Blackview BV9200 review

A standard 50MP + 8MP ultrawide camera combo

The camera remains essentially the same as last year but skips the IR-aided Night Vision camera, which we found useful. The main shooter is still 50MP, f/1.8, 1/2.76", 0.64µm joined by an 8MP, f/1.8 ultrawide with 120-degree field of view and to our surprise, the unit supports autofocus. That's a rare find, even in much more expensive smartphones.

The third camera on the back is just 0.3MP and provides depth information.

On the front, the BV9200 retains the 16MP, f/2.0, 1/3", 1.0µm camera.

Daylight photos

Here are a couple of shots taken with the main camera in broad daylight. And for the most part, the quality is pretty good.

Daylight main camera

There's also a 2x zoom toggle that crops from the center of the main camera.

Daylight 2x zoom

The ultrawide has autofocus, which is a double-edged sword because most of the samples we took were blurry and out of focus. The ones below are among the few that came out fine.

Daylight ultrawide

Low-light photos

Although there's a dedicated Night mode, shooting in the standard Photo mode triggers the Night mode. It doesn't take too long to stack the images, but the end results are solid.

Low-light main camera

The 2x zoom at night is hard to recommend due to obvious reasons.

Low-light 2x zoom

The ultrawide focusing issues become more apparent at night.

Low-light ultrawide

Selfies

Selfies are surprisingly good, with natural colors and plenty of detail.

Selfies

Video recording

Interestingly enough, the handset supports 2K video recording (2560 x 1440px resolution) and here's a sample video.

Verdict

The Blackview BV9200 competes in a fairly niche segment where only a few smartphone makers compete. Nevertheless, Blackview managed to put together quite a capable device, offering a significant upgrade over its predecessor while introducing some scarce features in the €300 price category. Even when put against "normal" smartphones.

We believe the handset strikes a nice balance between ruggedness and modern features. Sure, the Helio G96 SoC isn't amazing, but it seems to be doing just fine with the 120Hz display and in the context of Android 12 OS. We are also surprised to see the ultrawide camera with autofocus, 256GB of standard storage + dedicated microSD card slot, fast 66W charging and impressive 30W wireless charging.

One of the few downsides of the BV9200 is its inadequate display brightness and battery life. As an outdoor-centric smartphone, we would have wished for better sunlight legibility and much longer battery life.

As far as alternatives go, we found the Ulefone Armor 17 Pro to be the closest match as it features roughly the same hardware, albeit being more expensive. The Ulefone contender has a bigger battery and a night vision camera on its side but skips the stereo speakers and offers slower wireless charging.

So at the end of the day, the BV9200 is a well-balanced rugged phone that implements many of the essential 2023 features without breaking the bank.

Pros

• Rugged design, IP69K, shock-proof and drop-tested up to 1.8m height.
• Adequate performance, 8GB/256GB base memory, 120Hz display.
• Fast wired and wireless charging; supports reverse wired charging.
• Harman Kardon-tuned stereo speakers.
• NFC, FM radio, notification LED.

Cons

• FM radio requires USB-C headphones to run, and they are not included.
• Lacks specialized camera hardware - thermal or night vision.
• Display isn't bright enough for outdoor use.
• Underwhelming battery life, especially for a rugged phone.