Blackview BV8800 review

Alternatives

The Blackview BV8800 offers a lot for a €350 or so smartphone - it has one of the most durable builds you can get today with all sorts of endurances. There is a 90Hz Full HD display on top of hardware that's quite adequate for a rugged smartphone.

The bits that really stand out to us are the Blackview BV8800's Night Vision camera and the large 8,380mAh battery. The phone can navigate you through pitch black environments, while its battery can last more than a week on a single charge.

Ulefone will gladly offer you similar rugged phones with various tricks. Take the Ulefone Power Armor 13, for example - it has a laser distance measuring tool instead of a Night Vision camera and will give you an even larger 13,200mAh battery. The phone costs about €50 over the BV8800, but if you like the idea of having such range finding function on your phone - you should check it out. Plus, the Ulefone has more powerful graphics even if the screen refresh rate is limited to 60Hz.

You could also consider the Ulefone Armor 9 for its FLIR thermal camera and the 6,600mAh battery. It is a more compact phone with a 6.3-inch 60Hz display, but if you need thermal imaging in your line of work, that's a great option.

Blackview also offers the BL8800 Pro with a similar display, battery, hardware and camera experience to the BV8800, but instead of a Night Vision camera, you will get a FLIR thermal one. The phone should be priced around the same as the BV8800.

Ulefone Power Armor 13 • Ulefone Armor 9 • Blackview BL8800 Pro

Our verdict

The Blackview BV8800 is an interesting smartphone for its incredibly rugged build, the solid all-around package, the Night Vision camera and the giant battery with fast charging. And the best part, it is reasonably priced at about €350.

We were impressed with the battery life and the overall design, and we did like the camera quality despite the few caveats like the bad portraits and mediocre ultrawide photos. The Night Vision cam can be a valuable tool in the dark, and we can imagine people finding clever purposes for it.

The Blackview BV8800 isn't a fast phone meant for gaming, and it lacks a few things like an audio jack and microSD storage expansion. But it makes up for those with NFC and FM radio, notification LED light, and solid photo and video performance - the latter being a rare sight on a rugged device.

If you need a rugged smartphone with reasonably good hardware and solid user experience across the board, we do recommend giving this Blackview BV8800 a try. In fact, the BV8800 or the BL8800 Pro should be around the top of your shortlist if you want a rugged phone with a Night Vision or a FLIR thermal camera. You won't be disappointed. It's not a Galaxy S22 Ultra, sure, but it's not a sluggish CAT phone either.

Pros

• Rugged design, IP69K, shock proof.
• Chart topping battery life, fast charging, reverse wired charging.
• Adequate performance, 90Hz display.
• Great photo and video quality from the main and selfie cameras.
• Night Vision camera is not just a gimmick.
• NFC, FM radio, notification LED.

Cons

• No audio jack, no adapter in the box.
• No microSD expansion.
• Subpar ultrawide and portrait experience.
• Why the notch?