Blackview BV6000 IP68 Android 6.0 Smart Phone

In short, feels large and rugged in hand, works exactly as any other latest smartphone - targeting a very niche. This is a very chunky phone that aims towards people who want a rugged phone for various reasons. This is a phone that truly made for outdoors - similar in the lines of CAT S40, but with very high specifications and lower price tag.

One of the quickest Chinese brands I tested, build quality is something that doesn’t need explanation here. There is nothing to take away from here but one of best built smartphone I’ve seen. I won’t call this as a cheaper version of CAT S40, but a well spec’d phone that made for outdoors at a cheaper price.

Straight out the box you see the unexpected - a relatively large phone (151 x 81 x 16.6 mm), weighing 240 grams, 4200mAh Battery, 720P HD display and IP68 protection. More than just the rubber around the phone - the phone is held together with a CNC metal frame and fibre glass casing with most of the parts screwed and glued together with dust and water proof protection all around. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 will protect the screen from scratches, there is also a screen protector already attached. Also a spare one included in the pack.

The entry points - power and headphone jack, are protected with rubber flaps attached to the body. Spare flaps and screws are included. This is the only thing I wish the blackview should have address differently. Screw drivers are also included to open the back cover and replacing the rubber flaps. You have to open the back cover to insert sim cards and micro SD card. Again, BlackView shines here with 3 separate slots for dual sims and micro SD card.

BlackView BV6000 is powered by Helio P10 Octacore processor, Mali T860 GPU and has 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM / Storage area. Rest of the hardware is on par with current generation of handsets and pretty much usable from every aspect of life including GPS & Camera.

Made for Outdoors

Few things to high light, PTT & SOS button are handy just in case of any emergencies. Due to the bulky body, the Charging cable is going to be a problem if you want to use your own. My current cable cannot go deep into the socket to get in contact for charging. Also you need a bit of nail on the finger to open up the charging port rubber flap. These are minor niggles comparing to what the phone offers.

Battery life is something that definitely need a mention. For a moderate user, this phone easily gets you through for 48 hours or so, even with the usage of maps couple of hours each day. The small screen size and lower resolution helps to keep the battery consumption very low. Octacore processor coupled with 3GB RAM easily allows you to play graphics heavy games without much of a trouble.

Positives
+ Dust & Water proof - IP68
+ 4.7” Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen
+ Fast enough for every day tasks and gaming
+ 3GB Ram & 32GB Storage space
+13mp rear camera (actually very decent)
+ 720p display
+ 4200mAh Battery

Negatives
- Software stability need improvement
- Small screen & Large phone
- Flimsy port covers.

Overall, you get a lot from this phone, built for outdoors - you can drop, throw or go for a swim with this phone without any problem. Please do check out the pictures to see what exactly you get and how it looks. BlackView supplied the desk light for testing and QA purposes and it’s my decision to share the thoughts based on my own findings