Doogee is meddling in the supplementary display feature with the S98, a rugged phone. To be honest, users prefer the implementation of the V20, a better – but more costly – smartphone from the same manufacturer. Given the S98’s price tag, users can be pleasantly surprised by the hardware and spec. Which solidly places it in the medium-range basket. Doogee S98 rugged smartphone has a dual-display design that includes a 6.3′′ FHD+ waterdrop front screen and a 1.1′′ round rear display. The phone has an octa-core processor MediaTek Helio G96 processor as well as comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM, which you can increase up to 512GB.
The phone has a triple camera setup on the back, with something like a 64MP main sensor, a 20MP night vision camera, as well as an 8MP wide-angle sensor. You have a 16-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies.
The phone comes with a large 6000mAh battery & supports 33W fast charging as well as 15W wireless charging. The smartphone is available in three shades: red, orange, and black. Also, it is IP68/69K and MIL-STD-810G certified. This means it’s waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof, and it can work in dangerous and extreme conditions.
What we will see here?
Specs at a glance:
- Dial Rear Display
- Helio G96 / Octa Core / 2.1GHz / 12nm
- 6.3″ LCD FHD+ Waterdrop Screen
- AI Triple camera (64MP+20MP+8MP)
- SONY® IMX350 20MP Night vision camera
- 6000mAh Large battery / Support 33W fast charging
- Samsung® 16MP Front Camera
- 8GB RAM+256GB ROM / UFS 2.2
- IP68 / IP69K / MIL-STD-810G
- Side Fingerprint Recognition
- NFC Supports Google Pay
- Corning Gorilla Glass
Availability and Price of Doogee S98
The Doogee S98 rugged smartphone seems to be available direct from the manufacturer’s website for $339.99, a savings of $160 off the retail price. There was a two-week pause from the 3 major warehouses that currently stock the smartphone at the time of writing. It is available in three colors: wine red, classic black, and phantom grey. On special, AliExpress sold it for as little as $260, so it’s worth looking around. Keep in mind that these prices do not include any local taxes or handling service charges that can be increased by third parties.
Design
There isn’t much to say about the Doogee S98‘s design. It is a try layout with a hardware design that employs a steel framework laid in rubber for shock absorption.
Given the size of its display (6.3-inch) and large battery capacity, it’s not surprising that this is a large phone – 172 x 82 x 15.5mm for a weight of 320g, which is roughly the size of two other competitors. The Oukitel WP17 and the Ulefone Armor 10 5G. The main draw is at the back, where a circular 30mm display is split in half among four sensors and also the LED flash; more on that later.
The front screen has a 6.3-inch full HD+ display, a pinhole selfie camera sensor, as well as a Corning Gorilla glass layering (the rear display also gets it). The SIM card port and a customizable button are on the left, while the volume rocker, power button, and separate fingerprint reader (which users may prefer to have alongside) are on the right.
On the bottom edge, a flap conceals a USB Type-C connector. The S98 meets IP68/IP69 as well as MIL-STD 810G standards, as we think.
Hardware of Doogee S98
The Doogee S98 is driven by a Mediatek Helio G96 system-on-chip, which really is similar to the Dimensity 700 but slightly slower, uses a more mature manufacturing node, and lacks 5G. It has 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM as well as 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage.
Doogee installed a 64-megapixel Samsung camera sensor for the primary snapper. Also, a 20mp Sony IMX350 night vision camera, an 8-megapixel Samsung broad camera, and a 16-megapixel Samsung camera for the front-facing snapper. In addition to the charger and cable, you will receive a warranty card, a display protector, and a user manual. Fast charging (33W) and wireless charging are represented by the 6Ah battery (18W).
Performance
We didn’t have high expectations for the S98 because it is driven by a mid-range processor. Benchmark results indicate that it is probably quicker than G95 devices and slightly slower than Dimensity 700-base handsets. So anticipate it to be adequate for most tasks, with a little gaming thrown in for good measure.
Aside from the stock Android 12 build, the Doogee S98 includes the standard set of apps found on Mediatek-powered smartphones: the ubiquitous toolbox (with a pedometer, compass, and so on), the Easy Launcher (for senior users), GameSpace, as well as Children Space; these generate virtual environments for the potential consumers with varying levels of lockdown capability (e.g access to apps or mobile network).
At the back, you can configure and even turn off the rear display. In terms of features, you can only pick up calls as well as control the music player. We had the same complaint about the TickTock 5G; there’s no compelling reason to use the rear screen because it’s not a power-saving e-ink screen and lacks some of the killer apps.
Why should you buy Doogee S98?
If you want a fast, rugged smartphone with night vision abilities or one that is relatively future-proofed. It is one of the few IP68/MIL-STD 810G-rated rugged Android 12 handsets. Furthermore, it has a fast enough processor as well as enough system memory and storage to last through a few Android repetitions (Thinking of course that Doogee gets them).
Why should you not buy Doogee S98?
The rear spherical display does expect to impress. You will not. Users may find the secondary display to be of little practical use. That doesn’t change the opinion of the S98’s overall value.
Other competitors
Unihertz’s dual-screen TickTock will be more costly and has half the memory space. It does, however, have 5G connectivity cheers to the Mediatek Dimensity 700. The TickTock also lacks wireless charging. Also, a new Android 12 operating system, and a night vision camera.
Alternatively, at a higher price, the Doogee V20 is indeed a deserving alternative to the S98. It keeps all of the good parts (256GB storage, 8GB RAM, 64-megapixel camera, night vision) & adds 5G capabilities as well as a less industrial and more consumer-friendly design.
Conclusion:
With the S98, Doogee delivered a safe product, but the jury is still out on the helpfulness of the dual-screen of that size on such a rugged smartphone. On the other hand, it’s a ridiculously cheap, fast smartphone with more memory space and Storage than anything else at this price. As a result, you can think of the secondary display as a free bonus.
The Doogee S98 comes with a dual-display design that includes a 6.3′′ FHD+ waterdrop front screen and a 1.1′′ round rear display as well as an octa-core processor MediaTek Helio G96 processor.
