Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIt's a good choice.
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020
Original review: For what I paid for my last two very delicate phones, I've finally gotten a phone that can stand up to my clumsiness, activity level, and high battery use. I walk dogs seven days a week and while I'm out, I have audio books or youtube videos playing in my headphones. This phone has yet to die on me even once, and I've had it for going on two months I think. With the battery demand I place on it, I expect it to do so eventually, but yesterday I got it to the 15% battery warning...and two hours later, two hours in which I was STILL using it regularly (although not constantly) and not on power save mode...it was at 14%. Damn fine phone. It's sturdy, solid, a bit heavy but that's only a problem when I drop it on my foot. Which, of course, I have.
*EDIT: I marked this as 4 stars initially, but despite one small issue i'm upping it to 5. I have put this thing through SO MUCH and it is still just fine. (May 2021)
That one issue is sometimes when I drop it hard and it lands on the corner where the SIM cards are, the SIM tray gets a little loose and I have to poke it. Resolves after a good poke, worst case scenario I have to get a safety pin or something and poke the little hole. It's pretty damn minor considering what this has been through.
Update #2, Dec 2021:
Still going strong. Seeing how this is more than a year old, it might be worth checking out some newer models. But I'm not getting a new one any time soon. This thing is still doing just fine! I dropped it in the gym the other day and it slammed into the door of a locker, the bench, and then the floor and I just picked it up and stuck it in my locker. This woman watched it happen and said something like "Ouch, that MUST have cracked!" or something like that. I had to take my headphones off and ask her to repeat it because not only did it not crack (I didn't even check it: if it hasn't cracked by now it's NOT going to) everything was still working just fine. SIM card slot still a weak point but most of the time I can just apply pressure to the rubber cover (that keeps it waterproof) and it resolves without needing to be messed with directly. Seems like it gets better the longer I have it, honestly, but that might be because it becomes more familiar and more customized to me. I've not had a phone survive this long since the OG Nokia 3310. I had it in silver. I legit used that thing as a weapon at one point and it survived. It was still going fine nearly two years in when I lost it.
I'll let you know when this Oukitel gets to two years, and I have faith it will. Just not the weapon part, I hope!
April 29, 2022. The screen has a flaw. Some moisture has gotten beneath the gorilla glass (which has acquired some scratches over time), there must be a flaw somewhere. My guess is some of the rubber around the sides has a worn spot, sweat got in (it was in my bra at work), and actually it looks like it's drying out and may get back close to normal.
However, I think it's time to invest in a new one. I'm still pleased with this phone and would order it again if I wasn't able to afford to choose another more recent model. I'm going to try the WP17 and see how that does--looks like it has some great reviews, and I'm sure I'll enjoy playing with the night vision doolie. Anyway, I thought I'd check in and update: it finally sustained some normal phone damage. It's still working just fine, it might just come back completely, but the flaw is there and it's just time to put it to rest. It is still in absolutely great shape for a backup phone, should someone I know's delicate little device crumble in their hands. I don't think I will have any problems with it for now, and look forward excitedly to a newer model. Here's hoping it also makes it 2½+ years!