“Why did somebody ship you a brick?”
That was the primary query my spouse requested me upon seeing the field for the Unihertz Tank 3 Professional, a smartphone that’s fairly a bit totally different than some other I’ve encountered earlier than. It tosses apart the present pattern of mega-thin telephones in favor of being one of many thickest handsets I’ve seen because the days of landlines, and by far the heaviest, too. At 1.5 kilos, it’s as a lot self-defense instrument as it’s a telephone.
There’s a way to the insanity, although: not solely does the telephone have an unbelievable 23,800mAh battery, but it surely additionally has a built-in DLP projector. Yup, you learn that proper: this telephone has a projector that permits you to watch Instagram reels the way in which they had been actually meant to be seen.
I’ve spent a superb little bit of time with this telephone, each as a novelty merchandise and as a every day driver, and I’ve realized rather a lot about it. A very powerful lesson? Don’t maintain this over your head. Dropping an iPhone in your face hurts. That is like dropping a dumbbell in your face.
However as for different issues, right here’s what it is advisable to know.
It’s essential to undertaking on a flat floor for one of the best expertise
In case you have a tent, you possibly can undertaking onto the aspect of the material. You would want a comparatively flat space and a strategy to prop up the telephone to get the fitting angle. With out a backdrop of some type, the picture is distorted, though I assume it could nonetheless work nicely sufficient on a clean rock face. However for those who’re going to plan forward and convey a telephone that doubles as a projector, pack a display for it, too.
Projectors are cool, however solely at nighttime
To place that in perspective, an ordinary 60-watt gentle bulb usually produces wherever from 500 to 700 lumens. The Tank 3 Professional produces directed gentle, however the colours lack vibrancy besides within the darkest situations.
You completely don’t want exterior audio system
One space the place the Tank 3 Professional excels is sound. Its audio system are loud, even on decrease settings. I set it up beside a decibel meter, and it maxed out round 88.5 dB — across the similar quantity as a blender or hair dryer. I discovered conserving it at roughly 30 p.c quantity was enough to listen to whereas sitting comparatively near it, and I saved it nearer to twenty p.c whereas watching reels.
After all, the decibel meter was proper beside it, and also you in all probability gained’t be holding the telephone as much as your ear. You shouldn’t, anyway, except for some motive you having fun with listening to injury. However for those who place this telephone within the heart of a room and crank up the amount, it’s loads loud sufficient to listen to even over the sound of popcorn.
The projector chews by battery life
Once I first examined the telephone, what stood out most was the insane 23,800mAh battery. I had no thought why it could want one so massive; based on Unihertz, the battery helps as much as 118 hours of calls or 38 straight hours of gaming. The battery makes these in fashionable flagships look completely tiny. Solely after I began toying with the projector did it make sense.
Positive, this telephone can act as a battery financial institution, however projecting a video on the wall with the amount turned up makes use of extra juice than absolutely anything else I attempted. Even with the projector going for over an hour, the battery solely dropped about 10 p.c. That’s nothing in need of spectacular; you possibly can haul this with you on tenting journeys and solely must cost periodically. It will be greater than sufficient to entertain you for a number of days with out working low.
You’ll want a stand
The Tank 3 Professional is strong, however to undertaking on the wall at an angle, you’ll want a stand or a mount. I managed to angle it by a precariously organized stack of books (and several other instances by inserting it pointing straight up for ceiling projection), but it surely isn’t sustainable and making changes to the angle is a chore.
A stand would additionally assist counteract shaking. Whereas it’s enjoyable to observe Instagram reels on the ceiling of my bed room, even small actions like swiping to the following video may induce an disagreeable quantity of shaking. You’ll get one of the best expertise out of the Tank 3 Professional for those who angle it correctly and place it on a agency floor earlier than you begin a film.