Vernee V2 Pro rugged smartphone review

Rugged good looks, a big battery and just one small flaw

Hero with glove

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In use

Benchmarks

Here’s how the Vernee V2 Pro performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench: 784 (single-core); 3,649 (multi-core); 2,902 (compute)

Antutu:  83,666 

PCMark (Work 2.0): 4,695 

Passmark: 4,358 

Passmark CPU: 99,863 

Androbench (sequential): 290 (sequential read); 210 (sequential write) 

Androbench (random): 52 (random read); 20 (random write) 

3DMark Slingshot: 677 

3DMark Slingshot Extreme: 452 

3DMark IceStorm: 11,138 

HWBot Prime: 4,246 

The first thing you notice about the Vernee V2 Pro is its weight. While it looks like a regular phablet from the front, it is all glass, battery and metal, which adds-up to a pocket sagging 259g. It weren’t for the textured back panel it would be easy to drop because the sides are smooth rather than rubberised. 

The almost edge-to-edge screen looks great in Full HD resolution and the 18:9 ratio is an advantage when you’re scrolling, or using Google Maps for navigation on your handlebars. Widescreen video content doesn’t fit quite so well of course. 

Android runs smoothly and Vernee hasn’t bothered to apply much of a skin, or pre-load any software specific to a rugged phone, but our test apps worked well. Other than the reinforced casing, the design hasn’t been adapted in any way for the outdoor worker and it is somewhat frustrating to use with gloves on because there are no hard shortcut buttons – unless you want to take a screenshot of course. 

The camera app is average and the dual lens enables features such as FaceBeauty, although that’s not a feature you’ll need much on a building site. More importantly, the processor makes the camera and all the other apps work quickly and image quality is quite good in high and low light. Graphics-heavy games run relatively smoothly on the Vernee V2 Pro, although 3D games suffer from judder. In short, it handles like your average budget phablet with the added advantage of an IP68 rating and much longer battery life.  

Phone next to box

Final verdict

The Vernee V2 Pro succeeds in combining a luxuriously large full HD screen with a big battery in a rugged case that keeps its profile as sleek as a regular phablet. Its specifications are impressive for a budget handset too, which means Android Oreo 8.1 runs seamlessly. But with the screen being made of the same Gorilla Glass as almost every other phone, we’re sceptical of the six-sided drop resistance claims, especially as no test height has been given. And without any features tailored to the outdoor worker, such as a hard PTT button for walkie-talkie style comms, or any relevant pre-loaded software, we wouldn’t recommend the Vernee V2 Pro above cheaper options such as the Blackview BV5800 Pro. 

Jim Hill

Jim is a seasoned expert when it comes to testing tech. From playing a prototype PlayStation One to meeting a man called Steve about a new kind of phone in 2007, he’s always hunting the next big thing at the bleeding edge of the electronics industry. After editing the tech section of Wired UK magazine, he is currently specialising in IT and voyaging in his VW camper van.