Oukitel WP19 rugged phone review: A battery beast

While most consumers are keen to splash out on big-ticket new phone releases, some may prefer to buy phones with a specific purpose rather than models that do a lot of tricks. Oukitel is a niche phone brand known for its rugged smartphones, and the Oukitel WP19 is one of its most recent releases.

The 2022 model made waves when it first hit the market due to its massive battery, which is not found in many of the best rugged Android phones. Its 21,000mAh battery is said to keep the lights on for more than a week, which sounds plausible.

However, will its huge battery capacity be enough to make for a tempting proposition? The phone is built to survive a pile of jagged stones and bathing in the rain or mud, but do the rest of its features push the envelope in terms of what it offers? Let's find out.

Oukitel WP19: Price and availability

The Oukitel WP19 retails at a regular price of $459 through the company's online storefront. At the moment, it's available to purchase for only $439.90.

You can also snag a unit via AliExpress, and on Amazon, you can buy it for $450, which gets you 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

Oukitel WP19: What I like

The Oukitel WP19 is this company’s rugged phone with the largest battery to date, and I think it is one of the device's most useful features. I took the phone on most of my out-of-town trips to snap photos, used it as a way to catch up with social media and email, and watched Netflix shows and movies on it, and it gave me over a week of battery life.

That’s thanks to its gigantic 21,000mAh battery, but also owing in part to a lack of 5G support and an LCD screen. With a little less fiddling with the camera, I was able to get to nearly two weeks with ease.

To be honest, I had a hard time killing this phone. My daily testing included extensive use of social media, taking photos and recording underwater videos, and watching more than two hours of movies. Despite all this, the device managed to constantly last for a week. Furthermore, the WP19's standby battery performance is excellent, with a 1% drain every four hours or so. Because of its large battery, you can use the phone to charge other devices, effectively transforming it into a power bank.

The Oukitel WP19 also provides some of the best protection ratings of any rugged phone, with IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810G. When you pair this with the tough build — metal frame plus rubber rear — you've got a slab of a phone that can withstand damage.

Each time I took the phone for a swim, it always came out unscathed thanks to its stellar waterproofing. While an IP68 rating typically means that a device is water resistant in fresh water to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes, the WP19 survived immersion in seawater for almost an hour.

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The 6.78-inch LCD display isn't as vibrant as an OLED screen, but it's bright enough to see in direct sunlight. The phone's night vision is also noteworthy, as it is uncommon in this market segment.

The WP19's processing power gives it a slight advantage over other rugged phones in this price range, but not by much. The phone ships with a MediaTek Helio G95 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, which is a real advantage. In my daily testing, the device handled common tasks flawlessly, and gaming was surprisingly enjoyable, with only a few lags and stutters in graphically intensive settings.

Oukitel WP19: What I don't like

As is typical of rugged phones, photography is not the Oukitel WP19's strong suit, so don't expect much from its camera array. Sure, the 64MP rear camera system gets the job done, with a decent amount of contrast and saturation. The accompanying lenses, on the other hand, produce softer images and sometimes washed-out shots, especially when there is too much light entering the sensor.

Oukitel WP19 sample photos

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The WP19 also has the typical drawbacks of a rugged phone: a chunky design and a hefty 570g weight. The Oukitel WP19 is one of the most substantial rugged phones I've tested. It measures 178.10 x 84.00 x 29.00 mm and is difficult to operate one-handed if you have small hands.

It also looks like it could double as a brick for your house, seeing as this is by no means a small handset.

Finally, the phone's large footprint and enormous weight make it neither comfortable to use for extended periods of time nor pocket-friendly. While this is to be expected for a device of this caliber, it remains one of my primary criteria when selecting a rugged phone.

While the phone has got a huge battery, super-fast charging is not supported, as it's capable only of up to 33W speed, which is barely enough to top up the sizeable battery in an hour or so. I got it to just over 20% in one hour, and 50% in two hours. In my experience, the WP19 fully charges from zero to 100% in more than four hours.

Another issue I have with the WP19 is the underwhelming mono speaker, although I acknowledge that the single-firing mono speaker towards the bottom offers a solid soundstage. However, after soaking the phone in water, it sounds muffled, and restoring it to its normal sound is a major headache.

There’s no support for 5G as well, and you’ll be stuck on 4G networks, so this can be a major drawback if you're looking for a device that can connect to faster network speeds.

Oukitel WP19: Competition

Alternatives with battery capacities that come close to 21,000mAh are hard to come by, so the Oukitel WP19 is pretty much a lone wolf on that front. 

However, the Doogee V30 can prove to be a worthy contender if you consider its faster processor (MediaTek Dimensity 900) and smoother screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. This rugged phone also starts at $360.

If you're a fan of big batteries, the Blackview BV7100 is just right up your alley. It packs a 13,000mAh battery, though it ships with a less powerful MediaTek Helio G85 chipset. The best part is that it only costs $240 at the moment.

Oukitel WP19: Should you buy it?

You should buy it if...

• You want a long-lasting battery life that can keep running for a week between charges.
• You want a phone that you can take for a swim without worrying.
• You like a phone that can also serve as a power bank.

You should not buy it if...

• You're looking for an impressive camera quality.
• You hate waiting for a phone to fully charge.
• You're not comfortable holding large slabs of phones.

It's clear that a major portion of the Oukitel WP19's price went toward its big battery and ruggedized design. However, this also means that tradeoffs were made elsewhere. The device still performs as you'd expect a rugged phone would despite its compromises.

Meanwhile, if you’re in the market for phones that you don't need to plug into a power outlet for a few days, I have a feeling that these shortcomings won't be much of a concern for you. The same is true if you only want a rugged phone that doesn't need babysitting. If that describes you, then the WP19 won’t disappoint.