Doogee S55 Smartphone Review

With the Doogee BL9000 and the Doogee Mix, the Chinese manufacturer has already proven that it is able to pursue completely different concepts in terms of design and battery life. Represented by our current test unit among others, now outdoor devices form a third leg. Not only does the robust smartphone have a sturdy case, but it also brings a long battery life with its 5500-mAh battery.
A Mediatek MT6750 SoC ensures the smooth system operation of the Doogee S55, supported by an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage. With this equipment, the Chinese smartphone faces an outdoor competition that, although offering a similar performance, is represented in the market with significant price differences. For our test, we have selected the Oukitel WP5000, Ulefone's Armor X, the Cubot King Kong, and the more expensive Crosscall Action-X3 as comparison devices.
Case - Outdoor smartphone with IP68 certification
Doogee has manufactured the S55 from aluminum and sturdy plastic. All the corners are protected by reinforced bumpers and all the connections have covers. The case appears very robust and is dust and waterproof according to the IP68 standard. The display is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and can be additionally protected by an included display protector. A fingerprint sensor and the dual camera system are located in a slightly raised metal plate on the back.
The Doogee S55 is available in two color variants, but their only difference are orange or black color accents.
Equipment - Mid-range technology in the Chinese smartphone
Doogee has equipped the S55 with a Mediatek MTK6750T SoC, an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage. Using the SIM card slot, users can either expand the internal storage with a microSD card or use the Dual-SIM functionality with a second NanoSIM card.
For wired data transfer, there is a Micro-USB connection which is connected internally with the USB-2.0 standard. In addition, you can connect external speakers or a headset with the S55 via the 3.5-mm audio port.
Software - The S55 with Android 8
Users are greeted by an almost pure Android-8.0 operating system on the Doogee S55. The DoogeeOS 2.0 user interface refers merely to adjusted icons and thus makes only cosmetic changes to the system. There are also no third-party apps, leaving the maximum possible storage space available to the user. After the first startup, about 57 GB still remain available on our test unit, and you can expand the storage via a microSD card. This can either be reformatted as internal storage or used as additional storage for your own data.
If several users need access to the smartphone, you can create several user accounts in the Settings menu.
Communication and GPS - Smartphone with LTE band 20
The Doogee S55 is able to connect to mobile communications via GSM, 3G, and LTE networks. LTE of category 4 is available, allowing for download rates up to 150 MBit/s and upload rates up 50 MBit/s. Interested buyers who live in rural German areas can also make use of the LTE band 20, which is not a given with Chinese smartphones.
Over close range, the users of the S55 have Bluetooth 4.1 and WLAN with the 802.11 b, g, and n standards. In our test, the Doogee smartphone achieves good transfer rates on average, which place it in the middle of the field of our competitors.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Doogee S55 | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Cubot King Kong | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Doogee S55 | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Cubot King Kong |
With the "GPS Test" app, we evaluate how accurately the Doogee S55 is able to determine our own location. The smartphone is able to create a satellite connection indoors and locate us with an accuracy of up to four meters (~13 ft). Outdoors, this value improves to an accuracy of up to two meters (~6.5 ft). To do this, the Doogee smartphone is able to use GPS as well as GLONASS.
On our customary bike tour, we compare the Doogee S55 with our Garmin Edge 520 reference device. The recorded route shows that our test unit makes use of the available tolerance to the maximum, placing our route often next to the road. This deviation becomes even more noticeable in curves, where large sections of the route are simply cut off. Even though the S55 is suited for simple navigation tasks, depending on their demands, outdoor enthusiasts should rather rely on external locating devices.
Telephone Functions and Voice Quality
Users of the Doogee S55 can use the standard Android app for phone calls, allowing to easily select contacts and input phone numbers via the number keyboard. The reception quality is average, but also drops occasionally.
While both sides are easy to understand during the phone conversation, the noise suppression could have been better. The volume is sufficient, but is unable to make itself heard against loud street noises, for example. The VoLTE or VoWLAN functions are not supported by the S55.
Cameras - Doogee smartphone for simple snapshots
Doogee has equipped the S55 with a 13+8 MP dual camera system on the back, as well as a 5 MP selfie camera in front. With the latter, you can capture portraits of a mediocre quality. The image appears very pale and often turns out too dark, since the sensor needs a moment to adjust the brightness. Users who like to adjust their recordings can do this using various settings, such as making the face thinner, enlarge the eyes, or change the color depth.
Panorama pictures taken with the main camera appear very bright, causing dark areas of the image to turn almost black, offering barely any details. In addition, the objects are only reproduced sharply in the center of the image and become noticeably blurry towards the edges. In closeups, the camera also has difficulties adjusting to surrounding light that is too bright. The result appears strongly overexposed, blurry in the details, and marked by a coarse graininess. In bad light conditions, the S55 is only able to reproduce the outlines of our selected object, with the details getting lost in blurriness and the edges of the image being in the dark. The settings only allow you to select from various modes for adjustment of the image quality.
The video function has similar limitations as photos, but can at least produce usable recordings in normal daylight. While the balance between bright and dark image areas is also less than optimal here, at least it is not as noticeable as in the photo mode.
The recording of the ColorChecker Passport shows that the camera of the Doogee S55 reproduces bright colors too bright and dark colors too dark. Turquoise and orange color tones are the most accurate. This result confirms the impression of our test pictures that bright image areas are too bright and dark areas are almost lost in black.
Under controlled light conditions, the S55 is able to reproduce our test chart well. However, only the center of the image is sharp here as well, although the blurriness towards the edges is not as pronounced as in our panorama picture. Yet it is still difficult to make out small details and fine structures.
Accessories and Warranty - A 12-month warranty on Doogee smartphone
Included with the Doogee S55 are a USB charger with the corresponding Micro-USB cable, a SIM tool, a cleaning cloth, and a display protector. Doogee does not offer any additional accessories specifically designed for the S55.
Doogee offers buyers of the S55 a warranty of 12 months. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.
Input Devices and Navigation - Google's GBoard as keyboard
The Doogee S55 uses Google's GBoard standard keyboard, which allows you to perform input quickly and easily. The touchscreen responds reliably to touch and confirms any input with a slight vibration. The navigation keys are below the display. Due to the lack of illumination, they are hard to see, so you cannot immediately recognize the function of each key.
While drag-and-drop movements are easy to perform, the display surface offers slightly too much resistance to the finger tips. The smartphone can be easily unlocked via the fingerprint sensor on the back, as long as the finger is placed correctly on the sensor.
Display - The S55 smartphone with a bright display
The display of the Doogee S55 is a 5.5-inch IPS panel in the 18:9 format, offering a resolution of 1440x720 pixels. In order to do justice to the claim of being an outdoor smartphone, the display is reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Compared to our selected comparison devices, the smartphone offers a good brightness value of 567.9 cd/m² on average, while the brightness distribution of 85% is rather below average.
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Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 573 cd/m²
Contrast: 630:1 (Black: 0.91 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.96 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.89
ΔE Greyscale 6.3 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
90.6% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 1.87
Doogee S55 IPS, 1440x720, 5.5" | Crosscall Action-X3 IPS, 1280x800, 5" | Cubot King Kong IPS, 1280x720, 5" | Ulefone Armor X IPS, 1440x720, 5.5" | Oukitel WP5000 IPS, 1440x720, 5.7" | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Screen | 21% | 23% | 33% | -31% | |
Brightness middle | 573 | 417 -27% | 466 -19% | 564 -2% | 506 -12% |
Brightness | 568 | 425 -25% | 449 -21% | 541 -5% | 503 -11% |
Brightness Distribution | 85 | 91 7% | 90 6% | 91 7% | 86 1% |
Black Level * | 0.91 | 0.29 68% | 0.25 73% | 0.37 59% | 0.97 -7% |
Contrast | 630 | 1438 128% | 1864 196% | 1524 142% | 522 -17% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.96 | 7.12 -2% | 7.03 -1% | 5.1 27% | 9.4 -35% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 12.14 | 10.19 16% | 16.25 -34% | 9.6 21% | 19.9 -64% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.3 | 6.1 3% | 7.1 -13% | 5.4 14% | 13 -106% |
Gamma | 1.87 118% | 2.687 82% | 2.26 97% | 2.1 105% | 2.59 85% |
CCT | 7606 85% | 7687 85% | 7244 90% | 7755 84% | 10219 64% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 96 Hz | ≤ 10 % brightness setting | |
The display backlight flickers at 96 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 96 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8619 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
Our measurements attest the Doogee S55 with a meager contrast ratio of 630:1 and a below-average black value of 0.92 cd/m². Due to these values, the colors do not appear well defined and the black tones appear as if covered by a gray veil. In addition, we see a significant blue tint in our CalMAN measurements.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9 ms rise | |
↘ 15 ms fall | ||
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 50 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21 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. » 81 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). |
Performance - A robust mid-range smartphone from Doogee
In the Doogee S55, a variant of the Mediatek MT6750 SoC with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz and eight CPU cores ensures a smooth system operation. The processor is supported by an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 graphics unit, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage. In our benchmarks, the smartphone achieves results which place it in the middle of our comparison field. However, our test unit is able to surpass more expensive devices repeatedly and almost achieves the performance of the significantly more expensive Crosscall Action-X3.
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Doogee S55 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Cubot King Kong | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (52278 - 56639, n=10) |
PCMark for Android | |
Work performance score (sort by value) | |
Doogee S55 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Cubot King Kong | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (3667 - 4532, n=13) | |
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
Doogee S55 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Cubot King Kong | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (2782 - 3394, n=17) |
GFXBench 3.0 | |
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
Doogee S55 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (5.6 - 13, n=17) | |
Average of class Smartphone (15 - 166, n=168, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Doogee S55 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (5.3 - 7.1, n=17) | |
Average of class Smartphone (12 - 502, n=168, last 2 years) |
GFXBench 3.1 | |
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Doogee S55 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (3.8 - 10, n=17) | |
Average of class Smartphone (8.9 - 166, n=168, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Doogee S55 | |
Crosscall Action-X3 | |
Ulefone Armor X | |
Oukitel WP5000 | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (3.5 - 4.7, n=17) | |
Average of class Smartphone (8.3 - 365, n=168, last 2 years) |
The Doogee S55 is also able to achieve a good place in the middle of our comparison field in the browser benchmarks. In everyday operation, you can surf easily and quickly with the Chinese smartphone, and media content is also loaded within a suitable time frame.
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
Oukitel WP5000 (Chrome 66) | |
Doogee S55 (Chrome 67) | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (12 - 20.8, n=19) | |
Ulefone Armor X (Chrome 66) | |
Crosscall Action-X3 (Chrome 68) | |
Cubot King Kong (Chrome 66) |
Octane V2 - Total Score | |
Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=205, last 2 years) | |
Oukitel WP5000 (Chrome 66) | |
Doogee S55 (Chrome 67) | |
Crosscall Action-X3 (Chrome 68) | |
Ulefone Armor X (Chrome 66) | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (1994 - 3506, n=19) | |
Cubot King Kong (Chrome 66) |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Cubot King Kong (Chrome 66) | |
Ulefone Armor X (Chrome 66) | |
Average Mediatek MT6750 (11708 - 22627, n=19) | |
Doogee S55 (Chrome 67) | |
Crosscall Action-X3 (Chrome 68) | |
Oukitel WP5000 (Chrome 66) | |
Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=165, last 2 years) |
* ... smaller is better
The storage performance of the Doogee S55 is mixed. In our benchmark test, the 64-GB internal storage achieves results that place it in the lower middle of the field of our comparison list. The storage can be expanded considerably via the internal microSD card reader. However, we were unable to measure a test result using our Toshiba Exceria Pro reference storage card in our test. A second card from Kingston was also not recognized in our test. Finally, an affordable Qumos microSD card with 32 GB worked and delivered good read rates, but below-average write rates.
Doogee S55 | Crosscall Action-X3 | Cubot King Kong | Ulefone Armor X | Oukitel WP5000 | Average 64 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AndroBench 3-5 | 64% | -54% | 44% | 24% | 110% | 1332% | |
Sequential Read 256KB | 268.1 | 264.7 -1% | 77.3 -71% | 255.3 -5% | 257.5 -4% | 274 ? 2% | 1941 ? 624% |
Sequential Write 256KB | 97.1 | 139.3 43% | 32.6 -66% | 82.8 -15% | 162.1 67% | 177 ? 82% | 1558 ? 1505% |
Random Read 4KB | 28.86 | 47 63% | 17.2 -40% | 14.7 -49% | 66.9 132% | 59.7 ? 107% | 280 ? 870% |
Random Write 4KB | 13.17 | 8.4 -36% | 7 -47% | 10.17 -23% | 9.89 -25% | 32.6 ? 148% | 320 ? 2330% |
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 73.7 | 84.1 ? 14% | 20.6 ? -72% | 81.5 ? 11% | 21.11 ? -71% | 77.4 ? 5% | |
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 14.11 | 56.2 ? 298% | 10.3 ? -27% | 62.6 ? 344% | 20.5 ? 45% | 58.3 ? 313% |
Games - Doogee S55 suitable for gaming
The Doogee S55 is suitable for casual games and games with medium demands on the graphics performance. The games that we tested ran without any problems and only needed average amounts of times to load. The touchscreen offers a little too much resistance to the fingertips, lowering the level of comfort significantly during longer gaming sessions. The position sensor reacts with a slight delay to movements of the smartphone, which must be taken into account when controlling games that use this.
Emissions - Doogee outdoor smartphone with a good speaker
Temperatures
During idle operation, the temperatures of the S55 rarely rise above 30 °C (86 °F). Under load on the other hand, we measure values above the 40-degree mark (104 °F). Correspondingly, the smartphone can feel hot in some spots. However, this should rarely or never happen in everyday life, and we do not expect any limitations in the operation of the Doogee smartphone due to high temperatures.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 47.5 °C / 118 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 42 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.1 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The speaker of the Doogee S55 is able to deliver a wide sound spectrum in the mid-range. Highs drop sharply and low notes are practically nonexistent. However, the speaker is still suitable to reproduce media content and can shine with a suitable volume.
A 3.5-mm port is available to connect external audio devices. While it accepts the corresponding plugs tightly, the plug does not click into place, so it may slip out accidentally.
Doogee S55 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 59.7% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 59.7% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 59.7% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (116.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 86% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 7% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 96% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 2% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Crosscall Action-X3 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (74.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.2% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 61% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 32% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 77% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life - A long battery life despite a high power consumption
Power Consumption
Our measurements of the power consumption show that the Doogee S55 is not a frugal device. With a minimum consumption of 2.3 watts in idle operation and a maximum value of 11.2 watts under load, the smartphone has to be content with the last place in our comparison list.
The included charger offers an output of 10 watts and could thus hit the limits of the amount of power it could stably provide under full load.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
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Key:
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Doogee S55 5500 mAh | Crosscall Action-X3 3500 mAh | Cubot King Kong 4400 mAh | Ulefone Armor X 5500 mAh | Oukitel WP5000 5200 mAh | Average Mediatek MT6750 | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 44% | 60% | 49% | 51% | 47% | 45% | |
Idle Minimum * | 2.3 | 1.1 52% | 0.7 70% | 1.22 47% | 1.18 49% | 1.13 ? 51% | 0.877 ? 62% |
Idle Average * | 3.5 | 1.9 46% | 1.6 54% | 2.07 41% | 2.17 38% | 2.02 ? 42% | 1.455 ? 58% |
Idle Maximum * | 5.9 | 2.9 51% | 1.8 69% | 2.14 64% | 2.26 62% | 2.42 ? 59% | 1.604 ? 73% |
Load Average * | 8.7 | 4.8 45% | 3.8 56% | 4.92 43% | 3.68 58% | 5.21 ? 40% | 6.79 ? 22% |
Load Maximum * | 11.2 | 8.4 25% | 5.5 51% | 5.4 52% | 6.06 46% | 6.56 ? 41% | 10.2 ? 9% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
The high power consumption of the Doogee S55 also has an effect on the battery life. Although the smartphone achieves a good battery life of more than 14 hours in our realistic WLAN battery test, this value is also achieved by the Crosscall Action-X3 with a smaller battery, for example.
The included 10-watt charger needs about five hours to completely recharge the battery.
Doogee S55 5500 mAh | Crosscall Action-X3 3500 mAh | Cubot King Kong 4400 mAh | Ulefone Armor X 5500 mAh | Oukitel WP5000 5200 mAh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | |||||
WiFi v1.3 | 844 | 843 0% | 1098 30% | 845 0% | 1189 41% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - An affordable outdoor smartphone
In our test, the Doogee S55 presents itself as an extremely robust smartphone with a good system performance and a long battery life. Compared to other smartphones in its class, the low-contrast display and the two cameras stand out negatively. The large battery could offer an even longer runtime if it was not for the high power consumption.
The Doogee S55 is an affordable outdoor smartphone for those who demand robustness. With its affordable price, it lends itself for situations where you do not want to use a more expensive phone.
With the S55, interested buyers receive a smartphone for extreme situations. With its sturdy case and Corning Gorilla Glass 3, it is protected from shocks, and the IP68 certification promises dust and moisture resistance. On the other hand, users should be prepared to get an inaccurate GPS and consider that the dual camera is really only sufficient for simple snapshots.
Doogee S55
- 08/14/2018 v6 (old)
Mike Wobker