This rugged Android smartphone with ultra-wideband is 51% off during Black Friday

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

ZDNET's key takeaways

Blackview BV8900 Pro, the world's first rugged smartphone to feature UWB, is marked down to $195.Tough, powerful, great battery life, and future-proof.
4G only, chunky.

---

I've been testing a lot of Android phones lately, but there's one feature that I feel is sorely lacking on these devices -- UWB support.

UWB, or ultra-wideband, is a low-energy, short-range radio technology that's been around for a couple of decades (it went under the name "pulse radio" for a while). UWB uses super-fast signal pulses -- anything up to a billion a second -- sent across a wide swath of the radio spectrum (from 500MHz to several gigahertz). 

Also: The best Black Friday deals: Live updates

This capability allows UWB to not only be used for applications, such as pinpointing other UWB devices, but the technology is also resistant to interference issues that plague Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Probably the most commonly known application of UWB is AirTags, but that's something set up for iPhone users. Support for UWB on Android is lacking, but it is getting better -- slowly. 

Also: UWB: What it is and why you still really need an iPhone to use it

Here, I look at Blackview's BV8900 Pro, which is the world's first ruggedized smartphone to feature UWB. 

Blackview BV8900 Pro tech specs

OS: Doke OS 3.1, based on Android 13Display: 6.5-inch, 1080x2408 FHD+, 405 pixels-per-inch, low-blue-light certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 7RAM: 8GB (+ 8GB virtual RAM)ROM: 256GBProcessor: MediaTek Helios P90, octa-core, 2.2GHzRear cameras: 64-megapixel, 8-megapixel, and 2-megapixelFront camera: 16-megapixelBattery: 10000mAh, with 33W fast chargingSIM: Dual SIM supportBiometric: Fingerprint and face recognitionWater/dustproofing: IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810HFinishes: Black, orange, and green 

On the surface, the BV8900 Pro looks like many of the other Blackview handsets I've tested and reviewed.

It's a chunky smartphone that's encased in black rubber, with a toughened glass display. The rubber and 10000mAh battery add bulk to the handset, but the tradeoff is that the battery offers around 13 hours of video-watching time, and over a month of standby.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The device is designed to be dropped and abused, and water, dirt, dust, mud, or high/low temperatures are no match for it. There's even a lanyard loop built into the handset, so you don't lose it in the jungle or over the side of a boat while you're being battered by storms.

This smartphone is a survivor.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The handset also features reverse charging, so you can use the phone as a power bank and send power to other devices.

The Helios P90 chip keeps this handset humming along, and it's powerful enough to keep everything running smoothly without blasting through your battery life. I had no problems at all with lag or stuttering while using this handset, which has 8GB of RAM that's backed up by another 8GB of virtual RAM.

Also: I tested Blackview's new dual-screen phones

Ruggedized handsets can, by virtue of being encased in rubber, cause the processor to overheat and be throttled, but the cooling system -- which consists of silicon and graphite heatsinks and an array of copper cooling pipes -- keeps the chip cool, even under heavy loads.

On top of all that, the BV8900 Pro has UWB support, which given the current state of support for UWB on Android, doesn't mean a lot right now. But I expect this situation to change over the coming months as Google deploys its rival to Apple's Find My network, and UWB locater tags for Android, which are similar to AirTags, are unleashed.

However, to get you going, the BV8900 Pro comes with a UWB tracking tile that you can attach to your keys, pet dog, or whatever else you want to keep an eye on.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

ZDNET's buying advice

The Blackview BV8900 Pro is currently available for $195, making it quite a low-cost way not only to grab a rugged smartphone with a massive battery, but also one that is future-proofed by having UWB built into the hardware.

It's a great handset, and one that is built to last. 

When will this deal expire? 

This Blackview deal is live until Dec. 4, 2024, ending at 2:59 EST. Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We're sorry if you've missed out on this deal, but don't fret -- we're constantly finding new chances to save and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com. 

What are the best Black Friday 2024 deals?

ZDNET's experts have been searching through Black Friday sales live now to find the best discounts by category. 

These are the best Black Friday deals so far, by category:

Black Friday TV deals
Black Friday phone deals
Black Friday laptop deals
Black Friday gaming PC deals
Black Friday smartwatch and fitness tracker deals
Black Friday Amazon deals
Black Friday Best Buy deals
Black Friday Walmart deals
Black Friday Sam's Club deals
Black Friday Apple deals
Black Friday iPad deals
Black Friday AirPods deals
Black Friday Apple Watch deals
Black Friday Kindle deals
Black Friday streaming deals
Black Friday soundbar and speaker deals
Black Friday robot vacuum deals
Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals
Black Friday PlayStation deals

And more Black Friday deals:

Black Friday deals under $25
Black Friday deals under $100
Black Friday Samsung deals
Black Friday Verizon deals
Black Friday headphone deals
Black Friday tablet deals
Black Friday monitor deals
Black Friday gaming deals
Black Friday security camera deals
Black Friday storage and SSD deals
Black Friday portable power station deals
Black Friday VPN deals
Black Friday Chromebook deals
Black Friday HP deals
Black Friday Dell deals
Black Friday Roku deals
Black Friday Roborock deals