Today we are reviewing an unusual new product – Cubot Kingkong Power smartphone, which went on sale in May this year. The uniqueness of this device lies in a massive 10600 mAh battery, a powerful dual LED torch with brightness up to 5000 lumens, increased protection and shock resistance, good hardware, and the design, of course. When you first encounter this smartphone, you immediately realize that the name Kingkong Power was given to it for a reason.
Technical specifications
- Display: IPS sensor, 6.5″ diagonal, resolution 2400×1080, aspect ratio 20:9, pixel density 405 PPI, screen to body ratio 74.9%
- Processor: MediaTek MT8788V/WA, 8 cores (4×Cortex-A73 2000GHz, 4×Cortex-A53 2000GHz), 12nm process technology
- Graphics: ARM Mali-G72 MP3
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR4 + 8GB virtual memory (swap file)
- Mass storage: 256GB
- Cameras: Triple camera, 48MP (primary) PDAF, 20MP (night shooting), 2MP (macro lens). Front camera: 16MP
- Battery: Li-Ion 10600mAh, 33W wired charging speed, supports reverse charging
- Operating System: Android 13 (Tiramisu)
- Connectivity Standards: 2G, 3G, 4G
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, A-GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS
- SIM card slot: Dual (2 Nano-SIM)
- Support for memory cards: microSDXC
- Protection rating: IP68, IP69K
- Resistance: dust, water, impact
- Dimensions: 169.9×80.2×20.0 mm
- Weight: 382g
- Optional: USB Type-C 2.0, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual LED torch 5000 lumens
Positioning and price
The Cubot Kingkong Power is positioned as a mid-range smartphone. At the time of writing, the full price of the device on the official website is $249.99. But, it can currently be picked up at a 41% discount for $147.49 on AliExpress.
As for the target audience of Kingkong Power, the main emphasis in this model Cubot made on protection against shock, water and dust, and the main trump card was a high-capacity battery and a powerful torch. It can be assumed that the main target buyer of this device – is people with a specific job, line of work or needs. For example, this smartphone would be ideal for the military, travellers, sailors, construction workers, or people who just want an ‘unbreakable’ smartphone with good battery life.
Cubot Kingkong Power package
The Cubot Kingkong Power package is as simple as possible and as complete as possible at the same time. It comes with:
- smartphone
- quick charger
- USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- USB Type-C headset
- SIM card ejector
- user manual
- display protection
There are no questions about the content. You can only find fault with the headphones, which look exactly like Apple’s, and the quality of which raises some doubts. But there is no point in this, so let’s move on to the smartphone itself.
Read also: Cubot KingKong 7 review: Inexpensive Rugged Smartphone
Design, ergonomics, materials, build
Compared to other secure smartphones, the Cubot Kingkong Power doesn’t stand out as particularly original.
Design and ergonomics
The model comes in pure black, with small grey inserts on the sides and on the main camera. By the way, there are no other options from the manufacturer yet. The smartphone’s design is a plus: it looks austere, concise and brutal.
On the front, the display takes up most of the space. The borders around the display are quite wide, 6 mm on the sides and 11 mm at the top and bottom. This is due to the fact that the smartphone body is in a large protective case, which is one piece with it. There are no complaints about the size and proportions of the screen (67×150 mm), the smartphone is easy to operate with one hand, the thumb easily reaches all areas of the display.
The lock button (aka fingerprint scanner) and the torch button are located on the right. The buttons are well positioned and can be easily reached and touched with the thumb without looking.
On the left is the SIM card tray and the volume keys. There are no complaints about the location of the volume control either, it’s all quite convenient.
On top, there’s a built-in dual torch. On the bottom is USB Type-C, which is sealed tightly with a rubber cover. On the back of the smartphone is the main triple camera and speaker holes.
The case has additional pads for a better grip in the palm of your hand. Although the smartphone body is heavy (382 g) and quite large (169.9×80.2×20.0 mm), it lies very comfortably in the hand of an average-sized person. Cubot Kingkong Power’s design and ergonomics are perfect.
Read also: Cubot Rainbow 2 review – low-end smartphone with two cameras
Materials
Most of the smartphone is covered by a robust rubberised casing with additional ribs on the corners. Unprotected are the small plastic side inserts where the adjustment, lock and torch keys are located. There are also unprotected areas on the torch itself and the main camera. If the smartphone is hit on the sides, or corners, or just the back, you don’t have to worry – nothing will happen to it for sure. But the open areas on the torch and camera may cause doubts, because when falling on an uneven surface (e.g. a stone) the impact may occur on these areas. As for the display, it can be covered with the protective glass that comes with the package. In general, the material is pleasant to the touch, a good grip is felt in the palm of the hand, the smartphone does not slip or fall out of your hands.
Build quality
The build quality is excellent. There are no creaks or backlashes at all. Buttons pressed well, you can feel them. The construction feels firm and monolithic in the hand.
Protection
The Cobot Kingkong Power is positioned as a rugged smartphone. It has IP68, IP69K protection against dust and moisture. The smartphone is also fully waterproof. The manufacturer promises that the Kingkong Power will withstand immersion in water to a depth of one and a half meters without any problems.
Torch
A powerful dual LED torch is another trump card of the Cubot Kingkong Power. The manufacturer claims brightness of up to 5000 lumens. It can easily replace a full-fledged pocket torch and easily illuminate the way in complete darkness.
Cubot Kingkong Power screen
Cubot Kingkong Power features a 6.5-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The density is 405 pixels per inch. The display has good responsiveness, no control lag has been noticed. Pixel density in the Cubot Kingkong Power is also excellent, the picture is not blurry, the text looks sharp and well readable.
The only things to complain about: brightness, contrast and colour rendering. The brightness is still a bit lacking; it becomes more or less so if you turn the level up to 80 per cent. Still, compared to other IPS displays, which are usually put in more expensive smartphone models, the brightness, in our opinion, is not enough. Contrast is about the same. Colour rendering is not super either, colours look faded, a bit lacking in saturation.
Otherwise – not a bad display, given that Cubot Kingkong Power budget smartphone. And the main emphasis in it was clearly not on that.
Read also: Cubot X30 review. Testing the Capabilities of Affordable Flagship Lookalike
Performance
It has already been said in the review that Cubot Kingkong Power has good stuffing, let’s take a closer look.
So, the processor here is the 12nm MediaTek MT8788V/WA chip. It is an 8-core processor with a maximum clock speed of up to 2GHz. 4 Cortex-A73 2000GHz cores and 4 Cortex-A53 2000GHz cores. ARM Mali-G72 MP3 is responsible for the graphics.
There is 8 GB of permanent LPDDR4 memory and a further 8 GB of virtual memory, which is taken from the swap file. The additional memory is activated by a special function in the “Memory Expansion” menu.
For permanent storage, there’s a 256GB drive, which is more than adequate in today’s environment. As for the speed of the drive, there is no question.
More detailed specifications of the Cubot Kingkong Power:
As you can see, Kingkong Power’s components are quite good. It feels like the smartphone is more than enough for simple ordinary tasks. The smartphone does not slow down when navigating the OS and when using applications, the response is good, especially if you turn on the function of using additional memory. But feeling is feeling, and performance tests will show a more detailed picture, so let’s move on to them. For testing we will use: Geekbench 6, PCMark for Android, 3DMark, AnTuTu Benchmark.
Cameras
There’s a 48-megapixel main camera, an optional 2-megapixel macro module, and an optional 20-megapixel infrared camera for night photography.
Photos are taken at the original resolution of 6000×8000 pixels (standard setting 48MP, 4:3 ratio). There aren’t many settings in the standard camera app. From the basic: HDR, flash, Beauty mode, Macro, Night View, Portrait, Ultra HD, Night Vision. Night shooting on the infrared camera is applicable only for photos, for videos, alas, not. As for photo quality, here are a few examples for your consideration.
The front camera is 16 megapixels. Video is shot in 720p and the frame rate varies from 15 to 30.
Video on the main camera is recorded at 1080×1920 pixels and the frame rate varies from 20 to 30, depending on the lighting. Yes, in terms of video, things are pretty dismal here. Here are a few examples of the video footage for clarity.
To summarize, you can take photos and videos with Cubot Kingkong Power, of course, but do not have high hopes for the quality of the content. Well, what do you actually wanted from the budgetary? Yes, and the main trick Kingkong Power is not in the camera.
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Cubot Kingkong Power battery life
The 10600mAh battery is another feature that sets Cubot Kingkong Power apart from other smartphones. According to the manufacturer, a full charge will last for:
- 1251 hours in standby mode
- 76 hours of continuous calling
- 42 hours of music listening
- 17 hours of video playback
The Kingkong Power battery supports fast charging with up to 33W. In addition, the manufacturer has included support for reverse charging, which means you can use this smartphone to recharge other devices without any problems.
Conclusions
To sum it up, we can say that Cubot Kingkong Power was generally liked by us. A good budget smartphone, which has a lot to praise. Not bad hardware, protection, excellent battery life, torch, design and ergonomics, in the end. The only things to complain about are the camera and the display. Oh, well, there is no 3.5 headphone jack. Otherwise, the Cubot Kingkong Power could be the perfect choice for people with specific professions or needs.