Blackview BV9800 Pro: Connection established

In previous reviews, the rugged smartphones from Blackview proved to be unwieldy, heavy and slow. In the past, we were likely to recommend competing devices, especially those from CAT. Smartphones from this brand have a good build quality and a premium feel. However, the main disadvantage here is the price (and the prices do not fall even after a model has been on the market for a while).  

Here, Blackview comes in the BV9800 Pro, which is very responsive, offers a usable camera and leaves a good overall impression. It is still big and unwieldy, but the system is very responsive. With its built-in infrared camera, the BV9800 Pro has the CAT S61 squarely in its crosshairs, which costs around 800 Euros ($882). 

The Blackview BV9800 retails for about 500 Euros ($551). However, those who are going to use the thermographic camera on a regular basis will benefit more from getting the cheaper smartphone. Moreover, the rugged smartphone also has a useable 48 MP camera, an IR blaster and a number of unusual sensors such as a barometer. 

The smartphone runs the current version of Android Pie, which has not been customised much. There are no noticeable visual changes, and the only additions are the “Toolbox” folder and FLIR software. 

At the end of the day, users will have to decide for themselves whether they need the provided functions or not. Those who do not need a thermographic camera should get neither the BV9800 Pro nor the CAT S61. However, those who need such a feature will not be disappointed with the cheaper option.