Unihertz 8849 Tank Pad Review

Design, build and controls

The Unihertz 8849 Tank Pad is designed to be your reliable companion in any tough environment. Metal, tough polycarbonate, glass, TPU, and rubber are cleverly used in key body parts to create a durable tablet that's resilient to most environmental challenges. Moreover, its various hardware features make it equally useful for office presentations, construction sites, underwater photography, and conquering mountains. Unihertz 8849 Tank Pad is IP68-, IP69K-, and MIL-STD-810H-certified for being resistant to water, dust, drops, extreme temperatures, etc. Having in mind the special features of the tablet and its pure rugged nature, it is only normal that it has a considerable weight and footprint. When held in a landscape position, the device is 269.4 mm wide and 171.4 mm high. It has a waistline of 19.4 mm and weighs more than a kilo - 1120 grams. The bulkier profile and weight are due mainly to the huge battery (21200 mAh), built-in projector with cooling fan, big display, and rugged architecture of the body. In the following paragraphs, we will describe the device's features using a landscape position as its default setting. The big display occupies the majority of the front of the device. It is protected by Panda Glass and by the sturdy plastic casing that protrudes from the glass surface protecting the edges. The top and bottom bezels are 5 mm thick and the side ones are 1 cm thick. The front-facing camera is located on the left bezel and is not centered. The light sensor and proximity sensors are positioned right next to it. The default navigation mode is by on-screen gestures but you can always change that to an onscreen navigation bar that can be customized. The rear shell features Unihertz 8849's signature design language combining various sharp forms and materials. Massive metal plates, carbon-fiber-like plastic, and TPU are used to create a visually pleasing design and provide practical protection at the same time. The top center of the rear shell is occupied by a very bright camping light with a trapezoidal shape and two identically shaped metal plates on its sides. The left one houses one of the stereo speakers and the right one houses the vents of the cooling fan. RIght below it you will see the 8849 logo, rear camera, and LED flash. The place for attaching the tablet holder is right below the camping light. The bottom half houses the second stereo speaker on its left end. The top frame of the Unihertz 8849 Tank Pad is the home of the pDPL projector, the second set of vents for the projector's cooling fan, the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons as well as the two customizable buttons. The bottom frame is bare, you can only see four screws on the partially visible metal frame. The left and right frames along with all four corners and partially the top and bottom frames are covered with shock-absorbing TPU with additional padding for the corners. The left frame houses the IR blaster, the Power button, the triple-slot tray, and the button for adjusting the projector's focus. The right frame is where you will find the USB Type-C port and th headphone jack, protected with an insulating cap.