Rugged phones get a bad rap. They are cleared as a new act, a huge behemoth that must show its face in a construction site or in a military area. But Doogee, a Chinese company, sees beyond a few cases to bring us the Doogee S200, a mid-tier smartphone with heavy weight but enough features to brush fingers with the flagship category.
Available for as low as $229 on AliExpress or $339 on Amazon, the S200 is almost a steal with its extreme durability, near all-day battery life, and features you’d expect from a premium-grade smartphone. However, there are some caveats. For example, since this phone is not marketed in the US market, it will not work on some 5G networks of some of the major carriers. And performance, while good, isn’t up to par with other mid-range phones. But somehow, it manages to run some incredibly taxing games.
However, the S200 is affordable for those looking for a solid smartphone with ridiculous endurance and performance that will surprise them.
Doogee S200
The Doogee S200 brings solid durability and excellent battery life to a rugged gaming phone for under $500.
Benefits
- Very rugged design
- Excellent battery life
- Incredibly powerful gaming performance
- Interesting camera features
- It’s really affordable
Evil
- 5G networks are limited in the US
- Performance isn’t as strong as the base model’s competitors
- Cameras are a mixed bag
- No Android 15
Doogee S200 Review: Design
“Is it a crime?”
“Why is it so heavy?”
“You can use this thing as a weapon!”
These are the general responses I got from everyone I showed the Doogee S200 to. And while putting a smartphone in a sturdy sock and using it as a makeshift blackjack is an interesting idea, it’s not something the S200 does. As someone who has broken a phone or two in his life, I’m a big fan of the phone. It is a sign of its innate resilience. The phone has IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD 810 ratings. That means the phone is waterproof and dustproof. It’s also drop-resistant and drop-resistant from 5.9 feet (1.8 meters). It also has covers over the USB-C port to prevent water or dust from entering. The display is made of Corning Gorilla Glass to prevent scratches.
Admittedly, that extra protection adds a whole lot of bulk. The 7.1 x 3.23 x 0.63-inch device weighs 12.9 ounces. Make Google Pixel 9 (7 ounces, 6 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches), Samsung Galaxy S24 SE (7.5 ounces, 6.4 x 3 x 0.31 inches), Nothing Phone (2a) Plus (6.7 ounces, 6.4 x 3 x 0.33 inches ), and the iPhone 16 (6 ounces, 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches) looks like a featherweight in comparison.
Still, Doogee has a mech-based design that will appeal to fans of Gundam, Transformers, and Power Rangers, The aerospace-grade alloy rear panel in black and pewter gray is made up of a series of sharp angles that recede into gentle slopes. . The centerpiece of the design is what Doogee calls the bottom screen. It’s similar to the Dynamic Island found on modern iPhones, in a much simpler environment (More on that later). The small 1.3-inch round AMOLED display is surrounded on both sides by four chambers that house the camera sensors.
The phone continues the mecha look with four prominent screws running down the sides. The volume and fingerprint/power buttons sit on the right, with a dual SIM card tray and a button that users can customize to perform three different actions – single, double, and triple clicks. The USB-C charging port sits on the bottom of the phone, hidden under a rubber gasket.
The front of the phone consists mostly of a display surrounded by thick bezels, especially at the top and bottom. The teardrop camera protrudes slightly to the top of the display.
Although the black and gray color is cool, I wish I could have gotten my hands on any of the green and yellow versions, as I love the pop of color.
Doogee S200X review: Display
It’s not OLED or AMOLED, but I’d still take the S200X’s 6.7-inch IPS LCD screen. When I watched the second episode of the Squid Game, I saw every drop of blood as it left the bodies of the unfortunate contestants. The deep red provided a subtle contrast to the fun rainbow-painted floor in the “Six Legs” episode on the 2400 x 1080 display. Of course, it’s not as clear as the aforementioned screens, but for the price, I won’t be disappointed with what the S200 has to offer.
The screen isn’t as bright as the Pixel 9, but I had no problem reading articles in direct sunlight. Games like Dead Cells and Zenless Zone Zero ran smoothly with an automatic refresh rate that automatically increases the rate from 60Hz to 120Hz when you’re playing or working on something taxing. Doogee has also included a barebones Game Mode that includes all your games and disables notifications.
Let’s talk about the small screen. It’s a really useful way to interact with certain apps and functions of the phone without having to engage with the big display. In addition to the clock, you can read notifications, control your designated music app, check battery life, take a photo, answer calls, and several other useful features.
Doogee S200 review: UI and performance
Unlike other Android phones, Doogee runs stock Android—Android 14. The 2.2-GHz octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor, 12GB RAM, and 256GB of internal storage are spry, allowing zippy navigation between apps and home screens. I saw just the slightest hint of slowdown when I started playing Zenless Zone Zero, and that’s after I launched 50 Google Chrome pages, a few G-Suite apps, BlueSky, and Threads.
It should be noted that the smartphone is equipped with 32GB of RAM. That’s because Doogee has mapped some of the 256GB to RAM to trick the system into thinking it has more capacity to install apps.
Even though the S200 hasn’t reached Android 15 yet (and I’m not sure it ever will), you still get a bunch of features from the previous OS, like more customization on the lock and home screens. You also get better security and data protection, such as using biometric authentication instead of passwords for additional applications. Speaking of apps, there’s Toolbag, which is a collection of apps that complement the phone’s build tool capabilities. There is a Protractor, a Plumb Bob, and a level. Doogee has also thrown a Pedometer, NFC Card Emulator, and Mirror in, which is a bit confusing.
When I ran Geekbench 6, the S200 returned a single-core score of 990 and a multi-core score of 2,471. This is a strong score, but it’s not as good as the Nothing Phone (2a) (1,198/2,824), the Pixel 9 (1,699/4,241), or the iPhone 16 (3,412 and 8,416).
Doogee S200 review: Camera
Doogee has equipped the S200 with an impressive array of cameras and features. The main shooter is 100MP with a 20MP night vision camera and a 2MP macro sensor. The pictures I took had good color, but the details can sometimes be a bit confusing. The wasp nest layers I took on a cloudy day are not as sharp as I expected. The same goes for a bouquet of glittery dipped flowers. Still, I was impressed with how well the wire held my dog’s fur even though the other one was moving as it licked its sister.
But my favorite shots are the night vision shots. That’s right, night vision. Although it made me look like something out of a horror movie, the mode was great for capturing my dogs’ shenanigans in the near black darkness. There’s also an underwater mode, but since the phone isn’t designed for diving or submersion in deep water, I’m not sure what it will capture. The 20MP selfie camera was excellent, capturing my few gray hairs and colorful spots.
I really like how many camera modes the S200 offers. Besides Night Vision, there is Beauty, 100MP, Super Night, GIF, and Mono, to name a few. But I was missing the option to hit wide or ultrawide shots. The phone also lacks optical stabilization, offering only digital, which is part of why some of the details in your photos aren’t as sharp as they should be. The Night Vision and Macro cameras do just that, leaving that poor 100MP sensor to do all the heavy lifting. And maybe I shouldn’t complain when the phone is undeniably cheap, but if other phones of the same price can do it, I can’t ignore it.
Doogee S200 Review: Battery
The S200 has many great features, but the best has to be the battery life. Its 10,100mAH battery lasts about 24 hours, at 23:12, when playing a 24-hour YouTube video at 50% brightness. The phone has Quick Charge 3.0, which means the S200 can get a 50% charge in just 30 minutes. And if you’re in trouble, you can use the S200 as a charging brick with its reverse charging features.
But Doogee, I have a bone to pick with you. Why, oh why, do you have a big ole’ plate on the back of the phone that looks like lightning? I thought it meant the S200 had wireless charging capabilities. But imagine my surprise when I put the phone on two different wireless chargers and got bupkis. Then I thought it was NFC, but it’s not.
Doogee S200 review: Verdict
Should you buy the Doogee S200? It depends. The S200 has a lot going for it. It’s very rugged and durable, has great performance, and even better battery life. The lower rear screen adds to the ease of operation, and man, is Night Vision just that good. And you really can’t beat that price. But I’m not sure how many people would willingly opt for 4G in the 5G era. Also, the cameras with all their features could be better, and I’m not sure if Android 15 will ever come to the S200. But for people looking for a solid, rugged, semi-premium phone under $500, the Doogee S200’s competitors are few and far between.
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