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The Doogee S89 Pro could be the first Batman-approved phone
The menacing back of the Doogee S89 Pro.
Meanwhile, in a Batcave somewhere near you…
ZDNET Recommends
Robin: Holy Android, Batman! What's that new phone on your Bat-Belt?
Batman: Thank you for noticing, Robin, that's the new Doogee S89 Pro, and it's a perfect match for my outfit.
Or maybe…
Bumblebee: Optimus Prime, you've transformed into something so small I can't pick you up!
Optimus Prime: I'm a phone, Bumblebee! A phone!
Look at this phone. Just look at it. If you don't see either a Transformer or Batman's new favorite accessory, you might need glasses. Said phone is the Doogee S89 Pro, and it's a monster. It's massive, heavy, and seriously fun.
It's also not for everyone.
You have to really like the idea of carrying around a device that will test the strength of your belt or suspenders (or both).
Before I continue on, let's talk specs and price of the S89 Pro.
Specifications
OS | Android 12 |
Chipset | Mediatek MT6779 Helio P90 (12 nm) |
CPU | Octa-core (2x2.1 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) |
GPU | PowerVR GM9446 |
Memory | Internal 256 GB |
RAM | 8GB |
Main camera | 64 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 130˚, (ultrawide) 20 MP, f/1.8, (night vision), 4 infrared night vision lights |
Self-lit camera | 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide) Video 1080p |
Display | IPS LCD 6.3 inches, 97.4 cm2 (~65.9% screen-to-body ratio) resolution 1,080 x 2,340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) Corning Gorilla Glass |
Battery | Li-Po 12,000 mAh, nonremovable, fast-charging 65W |
The first thing I will point out is the battery spec. You read it correctly, the S89 Pro ships with a 12,000-mAh battery. I've tested the battery life and was able to easily get an incredible three days of life from a single charge. That blows away my Pixel 6 Pro (by a long shot). One thing to keep in mind, however, is that wasn't three days of constant usage. When really pushing the phone to its limits, you can probably expect more like 16 to 20 hours of life from the 12,000-mAh battery. But suffice to say, that battery is impressive.
Also: I made a huge Apple Watch mistake
Next, you're probably curious about the CPU and how it performed. The phone costs $419.99 on Amazon, and is currently on sale for $359.99 directly from Doogee. Honestly, the phone performed a bit better than I'd have expected from a rugged phone in this price range, and performance wasn't so bad that I'd be turned off by the device. There's lag in some of the animations, and if you really push the phone to its limits, you start seeing the aging CPU show its shortcomings. But for everyday usage, this phone is perfectly adequate. Considering the cost of the device, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
The fun factor
With the help of a built-in app called Light Effect, you can customize the lights on the back of the Doogee S89 Pro -- the two lights that do a lot to give the phone serious Batman and Transformer vibes. Those lights can be configured to indicate incoming calls, notifications, screen-off, charge, and multimedia, or to be always on. You can also give the lights more entertaining settings, like breathe, left wink, right wink, wake up, alternate, shine, and rainbow.
The Doogee S89 Pro lighting up when plugged into a charger.
And as I've already mentioned… there's the phone's armored look. If you're into action-packed superhero films, this device will rock your world.
To add to this fun attitude, the S89 Pro's main camera does have a few tricks up its sleeves, such as Night Vision, Video, Picture, Beauty, Night, Pro, Portrait, Give, Panorama, Mono, and QR Code. And quite honestly, although the S89 Pro might not be able to stand toe-to-toe with the latest Pixel or iPhone cameras, it can take some pretty impressive photos. Even the Portrait mode can produce impressive results. The one caveat to the Portrait mode is that it is very much manual. After you snap a photo in Portrait mode, you then have to manually adjust the blur and the depth.
With a bit of quick adjustment, you can get an outstanding portrait effect.
One of my favorite modes in the camera is Mono, which does take very nice monochromatic photos.
Yes, my keyboard needs dusting.
Who is the Doogee S89 Pro for?
Those who prefer flagship performance from their phones will want to stay away from the Doogee S89 Pro. However, for anyone looking for a massive, water-resistant phone with an incredible battery, fun lights, and a Batman-approved design, this phone's for you.
The Doogee S89 Pro is all about fun and having a device that will survive drops and spills, all the while looking rather menacing to the average user.