Cubot KingKong AX smartphone review – The outdoor phone with a second display and a 100-MP camera

Rugged phones, which you can also use in uncomfortable locations, are often heavy and feature a bulky case. Furthermore, their brute designs are often pretty eye-catching and less discreet during, say, a business meeting.

The Cubot KingKong AX aims to find a compromise which consists of a unique design, relatively low weight, robustness and a slim case. When you remove the phone from its packaging, it won't feel the lightest in your hand at 296 grams, however, you can definitely hold it for longer periods of time without it becoming tiring. Its case is a little thicker than conventional smartphones, measuring in at 12.7 millimetres. In return, it offers complete protection against dust and water—although you shouldn't submerge it in saltwater, as this attacks the phone's seals. In freshwater, you can go as deep as 1.5 meters for half an hour.

The Cubot KingKong AX can't be dented or twisted whatsoever—a slightly protruding frame provides the display glass with additional protection. The back features an unusual mixture of rubberized case parts and a large glass surface. The cameras are grouped around a second, round display. All-in-all, its design is relatively typical for an outdoor device with its visible screws and lots of ridges and hatching, however, it is also still discreet enough that it doesn't stand out all too much in professional surroundings.

The outdoor phone is fitted with 256 GB of storage and 12 GB RAM, meaning it is quite well-equipped for its price class. It doesn't feature a dedicated audio jack, so headphones or speakers have to be connected via its USB-C port. The phone supports NFC, so you can also make use of mobile payment services.

Two SIM slots are situated within this device—but it doesn't support eSIMs. You can also insert a microSD card, but at the expense of one of its two SIM card slots, meaning you can't simultaneously use two nano SIM cards and one microSD card. In our test using the Angelbird V60 as a reference card, the card reader delivered average speed results.

The outdoor phone supports WiFi 5 as its fastest WLAN standard and it achieved the usual data rates between 300 and 350 MBit/s during our test. This means most home internet connections can be made use of well—unless you have a gigabit line.

The KingKong AX is an LTE smartphone and the currently fastest mobile network standard—namely 5G—is not supported. However, it supports quite a few 4G frequencies, so you can easily take the phone with you abroad and connect to the web in a wide range of countries. 

The manufacturer has installed Android 14 and the operating system remains largely unchanged. In addition, the phone doesn't come with many apps preinstalled, meaning users of the system can set it up to their own liking. 

At the time of testing, the latest security patch was from January 2024, so quite outdated. The manufacturer also hasn't stated how often and for how long the phone is set to receive updates. 

Its touchscreen can be operated well and thanks to its 120-Hz display, the system feels very reactive when responding to inputs. There is a button on the left side of the case which can be assigned three custom functions (single press, double press, long press), such as system functions or launching a specific app.

There is a fingerprint sensor on the right side of the case which not only unlocks the phone quickly and reliably, but can also expand the phone's operation via gestures: For example, you can accept calls, take photos or return to the home screen.

When it comes to outdoor smartphones, you usually have to make do with less performance than on similarly-priced conventional smartphones, as their budget is limited by their protective measures. Even so, the sturdy Cubot KingKong AX offers good mid-range performance in everyday use thanks to its Mediatek Helio G99 SoC. Even more expensive outdoor phones rarely offer significantly better performance.

If you need high-end power, then you'll have to look elsewhere, but this phone's power is still good enough for opening multiple apps at once or completing slightly more demanding tasks. In addition, the smartphone handles graphics calculations well enough, as long as you don't try to play the latest games in the highest resolution.

Its storage is a clear highlight, as its speedy UFS-3.0 storage and fast controller allow for quick file transfers and short loading times.

We noted that the case heated up to a maximum of 41.3 °C, which is noticeable but not problematic. During the stress tests using 3DMark, the phone also showed that it was able to keep its performance steady even during longer periods of load.

There is a small mono speaker on the back of the phone. It reaches a reasonable volume and sounds quite decent. However, due to the lack of bass and low mids, you can't expect a really rich sound. External speakers or headphones are needed for this, which can be connected via the phone's USB-C port using an adapter if necessary. Bluetooth is also available for wireless audio transmission, and the phone supports all major audio codecs as well as some more unusual variants such as Opus and LDHC.

At 5,100 mAh, its battery is the usual size and thanks to 33-watt fast charging, it can be fully charged in a maximum of 2 hours. In our test, we needed 17:38 hours to empty it by surfing via WLAN, which puts it ahead of many other devices. This means you can also go on longer hikes away from civilization.

The Cubot KingKong AX can be purchased from Amazon for US$299.99.