It doesn’t happen often that I write product reviews. But if I do so, it’s because I’m really happy with something and believe that it can serve people with a similar travel lifestyle. Like the Nikon Coolpix underwater camera, I’m super happy with this waterproof unlocked, Android smartphone. At first, I was a bit skeptical because I wasn’t known with the Blackview brand (more about this company later). But I’ve been using the Blackview rugged waterproof phone for about 10 months now, and I’m super happy with this tough, water-resistant, Android smartphone!
A video about the waterproof Blackview phone, with a water-resistant test
My personal opinion & review of the Blackview rugged, waterproof phone
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases through the links to Amazon in this post. But I’m not sponsored by Blackview or any other company. This review of the Blackview rugged and waterproof phone is based on my personal experience only. As an ex-dive instructor, and someone who still loves the outdoors, watersports, scuba diving, and traveling, I can recommend this waterproof phone to people with a similar lifestyle or to dive instructors. You might also like to read the post about my travel electronics packing list.
Who can benefit from the water-resistant Blackview Android phone?
The Blackview rugged waterproof phone is amazing for people who travel a lot, enjoy watersports, are adventurous, and love scuba diving. This water-resistant and durable Android phone comes with a dual sim and is therefore also great if you work abroad as a dive instructor, travel long term, or are an expat. The Blackview rugged waterproof phone is great for any outdoor activity, and I will share exactly why I love the Blackview unlocked mobile phone in this post.
What’s in this review with my personal opinion of the Blackview rugged waterproof phone?
Here is a little overview of what to expect in this blog post with my personal opinion and review of the Blackview rugged waterproof phone. Because Blackview was an unknown brand to me, I´ll first explain a bit about the company and brand that makes the Blackview rugged outdoor cellphones. Then I will go over the reasons why I’m really happy with this durable, waterproof smartphone. At the end of this post, I will explain how to insert the sim card, since I found that a little bit tricky. The YouTube video about the Blackview waterproof rugged phone, that I recorded and included at the beginning of this post, also includes a waterproof test.
Which company or brand makes the Blackview rugged smartphones?
Blackview was founded in Hong Kong in 2013, with a focus on rugged devices and specialized in rugged outdoor phones that survive tough environments. The Blackview company has an 8500 m2 factory in China and is distributing to 80 countries worldwide. Their vision and philosophy are based on making tech products available for everyone everywhere, which includes a friendly price. Here is the link to their homepage: https://www.blackview.hk/about-blackview
Are all Blackview cell phones rugged and waterproof?
Blackview now also makes mainstream technology devices like smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, So not all Blackview smartphones are rugged and waterproof. However, the Blackview BV & BL series are rugged and waterproof. Those rugged phones are unique for their toughness with military standards and meeting the IP68 & IP69K waterproof grade. The rugged, water-resistant phones are also drop- and dustproof.
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Is Blackview a reliable & trustworthy brand?
In my personal opinion, although a less-known brand, Blackview is a good brand. The rugged smartphone comes with a normal Android 11 operating system. The company offers a 14-day refund, and a minimum 1-year warranty policy (check your warranty before your purchase, some have two years or more). I’ve been using this waterproof cell phone for about 10 months now and am very happy with it. I’m not using any extra glass protection or phone case and the Blackview phone doesn’t have a scratch (more about this later).
Why I’m so happy with this waterproof & rugged Blackview phone?
There are a few reasons why this waterproof, rugged Blackview phone grabbed my attention in the first place. And those reasons make it a very interesting Android phone for you too, or even for someone who works as a scuba diving instructor. I will get over these reasons in this post, and they include some specifics of the Blackview Oscal S60 phone specifically. This phone, however, is not so easily available anymore. But most of the Blackview phones in the BV and BL series share similar specifics.
Blackview rugged, waterproof phones in the BV series
There are lots of different Blackview waterproof phones in the BV and BL series, with different specifics and price categories. I suggest finding a Blackview phone in the BV or BL series, since they keep developing things are the camera and battery life. Some smartphones in the Blackview rugged series come with specifics like night vision and even a FLIR thermal image camera. Find your mobile phone in this overview of the Blackview BV series on Amazon here (ad).
The Blackview rugged waterproof phone is great for the outdoors, watersports, traveling & scuba diving
First, I now give you a quick overview of the main reasons why I’m so happy with the Blackview rugged and waterproof phone before I go into more detail about those specifics. Once again, my personal opinion comes from someone who loves the outdoors, watersports, scuba diving, and traveling. With my experience as an ex diving instructor and working abroad, I have some very good reasons why I can recommend this phone to people with a similar lifestyle.
The reasons why I’m so happy with the Blackview rugged, waterproof phone in an overview:
- Waterproof: water resistant for 30 minutes, to a depth of 1,5 meters, or 5 feet roughly.
- Fall proof: drop resistant from a height of 1,5 meters, or almost 5 feet
- Tough, robust & durable: made from metal and rubber with scratch & crack resistant glass and logged edges
- Long battery life
- Dual sim card option: great for long-term traveling or living & working abroad
- Lots of different camera options in the Blackview BV rugged phone series. Some come with a night vision infrared camera or thermal imaging camera
- Good price: the rugged waterproof Blackview phones are very affordable with different models to fit each budget
With the Blackview water resistant phone, you don’t need a separate waterproof phone case for outdoor activities
If you work as a scuba dive instructor or do a lot of watersports, it’s great to have a waterproof cell phone. My Blackview rugged and water-resistant mobile phone is waterproof for 30 minutes to 1,5 meters or almost 5 feet, You don’t need to buy a separate waterproof phone case! Of course, you can’t take this smartphone scuba diving (have a look at my post about the Nikon Coolpix camera for that), but you don’t have to worry about this phone getting wet. This makes it a great phone for any outdoor activity!
The Blackview rugged phone is also drop resistant from a height of 1,5 meters, or almost 5 feet
Next to the fact that it’s waterproof, the Blackview website, also says that it’s resistant to oil and coffee. But what’s more, the rugged phone is also dustproof and even fall-proof. It’s drop resistant from a height of 1,5 meters, or almost 5 feet. This is great if you have an active job, like a dive instructor, do a lot of outdoor activities, or are a bit like me and just easily drop things. The Blackview phone comes with logged edges.
This tough & durable phone is made from metal, rubber, and scratch- & crack resistant glass
Besides the thickened, jagged corners, the Blackview rugged waterproof phone is made from rubber and metal, and the smartphone comes with scratch and crack-resistant glass. I have the Blackview Oscal S60 Pro, which comes with Panda glass, for about 10 months now. I’m not using any glass protection or phone case, and my phone doesn’t have a scratch.
The newest Blackview rugged & waterproof phones in the BV & BL series come with Gorilla Corning glass 5
But even better, many phones in the Backview rugged waterproof BV & BL series, come with Gorilla Corning glass 5. The different Gorilla glasses range from 1 to 5, and most other rugged cell phones come with Corning Glass 4. So the Blackview BV & BL series really stands out for their toughness here. Find your suitable Blackview rugged phone in the BV & BL series here on Amazon, and check the specifics for the kind of glass (ad)
The long battery life of the Blackview rugged waterproof phone
The Blackview Oscal S60 Pro rugged waterproof phone has a 5580 mAh Li-Polymer battery, with built-in smart battery management. The battery lasts for 24 hours of calling time and 288 hours of standby time. The newer phones in the BL and BV series of the Blackview rugged waterproof phones have batteries ranging from 8380, 13.000 to even 15.080 mAh.
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Check if your Blackview rugged waterproof phone comes with a dual sim
Check the specifics for your Blackview rugged, waterproof phone to see if you can use two sim cards at the same time. This was one of the specifics I was specifically looking for in my new mobile phone because I travel a lot and have also been working in many different countries. But even during my last travels to South East Asia, I was in Thailand for a couple of months and it was very useful to get a local sim card only to use the internet.
A rugged, waterproof phone with a dual sim option is great for expats, long-term travelers, and scuba diving instructors
If you’re staying for a longer term in a country, you might want to get a local sim and use your base sim card to keep your number. So especially for travelers, dive instructors, and expats, a dual sim option is very useful! The fact that the dual sim option comes with a rugged, waterproof phone that is especially developed for the outdoors, was just something I was looking for.
Blackview rugged phones in the BV & BL series come with lots of different camera options
My waterproof, tough Blackview phone has a pretty good camera. It has a 13 MP rear camera, an 8 MP front camera, and the camera has an infrared night vision mode with a Sony IMX 219 sensor. Within the BL & BV series, there are lots of different camera options. From rugged, waterproof phones with 64 MP cameras and FLIR thermal image cameras, to cheaper phone models with simpler cameras, everything is possible with Blackview. So you can find exactly what fits your needs.
The above Blackview rugged waterproof smartphone has a 50 GB camera with FLIR thermal imaging camera (ad for this phone on Amazon)
The above Blackview waterproof phone is ideal for people looking for an affordable or cheap rugged phone on a lower budget
The night vision camera of the Blackview robust waterproof phone can be useful whilst traveling
I liked the fact that my version of the Blackview rugged waterproof phone came with an infrared night-vision camera. You can film or shoot photos in pitch black without using a flash light or led light. If you use night vision, your phone only shows a tiny little red light at the back. This can be great if you go on a safari trip to shoot animals, without scaring them away. It can also be handy if you sleep in shared dorm rooms and come back to your room later at night. You can use the light without waking up your roommates. Apparently, the night vision mode can also be used to detect hidden cameras in hotel rooms, just in case you’re paranoid about that LOL.
Probably no phone contract and a pre-paid sim card user as an expat, dive instructor, or long-term traveler
If you’re like me, you might not have a contract with a phone provider. Many times, I’ve been working in a country for only 6 months. So I’ve been using my phones on pre-paid sim cards for more than a decade. Although I barely spend more than €10,- a month on pre-paid top-ups, it does mean that I need to pay for a new unlocked phone, when I need a new cell phone. Because I don’t get it presented with a phone contract. You might be in the same situation. So when I buy a new cell phone, I usually look for a durable and affordable phone. The Blackview rugged budget phone was the perfect solution for me, the last time I needed a new cell phone.
Blackview is a very affordable low-priced brand for durable budget Android phones
The friendly, affordable price of the Blackview smartphone is included in its company vision, which says that it wants to make its rugged technology available to everyone. The rugged, waterproof phones are durable and come at a very good price. Of course, it depends on your needs. The newer models with the newest technologies are more expensive, but I think they offer a great price-quality ratio. And within the BV and BL series of the Blackview rubbed phones, are also budget phones to be found. They are decent phones for an affordable price.
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My Blackview rugged, waterproof, affordable phone: the Blackview Oscal S60 Pro
Personally, I got the Blackview Oscal S60 Pro, almost a year ago. But I can see that this model isn’t as widely available anymore. But I’m really happy with this water-resistant smartphone and it looks like the Blackview BV series is replacing this model. Because they come with similar specifics, just with newer models and more technical development. In case you are interested in the Blackview Oscal S60 Pro, then keep in mind that the pro version is different from the Blackview Oscal S60. The pro version comes with a higher CPU model, more internal memory, and a better camera and battery. Also, it has an infra-red night vision camera.
Waterproof test of the Blackview rugged, waterproof phone
I’ve included the waterproof test at the end of my video of the Blackview rugged, waterproof phone, which you can find on the Splashpacker YouTube channel here (feel free to subscribe to this channel). But I can say that the test result was successful. I didn’t have a waterbody of a depth of 1,5 meters available, instead, I just used my sink. For me, the most important reason for the phone to be waterproof is that it can get wet, whilst being on dive boats or around the pool. Although it can be used for underwater filming and photography, I prefer my Nikon Coolpix for that.
How to insert the sim card into the Blackview rugged, waterproof phone?
Because of personal experience, I found it a bit difficult to get the sim card into the Blackview phone. I here explain to you how to insert the sim card into the Blackview rugged, waterproof phone. It was a bit tricky to film this, whilst doing it, so I included the photos.
1. Use the metal pin to open the sim card tray
Locate your sim card tray holder on the side of your Blackview rugged smartphone and use the metal pin, that comes with the phone in the original package. Then push on the left side of the sim card tray. The sim card tray should now move outside of your phone.
2. Place the phone upside down, while the sim card holder faces up
This was the tricky part for me because this wasn’t very clear to me in the user manual. You need to put your phone facing downwards, while the sim card tray holder faces upwards.
3. Place one, or two sim card(s) in the sim card tray holder
If you only use one sim card, you can use the space closest to the phone to place your sim card. The second sim card goes on the other outside. You can also place your SD card here if you need extra memory on your phone, this card can be placed in the middle.
4. Slide the sim card holder back in place and close the waterproof protection
Now you just slide the sim card holder back into the phone, and you can use the pin again to give it a final push. Then you close the rubber waterproof protection flip again.
5. Ready to go and enjoy your outdoor phone adventure
That’s it! You’re now ready to use your new Blackview rugged and waterproof phone. Enjoy your outdoor adventure, watersports, scuba diving, or new long-term travel adventures!
More about Splashpacker: adventurous scuba dive travel
As mentioned before, I’m not often doing product reviews. Only if I’m really happy with a certain product, that can serve people with a similar lifestyle, I might share about it. Maybe you also like to read my post about the travel electronics packing list. You can follow me on social media through the links at the bottom of this page, or subscribe to my mailing list just a bit down. You can also have a look at the Splashpacker YouTube channel.
Do you also travel with a rugged & waterproof phone?
And I’m just curious now: Did you get a Blackview rugged, waterproof phone? Or are you using another waterproof phone for your scuba diving or other outdoor adventures? Please share it in the comments, I would love to hear about it! And you might also help other adventure travelers with that!
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Happy Splashpacking!
