Small but Thick

Review: Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro - Compact and Durable Mobile

Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro has an unusually small format, and it goes a long way.

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In early 2010, Sony Ericsson released its first Android phone, the Xperia X10. With its 4-inch screen, it was considered to be on the borderline of how large a mobile phone could be and still be useful. Since then, development has only gone in one direction, and now when I test the Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro, its 4.7-inch screen feels absurdly small.

Sony Ericsson was also a pioneer in offering smaller, more compact alternatives, the Xperia X10 Mini with a 2.5-inch screen was released just a few months after the X10, and for many years Sony offered a Compact model as a more one-hand-friendly alternative to its flagship model. But in recent years, it has been difficult to find truly compact models.

One area where small-screen phones that can be reached with one hand have continued to be manufactured is rugged phones. Saying that the Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is unique is not true, for example, a couple of years ago we tested the Unihertz Atom L in a similar format, and other phones also exist, but distribution in Sweden has been non-existent. However, Ulefone has a Swedish distributor and their phones are available at places like Netonnet.

Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is a rugged phone of the kind that looks like it's designed to match a power drill for professional craftsmen. The screen is recessed in the frame, the sides and back are mainly made of soft shock-absorbing plastic, and there are screws fully visible everywhere. Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is waterproof according to IP68/69T, which means it can withstand being submerged in water and high-pressure washing, and unlike regular phones that only have an IP68 rating, it can genuinely withstand you swimming with it and using the camera to take pictures underwater. The phone is also supposed to withstand being dropped from a height of 2 meters onto a concrete floor without breaking.

There are three similar variants of the phone. The one we have tested is the Armor Mini 20T Pro with a thermal camera from FLIR. Armor Mini 20 Pro (without the T in the name) instead has a night vision camera, and Armor Mini 20 lacks both and has a slower processor.

Massive battery

One reason compact phones have struggled to maintain their niche is said to be that people worry about getting shorter battery life if they choose a smaller phone. You don't need to worry about that with this phone. It has a massive 6200 mAh battery, which, combined with the small screen consuming less power, gives us over 15 hours of video playback with the screen at maximum brightness.

This is mainly achieved by making the phone thick. And heavy, despite its small size, it is heavier than the heaviest of Apple's iPhones or Samsung's Galaxy S models. You don't expect anything different for rugged phones, but if you're looking for a compact phone to fit more easily in your pocket or weigh less in your handbag, the Armor Mini 20T Pro is not the solution.

If you want a phone that you can hold in one hand and reach across the entire screen with your thumb, it is possible, at least for me. It's very unusual to go back to such a small screen, and I notice, for example, that I can't type as quickly when the on-screen keyboard is smaller. But at the same time, it's a nice feeling to really be able to do everything on the phone with one hand.

The screen is of LCD type and doesn't have full HD resolution, but it's not such a big problem since it's also smaller. However, you might be bothered by slightly paler colors or ghosting on the screen when you swipe. The screen has a maximum refresh rate of 90 Hz, but the dynamic speed adjustment doesn't work particularly well. If you lock the refresh rate at 90 Hertz, it gets better, but in this case, I probably prioritize battery life over faster refresh rates.

Weak camera

The rear camera is 50 megapixels and can take okay pictures in daylight, although they may feel a bit heavily compressed and with dull colors. As soon as the light gets a bit worse, the camera loses ability and the pictures become quite blurry. The camera is also not suitable for zooming, as zooming does not utilize the extra pixels and the images quickly become blurry.

There is no telephoto or wide-angle camera, but we do get a thermal camera with an accompanying app from the company FLIR, which specializes in the field. When you use the camera, you see in silhouette form what is in the surroundings, and its temperature in different colors from violet to white. The thermal camera has quite low resolution but maybe nothing else is needed. Most people may not have a pressing need for a thermal camera, but if you have, for example, a damaged water or electrical line at home, it can be an excellent tool.

Overall, Ulefone is quite good at coming up with special features that might be relevant for someone who wants an extra durable mobile. For example, we have the camping light, an extra powerful set of LEDs that can easily illuminate a tent and, if needed, flash SOS. There is an extra button that you can program for a number of functions, such as a walkie talkie or to turn on the camera's underwater mode, where the screen's touch function is turned off and you control it with the buttons. There is also a Body Cam mode where the mobile records for up to 30 minutes with the screen turned off.

The Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is equipped with the Mediatek Dimensity 6300 chipset, a mid-range chipset with slightly weaker graphics performance that mostly makes the phone feel reasonably fast, but sometimes you have to wait a moment for an app to respond. The storage space of 256 GB is generous, and you can supplement it with a memory card.

If you are interested in a phone that is both durable, small, and has long battery life, the Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is a clearly interesting option, but you have to put up with the camera not being of particularly high standard.

Questions and Answers

Does the phone have wireless charging? Yes, but it is a bit sensitive and slow to start, so I often have to fiddle a bit before the charging starts.

How is the speaker sound? Loud but a bit tinny, the phone has a mono speaker located on the back.

Does the phone have an IR transmitter? Glad you asked! Yes, it does, and in an app, you can turn it into a remote control if you have gadgets that still use this technology.

An alternative

It's hard to think of any other new phone in this format with distribution in Sweden, but if you're mainly looking for a rugged mobile, Ulefone has other phones with different focuses, such as a more compact format or even more maximized battery.

Camera example

In twilight light, the colors are nice but the sharpness noticeably deteriorates.