This week the Doogee BL12000 has passed through my hands, an inconspicuous terminal due to its enormous dimensions that many have compared to a “PowerBank” (external battery). In this review, I will tell you the strong and weak points, if any, and my opinion.
The smartphone comes in a black cardboard box with the name of the brand and model on the front. At the bottom, there is a white sticker with the IMEI numbers of the terminal and the certificate of conformity of the European Union. As you lift the lid, on top is the Doogee BL12000 with a super thin transparent TPU case, and underneath, there is a small black envelope with the quick start guide and two screen protectors. Finally, there is the European charger with quick charge 3.0 from 5V to 3rd, a USB to micro USB cable, and a USB OTG cable to connect almost any type of peripheral to the smartphone, be it a flash memory “pendrive” or a keyboard. And mouse.
It is appreciated that it comes with a few screen protectors because we know that they deteriorate over time, and many of us like to have a new mobile. I also like that it has a clear case to protect it and the USB OTG cable, which never hurts.
The only downside of this section is that it does not include USB Type C.
Design and Screen
This Doogee BL12000 has a design that draws a lot of attention due to its dimensions, 74.7 mm long x 162.0 mm high and 14.0 mm thick. Exceptionally thick, so it is not ergonomic at all for the hand. In addition, the weight is very considerable; it weighs 321 grams, which makes it uncomfortable, and our hands tire of holding it when making a call or holding it up. It is slightly heavier than indicated on the manufacturer’s website. It is made of metal and plastic and has a “unibody” body, so you will not be able to open the case to remove the battery.
The IPS LCD screen is 6 inches with a Full HD + resolution (1080×2160 pixels) and a density of pixels per inch 402.
Personally, and as much as the manufacturer has tried to soften the blow with a bright and attractive design, the thickness of the terminal says it all. As I have already mentioned, it is uncomfortable in hand and has an excessive weight, making you tired when holding it if it is not supported. I wouldn’t say I liked the screen, and I think it lacks more brightness and sharpness.
The call loudspeaker on the front of the terminal can be heard commonly. On the right are the two selfie cameras, one wide angle and the other normal, which I will detail in the following points. And on the left is the proximity sensor and a small notification LED.
The dual camera is in the upper rear area, and the double LED flash is on the right. Just below it is the fingerprint sensor which works well. The same is not characterized by being the fastest on the market, but I think it is exact and faster than the facial recognition unlocking that it incorporates.
On the right side are the typical volume up/down button and the lock button, made of metal. The slot to access the tray for nano SIMs and micro SD cards is on the other side. At the bottom is the centered micro USB plug, and the speaker and microphone are on the sides. Finally, and to finish the description, the 3.5mm audio jack is in the upper area.
Software
This smartphone has Android 7.0 Nougat under a relatively light customization layer called DoogeeOS that can remind you of Pure Android. It has an application drawer so you can have the applications you use the most on the main desktop.
Many places a high value on smartphones or OS updates; I firmly believe there will be no update to Android 8.0 Oreo. However, I hope they make minor bug fixes and security updates.
The smartphone has almost all languages, including Spanish or English.
This Doogee BL12000 comes pre-installed with Google apps like Play Store, Play Movies, Chrome, DUO, Maps, Drive, Gmail, etc. In addition, as if these were not enough, the manufacturer has decided to incorporate more, such as a gallery, a voice recorder calculator, a battery manager…
A detail that I overlooked and realized just in the middle of the week of use is that it incorporates facial recognition. It is pretty bad and also not very secure since you can unlock the terminal with a photograph, even with one of the computer screens. As it does not provide the security it should, I do not think it is advisable to use it.
Power and Hardware
This Doogee BL12000 has quite common hardware, and it is that many entry-level smartphones mount this 8-core MediaTek MT6750T processor with Cortex-A53 architecture and a maximum processing speed of 1.4 GHz in four of them and 1.0 GHz in the remaining four. It has a GPU** ARM Mali-T860 MP2** accompanied by 4 GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage. We only saw these figures not so long ago in the high range, and I think that now few people will have storage problems since it has enough for applications, photos, videos, and any other content we want to store.