AGM H5 Review - a good looking and reliable rugged smartphone

Overview

AGM is one of the well-known brands for rugged smartphones. The brand name is an acronym standing for "Actions Gain Memory". Focused entirely on creating robust devices that are not only reliable but also good-looking, AGM has managed to create an excellent reputation in this niche. In this review, we will examine the AGM H5 that was announced in March. Among all other things, it arrives with an enormous and powerful speaker with an RGB LED ring around it that lights up when listening to music, receiving calls and/or notifications.

Specifications

The AGM H5 boasts a 6.517-inch in-cell IPS display with an HD+ resolution - 720 x 1600 pixels. The model's processing power depends on a 64-bit MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765) chipset. Manufactured after TSMC's 12nm process, it has an ARMv8-A architecture with an octa-core CPU comprising four A53 cores clocked at 2.3GHz and another quartet of those but clocked at 1.8GHz. The low resolution combined with a power-efficient chip should get the most out of the 7000 mAh battery packed under the hood. It arrives with an 18W fast charger and according to AGM, it should provide up to 400 hours of standby time. There are 4GB or 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM on board as well as 64GB or 128GB of built-in memory. The latter can be expanded. The camera department has not been overlooked. It is headed by a 48MP Samsung S5KGM2 main unit with an f/2.2 aperture. The second shooter is a 20MP Sony IMX350 Night Vision camera with dual infrared lights. Finally, there's a 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M2 macro lens with an f/2.8 aperture. On the front, there's a 20MP Sony IMX376 camera for selfies with an f/2.8 aperture and a 6-element lens. AGM HM is fitted with a hybrid, dual Nano-SIM tray with both SIM cards supporting 4G VoLTE. The supported network bands include 2G GSM (2/3/5/8), 2.5G (BC0), 3G WCDMA (1/2/4/5/8), 4G TDD-LTE (38/39/40/41), and 4G FDD-LTE (B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28A/28B/66). The SAR values for the model are as follows: EU head - 0.447 W/kg, body - 1.149 W/kg. The wireless connectivity options of the model include Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, and Wi-Fi Display. The smartphone also supports NFC and works with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou. The smartphone is further equipped with a USB Type-C port, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a 3.5 mm jack. The H5 runs on almost vanilla Android 12. The rugged body is IP68 and IP69K rated for water and dust resistance and has a MIL-STD-810H certification for resistance to drops, shock, pressure, humidity, acidic atmosphere, temperature extremes, and similar types of impact.

Complete AGM H5 specifications.

What's in the box

The latest AGM smartphones arrive in a very stylish box with a color resembling cardboard. It conveys ideas of being close to nature and aims for an ecology-preserving way of living. The lid of the box has the AGM logo, brand slogan, and purpose written in black. Inside the box, you'll find the following:

• AGM H5 unit
• 18W USB Type-C charger (EU plug)
• USB Type-C cable
• SIM tray pin
• A spare pair of protective caps for the USB port and SIM tray
• User manual
• Warranty card