Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro review

FLIR camera on board

On its back, the Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro features a 50MP primary camera and a thermal FLIR camera. A 32MP selfie camera is at the front. The thermal camera has its own camera app and gallery app.

This phone has advanced FLIR Thermal Imaging Lepton 3.5, with a 57-degree horizontal field-of-view and a thermal resolution of 160x120, and 25 Hz frame rate. The measurable temperature range is -10°C to 450°C and the accuracy is rated at ±3°C.

• Wide (main): 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL GN1, Dual-Pixel PDAF, f/1.95, 1/1.31", 1.2µm; 1440p@30fps
• FLIR: FLIR Lepton 3.5, 160 x 120 pixels, 57-degree FOV, -10C - +450C measurable range
• Front camera: 32 MP Samsung ISOCELL GD1, FF, f/2.45, 1/2.8", 0.8µm; 1440p@30fps

Daylight photo quality

The main camera saves 12.5MP photos with average picture quality. The resolved detail is mediocre - areas of high complexity are a challenge and are often smeared by the noise reduction algorithm. The dynamic range is relatively wide, the colors are realistic, and the contrast is high.

There is also 2x zoom option, but it's a digital one.

Main camera

The 32MP selfies are quite alright with enough detail, a well-developed subject, good colors and tolerable noise. The dynamic range is adequate.

Selfies

Low-light photo quality

There is no Auto Night Mode on this Ulefone, though a separate Night Mode is available. If chosen, it will show more detail in the shadows and improve the exposure of the whole photo as it brightens it up.

The low-light photos are nice - they offer enough detail, wide dynamic range, high contrast and accurate, true-to-life exposure. The noise is low. We noticed that sometimes the processing smears entire areas, though.

Main camera, night photos

Video capturing

The Armor Mini 20T Pro can record 1440p videos at 30fps using its main and selfie cameras; the audio is stereo.

Optional electronic stabilization is available on all cams and resolutions, and it works well.

The quality of the daylight and nighttime videos from the main camera is average. The footage is a bit soft and not super detailed, but the dynamic range is wide, and the colors are natural-looking.

You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.

Thermal Imaging

The FLIR camera is a versatile tool to have even if you are not a professional.

The FLIR system on the back of the Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro uses two snappers - a thermal and a regular one, which work together to provide a more detailed image of what you are seeing. The thermal one captures thermal images only, obviously, while the regular snapper enhances those with contours from the objects you see.

There are nine different color filters - Iron, White-Hot, Black-Hot, Rainbow, Lava, Arctic, Night, Coldest and Hottest. You choose the one that suits you best depending on what you are searching for - hot or cold spots, temperature differences in objects, items or living things at night, or just the hottest or coldest spots around.

The FLIR camera app can also capture videos - both regular and time-lapse ones if that's what you need.

One useful mode of the camera app is early fire detection. This special mode searches for evidence of imminent fire hazards within inaccessible areas, such as bad electrical connections behind drywall or other covers.

Naturally, the FLIR camera supports temperature measurement, and it has a couple of different modes - via a temperature bar or by chosen spots. You can also get averages, too.

The FLIR camera app also supports switching between thermal, combined, or real-life view. Here are a couple of shots we took in the Combined view.

FLIR camera photos in Combined view

Conclusion

The Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is an interesting device - it is a small yet rugged phone, one of the toughest on the market, probably. It has a professional thermal FLIR camera and an incredibly bright multi-purpose LED flash on the back.

It is not a very fast phone, nor one with a great display. It is a work phone, a tool if you will, one that will serve right but will not entertain.

And if you are looking for a compact yet multifunctional smartphone with a FLIR camera, this is probably the one to get. It costs about €430, which is a tempting price for such a powerful feature set.

Pros

• Rugged with all sorts of certifications, made not only to last but to thrive in all conditions.
• Compact dimensions to use conveniently with a single hand.
• The FLIR camera is a versatile tool with many (professional) applications.
• Incredibly bright multi-purpose LED flash on the back.
• Relatively fast to charge, supports wireless and reverse wireless charging.
• Wireless FM radio.
• PTT, among other features.

Cons

• Large girth for a modern smartphone - it's almost 25mm/1-inch thick.
• The screen's contrast ratio and max brightness are poor.
• The chipset performance is below average.