5 ms·

Unihertz Tank – 22000mAh Phone

38 points by xendo 4y ago

pdc56 4y ago
Haha it has night version cameras, and 256GB ROM!
zikohh 4y ago
560 g - not surprised but also gonna hurt if you drop it in your foot. It's 2.5x the weight of the Google pixel 6.
duffyjp 4y ago
Reminds me of the hilarious Energizer Phone. https://www.anandtech.com/show/14045/energizer-power-max-p18k-pop-with-18000-mah-battery-at-mwc-2019 https://www.anandtech.com/show/14045/energizer-power-max-p18...
- hulitu 4y ago
  Why hilarious ? /s I wonder why Duracell hasn't come with a phone yet.
vanillax 4y ago
Just buy a dang external battery pack charger. All these phones remind me of something ill see at 5 below in the future. The worst part about these phones is the extreme lack of software updates,patches,and security fixes. This phone is for fools.
- m463 4y ago
  but it can take selfies in the dark!
- boppo1 4y ago
  >software updates,patches,and security fixes. I've lived without these for years with no problem.
orf 4y ago
I don’t know what that means to me (as a consumer), and between the obnoxious hard to hide chat window and the bright, garish graphics instead of a description, I’m not impressed.
troops_h8r 4y ago
Honestly? I'm a fan of this company. It seems like they just make phones that break the universal "palm-sized glass rectangle" meta that's completely subsumed all designs. I remember when I was a kid, there was so much diversity in phone designs! Sliding keyboards, folding screens, the little trackball on blackberries, etc. Now, it feels like the only variation available is size/OS/camera/CPU. I'm currently using their Jelly 2, which is a smartphone that's just exactly tiny enough to do all the things I need and no more. The screen is 3", and the tiny form factor is still enough for what I want to use my phone for: messaging, calls, all my music apps, all my podcast/audiobook apps, maps/transit schedules, checking email. What the tiny screen is NOT enough for is content consumption - and that's the point. Such a simple idea, but it's worked wonders for my phone addiction. I just do all that on an actual computer now, where it's much more manageable and not constantly in my pocket. Anyways, the 22,000 mAh phone looks like a miss to me, but I really respect that they're trying to do something different.
- pcurve 4y ago
  $399. 22k battery, 66w fast charging, IR, weather proof, rugged shell... I mean, looks like a perfect 2nd phone for outdoor folks
  - troops_h8r 4y ago
    Good point, I was only thinking of myself. Might end up picking this up for a friend :))
- dghlsakjg 4y ago
  This phone might be a miss for you, but I'm going to guess you don't work outside or in the field? Massive battery, massive flashlight, rugged and waterproof. I work behind a keyboard now, but there was a time in my life where this would have been the perfect work phone.
- boppo1 4y ago
  Is it big enough for/does it run anki? And does it have a camera?
coder543 4y ago
Once again...[0] at least say "22Ah Phone", but seriously just market the phone on the actual energy capacity, which amp hours are not. This is an "82Wh Phone", assuming they're using a standard lithium ion battery in a normal configuration, which is a lot of assumption. Watt hour is an actual unit of energy. 22 thousand thousandths of an amp hour is a ridiculous use of units, and it doesn't actually tell you how much energy the battery holds. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33891055 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33891055
- dghlsakjg 4y ago
  You're right, but its the standard that everyone has converged on. The assumption is that it is for lithium ion chemistry which is nominally 3.7v I don't know if this is going to frustrate you more, but I recently needed a small battery so I picked up this unit[0] at walmart, where it came rated in mAh for both 3.7v and 5v. The battery itself also has WH marked on it. A step in... a direction I guess [0]https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Portable-Battery-4k-mAh-Black/934734622?athbdg=L1600 https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Portable-Battery-4k-mAh-Black...
GekkePrutser 4y ago
Be aware though that unihertz is exceptionally bad at updates. I had the original jelly (non-pro) and they didn't even provide the Android 8 Oreo update they promised in the Kickstarter. Only the pro version got that but it was promised for both. Also security updates were few and far between. Only buy this if you don't care about updates at all. With their later models there have been a lot of quality concerns, like the rugged Atom losing rubber parts and getting water in the camera despite being sold as waterproof. I didn't get that one but I followed the Kickstarter comments waiting to buy it in case it turned out really good.
- ip26 4y ago
  We need to invent the "rugged" equivalent of "tacti-cool". What confuses me is the effort pretending to be rugged seems nearly as high as the effort of actually being rugged would have been. Maybe it's cargo-cult design, like with bad aero?
pengaru 4y ago
256GB ROM?
- hulitu 4y ago
  > 256GB ROM? Reserved for future expansion /s
smallerfish 4y ago
Don't go near Unihertz. I have an atom xl, and it's the worst phone I've ever had. It's riddled with major bugs. Their support completely sucks. Their business model seems to be focusing 100% of their r&d budget on new phones, and ignoring existing models.
eternityforest 4y ago
I wouldn't trust a phone that isn't from a big name, seems like software updates might be a bit lacking. As far as hardware goes, looks great, aside from the lack of microSD. If they really need space I'd rather they ditch 3.5mm and FM radio. Also, this doesn't have UWB or a stylus.
- womod 4y ago
  I agree that the lack of a microSD slot is annoying, though not entirely unreasonable with the whole value proposition of a "ruggedized" phone. The FM radio is entirely baked-in to the MediaTek MT6789 SoC, and uses anything connected to the 3.5mm jack as the antenna for better reception. Assuming this thing is intended for use at jobsites, it's not entirely unreasonable to assume that having a functional FM radio and 3.5mm jack would be desired.
  - eternityforest 4y ago
    I suppose that's fair, I didn't know they still put FM in SoCs. Still, a jobsite seems like a bad place for a 3.5mm. Any jobsite radio will likely either have FM built in, or Bluetooth, and and aux cord is just one more thing to get grime on it and clog your connector. Actually using it for headphones seems like an unnecessary safety hazard that Bluetooth would fix.
- hulitu 4y ago
  > I wouldn't trust a phone that isn't from a big name, seems like software updates might be a bit lacking. Software updates have nothing to do with big names. They are too expensive for the phone maker, being it Google or Samsung or Xiaomi.
klyrs 4y ago
Maybe this is my light-sensitive headache speaking, but I think I would live in fear of accidentally turning the flashlight on. That is a freaking monster.
- hulitu 4y ago
  But look at the bright side: you can heat your meal with it.
throwaway81523 4y ago
This is dumb, once you're no longer trying to make the phone paper-thin, why keep the battery non-removable? Just give me a phone that runs on a couple of swappable 18650's and call it a day. I don't need 22000 mah. Make an snap-on enclosure for more 18650s if people want that.

38 points by xendo 4y ago

pdc56 4y ago

Haha it has night version cameras, and 256GB ROM!

zikohh 4y ago

560 g - not surprised but also gonna hurt if you drop it in your foot. It's 2.5x the weight of the Google pixel 6.

duffyjp 4y ago

Reminds me of the hilarious Energizer Phone. https://www.anandtech.com/show/14045/energizer-power-max-p18k-pop-with-18000-mah-battery-at-mwc-2019 https://www.anandtech.com/show/14045/energizer-power-max-p18...

hulitu 4y ago
Why hilarious ? /s I wonder why Duracell hasn't come with a phone yet.

vanillax 4y ago

Just buy a dang external battery pack charger. All these phones remind me of something ill see at 5 below in the future. The worst part about these phones is the extreme lack of software updates,patches,and security fixes. This phone is for fools.

m463 4y ago
but it can take selfies in the dark!
boppo1 4y ago
>software updates,patches,and security fixes. I've lived without these for years with no problem.

orf 4y ago

I don’t know what that means to me (as a consumer), and between the obnoxious hard to hide chat window and the bright, garish graphics instead of a description, I’m not impressed.

troops_h8r 4y ago

Honestly? I'm a fan of this company. It seems like they just make phones that break the universal "palm-sized glass rectangle" meta that's completely subsumed all designs. I remember when I was a kid, there was so much diversity in phone designs! Sliding keyboards, folding screens, the little trackball on blackberries, etc. Now, it feels like the only variation available is size/OS/camera/CPU. I'm currently using their Jelly 2, which is a smartphone that's just exactly tiny enough to do all the things I need and no more. The screen is 3", and the tiny form factor is still enough for what I want to use my phone for: messaging, calls, all my music apps, all my podcast/audiobook apps, maps/transit schedules, checking email. What the tiny screen is NOT enough for is content consumption - and that's the point. Such a simple idea, but it's worked wonders for my phone addiction. I just do all that on an actual computer now, where it's much more manageable and not constantly in my pocket. Anyways, the 22,000 mAh phone looks like a miss to me, but I really respect that they're trying to do something different.

pcurve 4y ago
$399. 22k battery, 66w fast charging, IR, weather proof, rugged shell... I mean, looks like a perfect 2nd phone for outdoor folks
- troops_h8r 4y ago
  Good point, I was only thinking of myself. Might end up picking this up for a friend :))
dghlsakjg 4y ago
This phone might be a miss for you, but I'm going to guess you don't work outside or in the field? Massive battery, massive flashlight, rugged and waterproof. I work behind a keyboard now, but there was a time in my life where this would have been the perfect work phone.
boppo1 4y ago
Is it big enough for/does it run anki? And does it have a camera?

coder543 4y ago

Once again...[0] at least say "22Ah Phone", but seriously just market the phone on the actual energy capacity, which amp hours are not. This is an "82Wh Phone", assuming they're using a standard lithium ion battery in a normal configuration, which is a lot of assumption. Watt hour is an actual unit of energy. 22 thousand thousandths of an amp hour is a ridiculous use of units, and it doesn't actually tell you how much energy the battery holds. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33891055 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33891055

dghlsakjg 4y ago
You're right, but its the standard that everyone has converged on. The assumption is that it is for lithium ion chemistry which is nominally 3.7v I don't know if this is going to frustrate you more, but I recently needed a small battery so I picked up this unit[0] at walmart, where it came rated in mAh for both 3.7v and 5v. The battery itself also has WH marked on it. A step in... a direction I guess [0]https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Portable-Battery-4k-mAh-Black/934734622?athbdg=L1600 https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Portable-Battery-4k-mAh-Black...

GekkePrutser 4y ago

Be aware though that unihertz is exceptionally bad at updates. I had the original jelly (non-pro) and they didn't even provide the Android 8 Oreo update they promised in the Kickstarter. Only the pro version got that but it was promised for both. Also security updates were few and far between. Only buy this if you don't care about updates at all. With their later models there have been a lot of quality concerns, like the rugged Atom losing rubber parts and getting water in the camera despite being sold as waterproof. I didn't get that one but I followed the Kickstarter comments waiting to buy it in case it turned out really good.

ip26 4y ago
We need to invent the "rugged" equivalent of "tacti-cool". What confuses me is the effort pretending to be rugged seems nearly as high as the effort of actually being rugged would have been. Maybe it's cargo-cult design, like with bad aero?

pengaru 4y ago

256GB ROM?

hulitu 4y ago
> 256GB ROM? Reserved for future expansion /s

smallerfish 4y ago

Don't go near Unihertz. I have an atom xl, and it's the worst phone I've ever had. It's riddled with major bugs. Their support completely sucks. Their business model seems to be focusing 100% of their r&d budget on new phones, and ignoring existing models.

eternityforest 4y ago

I wouldn't trust a phone that isn't from a big name, seems like software updates might be a bit lacking. As far as hardware goes, looks great, aside from the lack of microSD. If they really need space I'd rather they ditch 3.5mm and FM radio. Also, this doesn't have UWB or a stylus.

womod 4y ago
I agree that the lack of a microSD slot is annoying, though not entirely unreasonable with the whole value proposition of a "ruggedized" phone. The FM radio is entirely baked-in to the MediaTek MT6789 SoC, and uses anything connected to the 3.5mm jack as the antenna for better reception. Assuming this thing is intended for use at jobsites, it's not entirely unreasonable to assume that having a functional FM radio and 3.5mm jack would be desired.
- eternityforest 4y ago
  I suppose that's fair, I didn't know they still put FM in SoCs. Still, a jobsite seems like a bad place for a 3.5mm. Any jobsite radio will likely either have FM built in, or Bluetooth, and and aux cord is just one more thing to get grime on it and clog your connector. Actually using it for headphones seems like an unnecessary safety hazard that Bluetooth would fix.
hulitu 4y ago
> I wouldn't trust a phone that isn't from a big name, seems like software updates might be a bit lacking. Software updates have nothing to do with big names. They are too expensive for the phone maker, being it Google or Samsung or Xiaomi.

klyrs 4y ago

Maybe this is my light-sensitive headache speaking, but I think I would live in fear of accidentally turning the flashlight on. That is a freaking monster.

hulitu 4y ago
But look at the bright side: you can heat your meal with it.

throwaway81523 4y ago

This is dumb, once you're no longer trying to make the phone paper-thin, why keep the battery non-removable? Just give me a phone that runs on a couple of swappable 18650's and call it a day. I don't need 22000 mah. Make an snap-on enclosure for more 18650s if people want that.