Blackview BV9800 Pro: Outdoor phone with 48 MP & thermal camera now available from Kickstarter
The new Blackview BV9800 Pro is interesting because of its thermal imaging camera, but also provides a promising data sheet apart from it. Now the Kickstarter campaign has started (login required) and you can get an Early-Bird offer. The first 200 pieces go for $399 over the digital counter, the next 300 for $429, so it’s worth it to be fast. Alternatively, you can sign up for the Blackview newsletter via the Blackview homepage.
A cheaper option is the “normal” Blackview BV9000, which is already available for $299 for the Kickstarter campaign. The thermal imaging camera is omitted and a 16 MP wide angle sensor and a 5 MP depth sensor as well as the same 48 MP sensor are implemented.
Blackview smartphones have been on our site for some time now and are very popular with outdoor fans. Especially since the innovations of the smartphone series have recently become more and more similar to the “normal” smartphones. The Blackview BV9800 Pro also offers some new features, e.g. a FLIR thermal imaging camera.
- Blackview BV 9800 Pro
- Registration on the promo page for Super-Early-Bird offers | via Kickstarter (Login required)
Technical specifications of the Blackview BV9800 Pro
| Display | 6.3 inch Full HD+ display with 2340 x 1080 pixels & Gorilla Glass |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio P70 Octa-Core @ 2.1 GHz & @ 2.0 GHz |
| Graphics chip | Mali-G72 MP3 @ 900 MHz |
| RAM | 6 GB LPDDR4x @ 1800 MHz |
| Internal memory | 128 GB |
| Camera | Sony IMX586 48 MP with Night Shot Mode |
| Battery | 6.580 mAh |
| Connectivity | GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Dual-Sim |
| Features | Thermal Imaging Camera, NFC, Face Unlock, Air Pressure Meter |
| Operating system | Android 9 Pie |
| Dimensions | Weight | n.a. |
Unfortunately no AMOLED display
The Blackview smartphones now look almost nothing like outdoor smartphones anymore. If you compare older with newer models, you immediately notice this. Especially with the BV9600 Pro, in which an AMOLED display has already been installed. This is unfortunately not the case with the BV9800 Pro. Only a 6.3 inch Full HD+ with 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution was used.
But they follow the still quite current trend of the Waterdrop Notch in the display. There is the 16 megapixel front camera, with which Face Unlock is also possible. Around the display there is a metal housing frame with plastic bumpers. The Blackview-typical screws underline the outdoor claim.
At first glance a triple camera
If we look at the back of the Blackview BV9800 Pro, we immediately notice the obvious triple camera. But this is not a triple camera in the traditional sense. Beside the main camera with strong 48 megapixels and Sony IMX586 sensor, there is a FLIR Lepton thermal imaging camera. With it you can see the heat signatures of different things in your environment. Blackview itself names several advantages of its thermal imaging camera, including finding animals in the wild as well as missing companions and smouldering fire.
After you have found animals with the help of the thermal imaging camera, you can supposedly photograph them well in the dark thanks to the Night Mode. Since this night fashion has only been well implemented by the industry giants so far, we are unfortunately rather sceptical. If you buy the normal version, you get a 16 megapixel wide angle sensor and a 5 megapixel depth sensor instead of the thermal imaging camera.
A real outdoor smartphone?
You may not see it on the Blackview BV9800 Pro at first glance, but it is definitely usable as an outdoor smartphone. Especially because of the different classifications: IP68 (protection against dust, contact and permanent submersion), IP69 (protection against water during high-pressure/steam jet cleaning) and MIL-STD-810G (“The MIL-STD-810 is a U.S. military technical standard that specifies environmental test conditions for military equipment.”).
In addition to the classifications, the smartphone can also measure the air pressure. This could be especially interesting for mountaineers. The whole thing is supported by GPS, Glonass and Beidou.
The inner values also count
A MediaTek Helio P70 processor is built into the Blackview BV9800 Pro. This processor is also in the Umidigi S3 Pro and the Ulefone T2. There is also 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal memory. In any case, quite a few photos can be saved with it. The 6580 mAh battery is supposed to provide a considerable battery life. In fact, the battery can be recharged wirelessly.
Evaluation
According to the manufacturer, the Blackview BV9800 Pro sounds like a very good Outdooor smartphone, just like some of its predecessors. The choice of processor is contemporary, plus enough memory and features like NFC. To what extent a thermal imaging camera can really be the decisive factor for the purchase, I personally can’t judge, because I can hardly think of any application areas for it. But maybe you see it differently?
If you are interested in the Blackview BV9800 Pro, you can currently register on the Promo page with your e-mail address or get a Super-Early-Bird offer directly from Kickstarter.
To the gadget
Write comment