Unihertz Atom XL: Mightly small but seriously tough
Unihertz Atom alongside the Atom XL.
The Unihertz Atom XL is an unusual smartphone in a world where so many handsets have massive screens. It comes in two variants — the Atom L and Atom XL. I received the latter for this review which supports Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), which basically, turns the Atom XL into a walkie-talkie, which will work with other compatible radios. This isn’t a feature I was able to test during the lockdown, but I can see it being a really handy feature for those in the great outdoors where a mobile signal is weak.
I really like the look of the cute and rugged Atom XL, which looks a lot like the much smaller Unihertz Atom I reviewed back in 2018. The top of the XL has a flap that seals the connection for the removable antenna that comes in the box. The rugged design and chunky antenna give it a retro look but you only need it when you want to use it as a walkie-talkie.
All four corners are round with tough ribbed rubber while there are matte-finished metal panels with three hex screws on either side. The bottom edge has an open USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack. The back is mostly a textured plastic material with a metal stripe down the middle. At the top of this metal stripe is a 48MP camera with a flash just below it. At the bottom of the back are three holes for the speaker and a loop for a lanyard.
On the left edge is a large red button. This is configured to turn on the torch if held for a couple of seconds or to take a screenshot if you double-tap it. I couldn’t find a way to customise this button which is a pity but the torch is convenient.
Around the front in the top right is the selfie camera and in the middle is a mono speaker grill. On the bottom is a capacitive home button and fingerprint sensor and either side of this is the haptic back and app switcher capacitive buttons. Oddly enough, you can still choose to use Android 10 navigation gestures as well.
The 4-inch LCD screen has massive bezels top and bottom. A small screen like this might seem unusable in a day and age where 6-inch screens are the standard but I didn’t have any problems at all using it to do all the things I do with much bigger screens. It doesn’t get super bright and the colours and contrast are decent but it gets the job done.
Something you don’t get in too many phones any more is an FM radio, which is handy when you can get data coverage. There’s also an IR blaster on the top edge so you can use the Atom XL as a customisable remote control for the TV and other devices.
The camera is fairly basic with no features like Night mode or Portrait mode but there is a basic Pro mode. In good light, it is capable of taking decent snaps and FHD video.
The Digital Intercom app enables the DMR features and it looks pretty cool. There’s also a toolbox folder which contains all sorts of useful apps like noise test, compass, flashlight, bubble level, picture hanging, heart rate, measure height, magnifier, protractor, pressure sensor, pedometer, speedometer, underwater camera, alarm and plumb bob.
I had no problem getting through two days of moderate use. You shouldn’t have any problem using this for a full day with heavy use including maps and GPS. Overall, performance is fine from the MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core 2.0 GHz with 6GB of RAM and onboard storage of 128GB with the option to upgrade this with a microSD card.
There’s full support for IP68 dust and water-resistant and MIL-STD-810G shock resistance.
There’s a lot to love about the Atom XL/L. It feels robust enough to carry with anywhere and not have to worry that it’s going to get smashed. It comes with Android 10 and is fast enough to carry out any task, even gaming with ease.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
