Ulefone Power Armor 14 Review - reliable battery autonomy and bespoke rugged qualities

Design, build and controls

The Ulefone Power Armor 14 is a rugged smartphone with a design that ensures 360° protection. It is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance. It can survive a soak in water up to 1.5 meters of depth for up to 30 minutes, a soak in 1 meter of concrete for 24 hours, and drops from 1.5 m. The IP69K rating means the device is protected against water pressure and extreme temperatures. The MIL-STD-810G military rating certifies that it meets the military standard for resistance to dust, shock, water, humidity, drops. The Power Armor 14 can survive low-pressure conditions (57kPa) for up to 4 hours at temperatures of 25℃. The device works in a high humidity environment (50%-90%), within a wide range of temperatures (23-60℃), for up to 6-8 hours. For up to 20 hours it can withstand 1120W/m² of solar radiation at a temperature of 49℃. Finally, it can withstand an acidic atmosphere with pH 4.17 at 35℃ - 2 hours of spraying or 22 hours of storage in such conditions. The Ulefone Power Armor 14 has a solid build following a military-grade manufacturing process. The rear shell and the display case are made of hard polycarbonate in a gray color that has both protective and aesthetic functions. Soft TPU wraps the reinforced corners, the top and bottom frame to provide additional drop resistance. The metal frame on the two vertical sides has an X-patterned decorative element and three visible bolts on each side. The USB Type-C port has a protective cap also attached with a bolt to the chassis. A protective sealant is provided for the 3.5 mm headphone jack as well. The SIM tray can be easily removed with fingers and has a red sealing band for water and dust proofness. In terms of footprint, the Power Armor 14 is very similar to the Armor 12. It is 82.5 mm wide and 175.6 mm tall. However, due to the twice as large battery, it is thicker measuring 17.2 mm in depth, and heavier - 358.2 g. The display occupies most of the front of the handset and is encapsulated in a hard polycarbonate casing. Its rim protrudes from the glass surface as an additional protection feature. The display has thick bezels - 3 mm side ones, 5 mm for the top, and 8 mm for the bottom. The top bezel has a V-shaped notch for the 16MP front camera. The light and proximity sensors are located to the left of the notch, while the LED notification light is to its right. The waterproof receiver is tucked between the glass and the polycarbonate casing. The bottom bezel is bare. You can choose from an on-screen gesture or on-screen navigation bar navigation. Choosing gestures is suitable in case you need more screen estate. Both variants are customizable. The rear shell has two glossy "U" arcs underlining the upper half of the body where the camera module is located, surrounded by an X-patterned thinner plastic that's indented compared to tougher polycarbonate case covering the rest of the body. The Ulefone logo is imprinted there in a pastel, dark pink color. The same is used for the frame of the camera module. A pressure relief hole is seen to the right of the module. The top frame has an indented area without a specified purpose and a protected 3.5 mm jack. The bottom one houses the protected, USB Type-C port, microphone hole, and speaker. The right bottom corner has a special area for attaching the hand strap. The left frame is the home to the hybrid, dual-SIM tray and the customizable button in pink color. This button can be configured to activate the PtP app (Zello) and also have other apps associated to it depending on whether it is pressed once, twice, or long-pressed. The right frame is where you'll find the pink Volume Up/Down button and the Power button with an embedded capacitive fingerprint sensor.