Oukitel WP33 Pro 5G smartphone review - Massive workhorse with unusual features

When you see the Oukitel WP33 Pro for the first time, you will immediately realize that this is not a slim business smartphone that you can carry around in your suit pocket. It's much more of a robust outdoor phone that won't break in difficult situations thanks to its non-slip casing, bulky shape, and slightly recessed screen.

However, at 577.5 grams and with a 2.72-centimeter thick casing, the Oukitel phone is an exception even among rugged phones. That’s why the manufacturer included a hand strap with a metal ring for attachment to a carabiner, backpack, or belt: In any case, the phone cannot be transported comfortably in a normal trouser pocket.

On the other hand, the phone is very resistant, dust and water do not bother it, as guaranteed by the IP68/IP69K certification. The MIL-STD-810H tests have also been passed, meaning that some military specifications are met. However, the manufacturer can decide for itself which tests are passed, so this certification could be more meaningful. The manufacturer specifies a drop height of 1.50 meters, which the device should survive without any problems.

The smartphone fits snugly in the hand but is pleasantly shaped and very sturdy. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5

The smartphone comes with NFC and e-SIM support, as well as 256 GB of mass storage and 8 GB of RAM. However, there is no microSD reader for memory expansion and there are only two nano-SIM slots in the card slot.

The Oukitel WP33 Pro is a 5G cell phone that can also be used when traveling thanks to its numerous supported frequencies in the LTE and 5G range. Practical: On the website you can read under "Frequencies" which providers the phone is guaranteed to work with in many countries. During our two-week test phase, the cell phone reception was always at a good level in numerous spot checks but did not reach the level of high-end smartphones.

Wi-Fi networks can be accessed at a maximum of Wi-Fi 5 speed, and there are certainly better-equipped rugged phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro or the Nokia XR21. A gigabit internet connection cannot really be utilized with our test device, but the device achieves the usual data throughput for its equipment, which remains very stable throughout the test.

The system is based on Android 13, Oukitel does not change much here either and only pre-installs a few of its own apps and no third-party advertising apps. The security patches are from November 2023 at the time of testing, so they are no longer completely up-to-date. There are supposed to be sporadic updates for 3 to 5 years, not exactly a reliable statement for buyers.

It is annoying that there is no Widevine certification, which means you cannot watch streaming content from the major providers in high quality.

If you hold the phone in your hand for a long time, the heavy weight can cause arm fatigue. However, it is generally very easy to use and the touchscreen is precise, while the sensitivity is ok right up to the corners. There are two hardware buttons for volume control, which are quite far apart. This is a clever solution, as you can feel and operate them easily even when wearing gloves.

The other hardware buttons are also quite large and easy to find: There is a freely configurable button on the left-hand side of the housing, which can be assigned to the flashlight or a sound recording, for example. If desired, it can also simply start a selected app.

On the right is the standby button, which also contains the fingerprint sensor for biometric unlocking of the phone. Unlocking works very reliably and quickly when touched. Conveniently, you can even trigger some special functions by touching the fingerprint sensor if you want to: for example, you can quickly access the home screen or answer calls. There is also facial recognition, which works reliably but is not quite as secure due to the pure 2D recognition via the front camera.

The MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ is an SoC from 2023, which, however, has only a few changes compared to the older Dimensity 700. The processor section is exactly the same, but the SoC is manufactured using the slightly more efficient 6 nm process and should therefore work a little more efficiently.

Compared to other outdoor phones, however, the Oukitel WP33 Pro performs less convincingly in our benchmarks: it almost always comes last. In everyday use, you can navigate through the system quite smoothly, but occasional stutters are not uncommon. When surfing the Internet, you have to accept waiting times when loading large websites. The UFS 2.2 memory is also not the fastest; the memory controller is probably the limiting factor here.

However, the large casing allows the SoC to dissipate its waste heat quite well so the chassis only heats up noticeably in a few places: we measured 34.3°C at maximum. This is by no means critical and so it is not surprising that the processor and graphics unit can provide their full performance without any problems even after prolonged load. This is revealed by the 3DMark stress tests.

The phone's loudspeaker is located at the rear and is a powerhouse: although we did not reach the 136 dB specified by the manufacturer in our test, it was still a very loud 90.6 dB(A). This means you can make quite a racket and still hear what is being said or sung even in louder environments. The sound is reasonably balanced, especially if you turn the volume down a little, but still sounds distant.

Even better sound is available when connecting headphones or speakers via USB-C or Bluetooth 5.2, which works very reliably and smoothly. The phone also supports higher-quality codecs such as aptX HD or LHDC-V for wireless audio transmission.

The large case suggests it: The Oukitel WP33 Pro has a lot of battery capacity - 22.000 mAh to be precise - and the phone achieved runtimes of over 47 hours in our WLAN test. This means it lasts twice or even three times as long as the comparison devices and is ideal for longer trips away from power sources. You can even use the phone as a power bank and charge other devices via Wired Reverse Charging with up to 18 watts.

Up to 33 watts are used to recharge the battery. In any case, you should allow just under 5 hours for a full charge when the battery is completely empty.

The Oukitel WP33 Pro is available directly from the manufacturer and costs around 285 euros. However, the price in the shopping cart is only displayed in dollars, so you bear the risk of the exchange rate.

Oukitel has warehouses in the EU, UK, and USA, so customers in these regions should not have to pay import fees or customs duties. The manufacturer does not want to completely rule out the possibility of shipping from China on its website. Fees could then be incurred.

If you prefer to play it safe, you can also get the phone from amazon.de, albeit at a significantly higher price of just under 400 euros.