Blackview BV5900 Smartphone Review – Outdoor Smartphone with Long Battery Life
Comparison Devices
Bewertung | Rating Version | Datum | Modell | Gewicht | Laufwerk | Groesse | Aufloesung | Preis ab |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 03 / 2020 | Blackview BV5900 Helio A22 MT6761, PowerVR GE8300 | 268 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 5.70" | 1520x720 | |
| 75.9 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 11 / 2019 | Gigaset GX290 Helio P23 MT6763V, Mali-G71 MP2 | 279 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.10" | 1560x720 | |
| 77.2 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 01 / 2020 | CAT S52 Helio P35 MT6765, PowerVR GE8320 | 210 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 5.65" | 1440x720 | |
| 75.7 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 04 / 2019 | Cubot King Kong 3 Helio P23 MT6763T, Mali-G71 MP2 | 280 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 5.50" | 1440x720 |
Case, Equipment and Operation - High-quality Case, Fast WLAN
The Hong Kong-based manufacturer Blackview now offers a veritable arsenal of robust smartphones: From professional devices with thermal camera and unusual special functions, to inexpensive devices like the BV5900, which we want to test today. At 268 grams, it is not a lightweight, but in view of the comparable devices and battery capacity, it is even a little less heavy. The display is protected by a protruding edge and is made of Gorilla Glass 3, an already somewhat older display glass that is much less break-proof than the current Gorilla Glass 6.
The back is provided with a rubberized surface. Despite its size, the smartphone fits well in the hand and is also well made. But the design clearly indicates that this is a robust smartphone, so it will at least attract attention in chic business meetings. According to the manufacturer, it meets MIL-STD 810 as well as IP 68 and IP 69x. This means that the smartphone can be submerged in fresh water for a few minutes without water penetrating the housing and that the housing is protected against dust.
32 GB eMMC flash memory and 3 GB RAM are not top of the line, but they are appropriate for the price range. The USB-C port is hidden behind a somewhat fiddly rubber cover that can be opened, and here the question of durability also arises when opening it frequently. The 3.5mm audio port is also protected by such a cover. The slot for two SIM cards or a SIM card and a microSD card can be opened without a SIM tool, but also not with a normal fingernail, it's too stiff for that. Already after opening it once, slight signs of wear and tear on the metal housing became apparent when using tools.
When it comes to WLAN, the smartphone pleases with a brisk WLAN. Our test device can't keep up with the considerably more expensive CAT S52, which offers WiFi 5, but it doesn't do badly for a WiFi 4 device.
There is also a fingerprint sensor, quite unusually as a separate area on the right of the case's edge. Why it hasn't been integrated into the standby button is probably the manufacturer's secret, but the surface can be easily reached and unlocks the smartphone reliably, albeit with a significant delay. There is a freely assignable button on the left of the case. The touchscreen can be operated quite precisely and the surface is gliding.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
Cameras - Very Grainy and Out Of Focus
A 13 megapixel camera is located at the back of the device, it is supported by an alibi camera, which is supposed to provide information for the calculation of the depth of field with 0.3 megapixel resolution. The main camera takes some bluish tinted photos, which you shouldn't zoom in too far, otherwise you'll see artifacts and unclean details. For those who only take snapshots to view them on the display, the camera is probably sufficient. In low light the result is not that bad at all, the brightening is OK and one can still see some details. Nevertheless, the quality is of course miles away from high-end smartphones.
Videos can be recorded in 1080p and 30 fps, which is the lowest limit of what a smartphone should offer today. The brightness adjustment is done in very visible steps, but the autofocus works satisfactorily.
The front camera with 5 megapixels takes properly brightened photos, but the image sharpness could be higher and when zooming in, a clear grain is visible.
Display - Blackview Screen with Low Contrast
The screen of the Blackview BV5900 has a resolution of 1,520 x 720 pixels and is therefore on a class level. You shouldn't expect too much maximum brightness, the phone doesn't do badly outdoors, but on very bright days there can be problems and you may have to dodge into the shadows to see anything on the display. The black level is also comparatively high, which affects how black appears on the display and reduces the contrast.
We don't notice PWM, so the display should also be suitable for sensitive natures. At the same time, the display's reaction times are quite long. In our tests with the spectrophotometer and the CalMAN software, we noticed a slight blue cast; overall, the color accuracy is on a class level.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 476 cd/m²
Contrast: 1013:1 (Black: 0.47 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 5.4 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
92.8% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.092
| Blackview BV5900 IPS, 1520x720, 5.7" | Gigaset GX290 IPS, 1560x720, 6.1" | CAT S52 IPS, 1440x720, 5.7" | Cubot King Kong 3 IPS, 1440x720, 5.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | 38% | -10% | 11% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 52 ? | 34.4 ? 34% | 66 ? -27% | 44 ? 15% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 30 ? | 17.6 ? 41% | 28 ? 7% | 28 ? 7% |
| PWM Frequency | 2500 ? | |||
| Screen | -16% | 60% | -2% | |
| Brightness middle | 476 | 635 33% | 521 9% | 365 -23% |
| Brightness | 473 | 615 30% | 530 12% | 379 -20% |
| Brightness Distribution | 92 | 91 -1% | 91 -1% | 82 -11% |
| Black Level * | 0.47 | 0.39 17% | 0.16 66% | 0.14 70% |
| Contrast | 1013 | 1628 61% | 3256 221% | 2607 157% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6 | 10.5 -75% | 2.69 55% | 8.03 -34% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 10.09 | 17.9 -77% | 5.07 50% | 16.34 -62% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.4 | 11.8 -119% | 1.8 67% | 10.3 -91% |
| Gamma | 2.092 105% | 1.86 118% | 2.243 98% | 2.197 100% |
| CCT | 7661 85% | 9570 68% | 6622 98% | 9941 65% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 11% /
-6% | 25% /
46% | 5% /
1% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 30 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 78 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 52 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 25 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 27 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 87 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8471 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, Emissions and Battery Life - Only Charge Once A Week?
The MediaTek Helio A22 is a somewhat older SoC for the lower middle class. The four cores deliver solid performance that is surpassed by the more expensive comparable devices. You shouldn't expect too demanding apps from the smartphone, but for simple tasks, the power is sufficient. It looks different in terms of graphics, where the Blackview phone falls behind.
The internal memory is also accessed quite slowly, but the reference microSD Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 is read and written with the usual speed. The device always stays cool on the outside even under heavy load..
On the diagram, the loudspeaker on the back appears to have a pretty decent sound and seems to be less heavy on high frequencies than other devices. We can only confirm this to a limited extent after a listening test; at maximum volume, the sound is quite mushy and you don't like to listen to it. Voices are also not reproduced as clearly as on other smartphones. The loudspeaker is therefore rather something for occasional music listeners, but the sound output via the 3.5mm jack and Bluetooth works without problems.
The battery is huge at 5,580 mAh, but the Cubot King Kong 3 or the Gigaset GX290 have even more battery capacity. The BV5900 cuts a fine figure with just over 19 hours of battery life in our WLAN test, so you can easily get through two working days of constant use. If you don't use your smartphone permanently, you'll probably only have to charge it once a week.
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio A22 MT6761 (4229 - 7216, n=9) | |
| Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio A22 MT6761 (4195 - 5511, n=11) | |
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio A22 MT6761 (2.3 - 6.1, n=14) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5.5 - 166, n=208, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio A22 MT6761 (1.9 - 4.2, n=14) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.4 - 321, n=208, last 2 years) | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio A22 MT6761 (2.7 - 3.9, n=14) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 144, n=209, last 2 years) | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| CAT S52 | |
| Cubot King Kong 3 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio A22 MT6761 (0.7 - 0.9, n=14) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (1.2 - 129, n=208, last 2 years) | |
| Blackview BV5900 | Gigaset GX290 | CAT S52 | Cubot King Kong 3 | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 5% | 69% | 12% | 34% | 1836% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 179.6 | 275.6 53% | 286.2 59% | 241 34% | 242 ? 35% | 2040 ? 1036% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 101.7 | 33.77 -67% | 195.4 92% | 134.3 32% | 100.5 ? -1% | 1655 ? 1527% |
| Random Read 4KB | 40.9 | 33.33 -19% | 76.6 87% | 17.21 -58% | 43.1 ? 5% | 283 ? 592% |
| Random Write 4KB | 7.6 | 10.95 44% | 21.3 180% | 11.21 48% | 22.3 ? 193% | 326 ? 4189% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 83.1 ? | 81.1 ? -2% | 82.6 ? -1% | 81.2 -2% | 71.8 ? -14% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 63.2 ? | 74.3 ? 18% | 61.8 ? -2% | 74.3 18% | 52.9 ? -16% |
Temperature
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.7 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 37.8 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.4 °C / 87 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
Blackview BV5900 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 63.9% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 63.9% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 63.9% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (121.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 89% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 2% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 97% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 1% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Gigaset GX290 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 33.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 8.3% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 8.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (29.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 75% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 86% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 11% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life
| Blackview BV5900 5580 mAh | Gigaset GX290 6200 mAh | CAT S52 3100 mAh | Cubot King Kong 3 6000 mAh | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | |||||
| WiFi Websurfing | 1153 | 1316 14% | 637 -45% | 1267 10% | 1028 ? -11% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict – Good Case, Inexpensive Components
The Blackview BV5900 is a very affordable smartphone that can compete with more expensive outdoor smartphones in terms of looks. Gorilla Glass 3 for the screen would perhaps no longer be the first choice for a modern ruggedized phone, so it's better to use the smartphone in less harsh places where the risk of a display breakage is reduced. However, according to the manufacturer, the latest protection classes are fulfilled and you can submerge the smartphone in fresh water.
The large battery provides great runtimes, but also makes the smartphone heavy. Nevertheless, it lies well in the hand and also brings along quite fast WLAN. The good usability is also pleasing, but you shouldn't expect up-to-date software: The operating system is Android 9 and the security patches are hopelessly outdated at the time of testing.
The Blackview BV5900 is a cheap outdoor smartphone for less demanding users.
The performance is sufficient for simpler activities, but you shouldn't expect too much here either. The same applies to the camera and loudspeaker.
If you're looking for a cheap outdoor smartphone and rarely use features like the internal speaker or the camera, the Blackview BV5900 is worth a look.
Blackview BV5900
- 03/25/2020 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt
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