Unihertz Tank Review - a new contender for the battery autonomy leader title

OS, UI and software

Unihertz Tank runs on stock Android 12. The Lock Screen is classic with a huge Time widget, tiny Date widget, basic charging status, and status bar icons. The Home Screen is accessed by a swipe up to unlock it. There's a Google search bar on top with integrated voice search. The bottom is occupied by the docked row of apps and the favorite ones are above them. The apps are listed on successive desktops but you can also activate the app drawer and access them with a swipe up from the Home Screen. A swipe to the right opens Google Discover, which can be deactivated from the Home settings. These are located in the Widgets menu, which also offers a list of widgets and wallpapers. Desktop shortcuts are supported. The Task Manager lists the applications horizontally with plenty of options for each - access to app info, enter split-screen mode, app lock, and screenshot. The Notifications shade has the classic Android 12 gray background with rounded top corners. The background of the Quick Settings is black with the toggles sporting a light shade of blue when switched on. The brightness level bar is placed above the toggles, while at the bottom there are shortcuts to the Settings, the Power Off menu, and to the Quick Settings editor. The quick Volume settings and Volume bars have a more elongated and curved design. The Power Off menu is a small overlay with three options - Emergency, Power off, and Restart. Unihertz Tank arrives with a classic set of applications and is generally clutter-free. The usual Google apps include the Assistant, Calendar, Chrome, Drive, Duo, Files, Gmail, Discover, Google TV, Keep Notes, Maps, Meet, Play Store, Photos, YouTube, and YT Music. The standard Android apps comprise Calculator, Camera, Clock, Contacts, FM Radio, Messenger, Phone, and Sound Recorder. The additional applications include the Toolbox one (found on every rugged smartphone), Studen mode, NFC cards, and Zaza Remote for setting up your mobile as a TV remote controller. The Settings app lists the separate menus without any separators or grouping. The list begins with the usual search bar and continues with the first two menus that are about connectivity and can be seen in the corresponding section of this review. The first is about managing your Wi-Fi and mobile networks and connections. The second is about everything else - Bluetooth, NFC, Android Auto, Cast display, etc. The list continues with the Apps menu from where you can monitor screen time and manage your apps. The fourth menu is called Intelligent Assistance and offers plenty of options starting off with the Network Manager. From here, you can allow for each of your applications access to mobile, Wi-Fi network, both or none. Another feature is the App Blocker which accelerates the system speed and reduces power consumption by restricting background apps. The CallRecord feature allows you to record conversations during a call. The Freezer lets you remove apps from your Home Screen and blocks them until you remove them from the freezer list. The Shortcut Settings allow you to customize the two physical keys on the left frame of the handset. This feature is followed by a QR code scanner and "More". The "More" settings contain toggles for allowing the notifications to turn on the display, for the status bar to be locked, for the ring tone to increase gradually, and set various vibration properties to the fingerprint sensor. The Notifications menu is fifth and manages app notifications, history, conversations, bubbles, privacy settings in the notifications settings, DND mode, wireless emergency alerts, and other related options. The Battery settings is next and are reviewed in detail in the Battery section of this review. They are followed by the Storage menu with a toggle for the Storage Manager and a direct link to the Files app. The Sound menu remains unchanged with its four volume-level bars, DND mode, ringtones, and various specific toggles. It is followed by the Display menu described in the corresponding section of this review. The Accessibility menu comes next comprising the usual options for assisted app management, viewing/hearing content, etc. The Security settings comprise the four default services - Google Play Protect, Security Update, Find My Device and Google Play System Update. They are followed by screen lock settings, options for creating and managing fingerprint ID(s) and a face ID, Smart Lock settings, Device admin apps, Encryption & Credentials, Trust agents, and App pinning options. The next menu is about Privacy which begins with the Privacy Dashboard that offers an overview of which apps recently have used permissions. It continues with the permission manager to control app access to your data, several toggles for app-specific permissions, autofill service from Google, location history, activity controls, ads management, and usage & diagnostics. It is followed by the Location menu which again deals with privacy but in the context of granting access to your location information to apps and services. The Safety & Emergency settings contain options for entering emergency information, managing your SOS reactions and contacts, setting your emergency location service, and managing the wireless emergency alerts - the same setting is also available in the Notifications menu. The Passwords & Accounts group of settings is self-explanatory. It is about managing your passwords saved on the device, autofill service, synced accounts, etc. It is followed by the usual Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls, Google settings, DuraSpeed, System, and About Phone menus. The System menu is about managing your languages and input, gestures settings, date and time, backing up data, resetting the device, managing multiple users' access to the device, and checking for updates. It also contains a feature that was present on older Android versions - schedule power on and off. The Gestures menu under System contain the settings for the system navigation (virtual buttons or gestures), quick camera access, one-handed mode, and the prevent ringing feature.