Manufacturer AGM from China has specialized in robust outdoor products and scores with expertise time and again. Be it the smartphone AGM G2 Guardian (our review) or the rugged tablet AGM PAD P1 (our review). Now there is a new outdoor smartphone that wants to inspire with strong features and a 90 hertz display. In the AGM H6 test, we clarify what the device has up its sleeve.
Technical data
| Dimensions and weight | 172.0 mm x 80.0 mm x 10.75mm and 244 g |
| Processor | Unisoc Tiger T606 (6x ARM Cortex A55 @ 1,612 MHz; 2x ARM Cortex A75 @ 1,612 MHz ) |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM; 256 GB system memory. (16 GB RAM when using 8 GB system memory) |
| Memory expandable | yes; microSD card (maximum 512 GB) |
| Display | 6.56′ HD+ 90Hz display |
| Camera system | Rear: 50 MP main camera, 2 MP macro camera. Front: 8 MP selfie camera |
| Battery | 4,900 mAh; 10 watts charging speed |
| Protection against water and dust | Waterproof, drop-proof, dust-proof to IP68, IP69K and MIL-STD-810H |
| Connectors | USB-C 2.0; 3.5mm jack |
| Card slots | 3 (2x nano SIM; 1x microSD) |
| Software | Android 13 |
| Price | € 269.99 * |
AGM H6 review: package contents
The AGM H6 comes in a beige cardboard box, which – with the exception of a sachet – completely dispenses with plastic. Besides the smartphone itself, we find a charging cable (USB-A to USB-C), a user manual, stickers and even a 10-watt power adapter inside. That’s about it, though.
AGM H6 review: design and workmanship
- Smart, rugged design
- Grippy back; comparatively lightweight
- Impeccable build quality
As an outdoor smartphone, the AGM H6 relies on a rugged and high-quality design that is military standard MIL STD-810H protected. The device’s rounded edges are rubberized, so it should survive even higher drops from 1.8 meters without any problems. An IP68 certification ensures that even water cannot harm the phone.
With dimensions of 172 mm x 80 mm x 10.75 mm, the device is neither too big nor too small. The weight of 244 grams is also lower than most outdoor devices thanks to light materials.
On the back, the H6 relies on a textured and grippy surface, thanks to which the device feels comfortable and non-slip in the hand. Besides the camera setup, there’s not too much to see here.
The display comes with a factory pre-installed protective film and sits 0.4 mm below the bezel, so it should be well protected in case of drops. The front camera is placed in the center of a waterdrop punchhole.
All ports (USB-C on the bottom and 3.5 mm jack on the top) are behind a rubber seal. We also find the SIM card slot on the left, which can accommodate two nano-SIM cards and a micro-SD card. Commendable: It can be opened with the fingernail without a SIM card tool.
The build quality of the AGM H6 is impeccable. Despite the comparatively low price, the smartphone looks very sturdy and high-quality and easily outperforms even some Android flagships.
The display of the AGM H6
- Frame refresh rate of 90 hertz
- Only HD+ resolution
- Pale color reproduction
When it comes to the display, AGM makes a slight gain. The H6 also still only relies on an HD+ resolution of 1,612 x 720 pixels with an IPS panel. However, it now has a refresh rate of 90 hertz for the first time. The screen diagonal is 6.56 inches.
The IPS panel provides decent contrasts and very good viewing-angle stability, but the colors look a bit pale. The brightness is also largely okay. Only under direct sunlight the maximum brightness is not sufficient to ensure good legibility.
During my outdoor tests on a sunny autumn day, I definitely had problems reading the display. However, considering the H6’s low price, the screen is absolutely fine.
Hardware and performance
- 8-core CPU
- Weak WLAN module
- Practical additional key
The AGM H6 comes with a Unisoc Tiger T606 SoC that combines six ARM Cortex A55 @ 1,612 MHz with two ARM Cortex A75 @ 1,612 MHz. An ARM Mali-G57 chip with a clock rate of 650 MHz is used as GPU.
The SoC is in the lower mid-range, integrates an LTE modem and supports LPDDR4 RAM, of which 8 gigabytes are available. Thus, 5G support is not supported, which is acceptable in view of the price.
As a special feature, the H6 can borrow an additional 8 GB from the 256 GB system memory to get – virtually – 16 gigabytes of working memory. The chip offers decent system performance and also manages multitasking tasks quite well, but it lacks power for demanding applications in the long run or more modern games.
Especially the low clock rates and the weaker GPU compared to the MediaTek Helio G85 in the AGM H5 Pro (our review) are noticeable. Thus, the smartphone is hardly suitable for gaming, but the H6 masters everyday tasks like YouTube, web browsing and other tasks without any problems.
| Benchmark | Result |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 7,765 points |
| Geekbench 6 Single-Core | 376 points |
| Geekbench 6 Multi-Core | 1,402 points |
| Geekbench 6 GPU | 451 points |
| 3DMark Wild Life | 427 points |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme | 116 points |
WLAN, Android and extra button
Wirelessly, the smartphone communicates in the WLAN standard 802.11 bgn ac and only achieves average speeds. In direct comparison to an iPhone 15 Pro, for example, I could only determine less than half the download rate in the speed test of the H6 (154.7 Mbps versus 432.5 MBIt/s), the same in the upload. The WLAN module’s connection strength is also rather mediocre.
End devices can be connected via Bluetooth 5.0, which again works flawlessly. NFC is also part of the package. Another positive aspect is that the AGM H6 is shipped with Android 13 ex-works.
The Android security update is dated August 5, 2023. Fortunately, no bloatware is preinstalled, and the user interface is also close to stock Android.
The yellow additional button on the left side also proves to be practical. It can be freely assigned in the settings. Configurations for single and double presses as well as a long press are possible. Besides three shortcuts (audio recording, flashlight and screenshot), any app can be opened if desired.
The cameras of the AGM H6
- 50-megapixel main camera
- No image stabilization
- Moderate image quality with all three lenses
The AGM H6 relies on dual cameras at the back, combining a 50-megapixel main camera (f/1.8) complete with Samsung JN1 sensor with a 2-MP macro sensor. The selfie cam resolves with 8 megapixels.
Videos are possible in 1080p at 30 frames per second at most, and optical image stabilization is unfortunately not offered either, which quickly leads to camera shake, especially in low-light shots.
The image quality of all lenses is unfortunately only average and the pictures lack details, while bright image areas quickly look washed out. Especially in my test shots of the sky and autumn leaves, the cameras revealed some weaknesses – the photos look faded and blurry. The colors also noticeably lack saturation, while image noise is always evident.
The same applies to the macro lens, from which one should of course not expect miracles with a resolution of 2 megapixels. Nevertheless, strong image noise can be seen here as well, while fine details are not brought out strongly enough.
The H6 also does without additional goodies like a night vision camera. All in all, a disappointing camera setup.
Battery life of the AGM H6
- 4.900 mAh strong battery
- Good run times
- Long charging time with a maximum of 10 watts
With a battery capacity of 4,900 mAh, the AGM H6 is in the range of most Android flagships. Compared with the manufacturer’s other outdoor smartphones, the battery looks very weak at first glance, whereas the H5 Pro and the G2 Guardian have a full 7,000 mAh.
Nevertheless, the device scores with strong runtimes, which is mainly due to the frugal processor. In my test, the H6 lasted several days without any problems in medium use, and I dare to say that a standby time of one week and more should not be a problem at all.
Charging is done via USB-C 2.0 with a maximum of 10 watts, which naturally takes a correspondingly long time. However, a corresponding power adapter is included in the scope of delivery.
AGM H6 review: Conclusion
For a price of around 270 Euros, the AGM H6 puts together a decent overall package for price-conscious users. The outdoor smartphone scores with a robust and impeccable build quality, clean Android 13 and good features.
The jump to a refresh rate of 90 hertz in the display also suits the device well and the speakers offer a decent sound with a convincing volume.
On the other hand, there is also a lot that I did not like. For example, the camera’s picture quality is barely usable, and the display’s resolution and color reproduction are below average – even in the range of smartphones up to 300 Euros.
However, the 3.5 mm jack input, the good battery runtime and the expandable system memory are again arguments in favor of the AGM H6. However, I cannot give a clear purchase recommendation, because the smartphone simply lacks unique selling points aside from the robust design.
AGM H6
Workmanship & design
Hardware
Multimedia
Performance
Battery
Value for money
81/100
If you are looking for a cheap and robust outdoor smartphone, you can take a look at the AGM H6. Apart from that, many competitors offer much more for the money.
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