable as rugged, yet its industrial, futuristic-looking design is nicely finished, and it's one of the better-looking phones of this type on the market.

While many of these rugged smartphones are large and weighty, and this phone certainly has that weight, it's slim enough to comfortably sit in the hand. Through the week of testing, using this as my main phone, I actually found it one of the most comfortable rugged smartphones to use, and I was able to use it as my day-to-day phone despite its size and weight.

I will say that, at 536g, it was a little bit too heavy for my jacket pockets, but to be honest, it sat in the trouser pocket, and you can feel the weight, though it's not overly bulky. Keeping it in a holster or backpack pocket is probably a better idea.

The phone is well balanced, and one of the big standout features here is the screen, which is of a standard resolution of 1080 x 2400, with a refresh rate of 120Hz. This means that, whilst the screen is large, you might find the clarity of the content feels a little soft compared with premium smartphones.

One of the features that seems to be increasingly common with this style of phone is a secondary display on the back. This shows a watch face and can also display notifications and other information. It's a little more involved than we've seen on some of the other competitive phones, and once again, rather than being a gimmick, once you do start using these phones with the display, it's actually extremely useful.

Getting started with using the phone and making calls, the 5G connectivity is good and strong. Once again, the connection robustness, even out in the forest, won out over the iPhone 15 Pro. Internet connection speeds were also pretty good, and browsing the internet, answering emails, and watching a few YouTube videos all seemed good and robust. However, compared with some other rugged smartphones, there was a noticeable reduction in processing power and speed.

Navigating most productivity applications, such as Google Docs and Word, was good; however, as soon as I started delving into CapCut for video editing, there was often a slight delay. And as I booted up the camera expecting clarity from the 108-megapixel main camera, I was disappointed by the lack of definition, reinforcing the notion that, for this style of phone, high-resolution camera specs are more about headlines than image quality.

So, when it comes to performance, this really is in the mid-range when it comes to even the best rugged phones I've tested. Whilst it looks great, there are more powerful options out there. However, with its high-capacity battery and comfort of use, it certainly has its place if you're looking for a rugged smartphone that you can use on a day-to-day basis and that will withstand the elements.

Doogee S200 Max: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $459 / £450
• When is it out? Now
• Where can you get it? Widely available

At present, the Doogee S200 Max is listed for US$459, which will be around the £450 mark in the UK. The phone is also widely available through many online retailers, including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

• Value: 3 / 5

Doogee S200 Max: Design

The design of the Doogee S200 Max is instantly rugged, with its angular look. The design is both industrial and futuristic in style, and Doogee has gone to the extra lengths of actually putting some graphical detailing onto the metal surfaces to reinforce that futuristic look. The mix of metal, rubber and plastic also balances really nicely and with the slight gold effect of the metal, it gives it a relatively high-quality feel, and overall, the quality does feel exceptionally good.

Checking over the phone more closely, the hard rubberised corners give it that edge of robust durability that is synonymous with all rugged smartphones. Showing it enough to the test, it did seem to stand up to everything I threw at it. My only issue, as ever with this style of smartphone, is that going into the autumn/winter months, muck does seem to get caught in some of the detailing.

When it comes to weight and size, it's actually a decent dimension, measuring 83 x 179 x 29mm. While this is a big phone, it actually fits very comfortably in the hand and, whilst it does weigh in at 536g, that's just on the edge of being acceptable to hold to make calls comfortably for a long duration.

One of the features that stood out to me through using this phone was the large 6.72-inch Full HD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. This meant that it was good for playing games as well as navigating documents and applications. However, as I've noticed with some of the other rugged smartphones with this resolution, it does mean that everything is quite large on-screen, which can limit the amount of usable space, especially with more complex apps such as CapCut or Lightroom that include sliders as well as the image. The screen just gets a little bit overcrowded.

Really, for a smartphone, they've managed to keep things nice and simple, and for the most part, there aren't huge amounts of additional features. You can't plug in extra accessories, and on the back, there's no camping smart light. However, it does feature two bright LEDs on the front that make a pretty good flashlight. They're not focused, but if you're out on the trail at night, they'll help illuminate the path ahead.

When it comes to who this phone would appeal to, the design lends itself to people working outdoors or going off on adventures. And with that array of cameras, there is some opportunity to capture landscapes, although I will say it does need to be done in bright conditions, and I'll cover that in the performance section.

Taking a look around the phone itself, you have the TF card and SIM card carrier, which enables you to use two mobile network SIMs. If one is out of network, you can manually switch to the other through the settings. This is a common feature in rugged smartphones, but it is still extremely useful.

Below this is the programmable rocker button, which can be used in some applications. On the opposite side are the volume buttons and a biometric fingerprint reader, which doubles as the power button. On the base is a single USB Type-C port, which is covered by a plastic flap to ensure full IP68/IP69K certification, allowing it to be submerged in water without damage.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Doogee S200 Max: Features

One of the things that stands out about rugged smartphones at the moment is that they all need to have a USP, and here, if we're looking at just those features that really stand out, there's the 22,000mAh battery with 66W fast charging and the dual flashlight on the top of the smartphone

Otherwise, the rest of the features are pretty standard, with the size and weight being about average for most rugged smartphones, although it is a little bit more comfortable to handle than most. It also features that large 6.72-inch screen, which is on the larger side for the format, with a 120Hz refresh rate. Although, like many rugged smartphones, the resolution of this is only 1080 x 2400, so whilst it's good and bright and can be seen in most conditions, it is on the lower side in terms of resolution.

One of the interesting things about the internal battery is that, whilst it's 22,000mAh, it's slimmer than most, which gives the overall phone a smaller and more ergonomic feel, especially when making calls, as it doesn't feel overly weighty. One of the other great features of the battery is that it offers 66W fast charging. This is a little lower than we're starting to see from other manufacturers, but it still enables you to boost the charge at a relatively quick rate.

More interesting, however, is that it offers 18W reverse charging. So, if you do have a secondary phone, wireless headphones or other accessories that need charging, then you can charge them through the USB-C port on the base of the phone.

An interesting feature that we're starting to see on quite a few of these phones is the rear 1.32" smart screen that's able to display information, including a watch face, notifications and several other features. It's a nice addition and surprisingly useful. Initially, I did feel that this was a bit of a gimmick, but I've actually warmed to the idea.

Most importantly for any rugged smartphone, it comes with IP68/IP69K certification and is also MIL-STD-810 certified, meaning that you can essentially submerge it in water and drop it from a height of at least 1.2m without fear of it breaking.

Inside, powering this phone is a Dimensity 7050 5G octa-core processor, and this is coupled with a Mali-G68 MC4 GPU. This is decidedly mid-range, so whilst this smartphone has all the right credentials on paper, when it comes to processing power, I do feel it's a little bit weaker than the competition.

The processing power is backed by 512GB of storage, and you can expand this with a microSD/TF card to 2TB. There's also 16GB of RAM, which can be expanded to 36GB in total through software allocation.

On top of the phone is the other sort of unique feature for the S200 Max, which is the dual LED flashlight. This is operated through a dedicated app within the Android 15 interface and gives a good amount of flexibility, a handy additional feature.

• Features: 4 / 5

Doogee S200 Max: Performance

Starting out with everyday use, and whilst the size and weight of the Doogee S200 Max are obviously far greater than my more standard iPhone 15 Pro, it is still usable. And while the size and weight are quite bulky in a jacket or trouser pocket, it's just about manageable, although once again, I did tend to pop it in my backpack for comfort.

The one thing which I did like about this phone was that, although it's larger and heavier than most, it's actually still very usable. Making calls on it was clear and crisp, and it's relatively comfortable to hold in the hand; it's just quite well designed in that respect. Likewise, connecting to the internet, browsing files, watching back YouTube videos and sending emails were all very responsive. The CPU and GPU essentially kept up with everything required on that front, and the 5G connectivity just seemed to be exceptionally good and robust.

As I used the phone, once again, the screen resolution did seem a little low, although standard for many rugged smartphones, and it doesn't give you a great deal of real estate when you start to delve into many applications. It all starts to feel just a little bit crowded. However, the display is good, bright, clear and crisp, and with a 120Hz refresh rate, applications run generally smoothly, and media playback was exceptionally good.

One of the things I did note was that, with that huge-capacity battery, even when using this phone as my main device throughout the week, there was no need to charge it. By the end of the week, I still had about 10% power left, meaning that if you are off-grid or unable to charge your phone for an extended period, then this is a great option.

Diving into some of the applications, starting with Google Docs and Microsoft Word, both ran exceptionally smoothly, and it was easy enough to make edits and save them back to the cloud. Once again, the network connectivity is exceptionally good.

As I moved onto the creative applications, I started to note that this isn't quite as powerful as the newer rugged smartphones out there and seems closer to the devices I was testing toward the beginning of the year or the end of last year.

Lightroom ran well, but the more edits I made, the more I could start to feel the lag. When I moved over to Photoshop Mobile, there were definite limitations, particularly in the speed at which some of the effects were applied.

However, as I switched over to CapCut, which is highly optimised, and edited some video footage shot on the phone, I noticed an uptick in performance. It was able to handle HD and 4K editing without too many issues, and the playback was exceptionally good.

This lag was also apparent when gaming. Asphalt 9: Legends and Call of Duty both played okay, but not quite with the clarity I'd come to expect from some of the newer phones.

As I used these applications, one thing really stood out: the cameras. For some reason, the live view display just lacked clarity and definition. At first, I thought this was solely down to the quality of the cameras, but looking back through a few of the images, I realised they were of okay quality. And while the 108-megapixel sensor is not the greatest camera out there, it does enable you to take a decent picture; it's just that the live preview lacks clarity.

• Performance: 3 / 5

Doogee S200 Max: Final verdict

By the end of the test, whilst I do like the overall design and feel of this rugged smartphone, I feel that it is a little bit last generation and behind where a new rugged smartphone should be. The processor lacks the punch of the latest releases, and the screen resolution is just a touch low.

However, it is one of the more comfortable phones to use, and with that huge-capacity battery, it is exceptionally handy. But then again, it only has 66W fast charging, whereas most rivals are offering 120W. Then you have the flashlight LEDs on the front, which are handy, but again, they're not focused, and whilst you can adjust the brightness, they are of limited use.

So, whilst the design of the phone is pretty decent, the hardware just lets it down through lack of processing power, and the cameras, whilst decent, again lack the clarity and definition that some of the lower-resolution rivals are able to offer for a similar price.

When it comes to the people who could benefit from the Doogee S200 Max, anyone who wants a large, bright display and needs a phone that's going to last for a long time between charges will definitely benefit from this particular mobile. It's also, for the size of that battery, one of the most comfortable to use.

And if you are just looking for a good, balanced rugged smartphone with decent connectivity, then it's a great option. However, if you need to push the processing for content creation or business, then there are better options out there.

Should I buy a Doogee S200 Max?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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