Oukitel WP27 review – a huge outdoor smartphone with obstacles

Oukitel is one of the Chinese manufacturers that offer various smart devices at affordable prices. Tablets, smartphones, smart watches – all of these can be found at Oukitel. This includes the Oukitel WP27 smartphone, which is tested here. Initially, it beckons with a few specifications that stand out for its price range – weather resistance, a huge battery, generous storage space that can be expanded and a solid processor. But we analyze how the outdoor smartphone performs in everyday use in the Oukitel WP27 test.

Specifications

*The test device was equipped differently.

Packaging and scope of delivery

• Stylish, minimalist packaging
• Expected scope of delivery plus cell phone case

The packaging of the Oukitel WP27 is a white, square box that is soft to the touch and easy to open. The design is reduced to the bare essentials. There is only the shiny manufacturer’s logo on the front and a few stickers with product information on the back.

When you open the box, you have to remove a thin foam cover. The smartphone, instructions, power adapter and USB-C cable are located in a tray underneath and the tool for opening the SIM card compartment can be found under the smartphone. The Oukitel WP27 also comes in a protective case. An interesting concept, but of course it helps to make the phone more robust.

The packaging designer appears to be the same as for the Fossibot DT1.

Design

• Very large and thick
• Protective cover fitted ex works
• The camo look is not to everyone’s taste

Wow, this is a giant. The Oukitel WP27 is definitely not a phone for your pocket. It’s big, it’s very thick and comes with a transparent cover from the factory, which adds a little more volume thanks to the reinforced edges. This goes completely against the trend of increasingly slim smartphones. But okay: the large battery with which the Oukitel WP27 is advertised has to be accommodated somewhere. For comparison, I placed a Sony Xperia XA2 next to it as a “normal” smartphone. The Oukitel WP27 should have almost three times the volume.

The Oukitel WP27 is available in two designs. One with a dark back and one with a camo look, which we received for the test. The look is of course a matter of taste, but not entirely unusual in the outdoor sector. The back is actually matt, but looks glossy thanks to the cover supplied as standard. The selfie camera sits virtually in the screen, while the other cameras on the back protrude slightly. This is often the case with modern smartphones, but this naturally makes it more difficult to use the pre-installed spirit level app, as the Oukitel WP27 is not completely level on its own.

Workmanship

• Robust workmanship
• Partially difficult to open cover for charging
• Headphone connection available

Although the Oukitel WP27 is largely made of plastic, as is to be expected in this price range, it is well made and looks robust. Most of the time you only touch the soft protective cover anyway. This protrudes slightly on all sides so that all buttons and the screen are protected in the event of a fall onto a flat floor. To prevent falls, you have the option of adding a strap in one corner. This is not supplied, but it makes sense to provide fall protection, especially for off-road tours, for example with a bike and a handlebar mount.

It can be a little tiring to open the USB cover at the bottom, as the protective flap gets slightly caught behind the protective cover, which makes it difficult to open the flap without tools while the protective cover is on the device. At least it’s nice to see that it doesn’t do without a headphone jack despite being weatherproof.

Setup

• Tightly recessed USB-C socket
• SIM card slot well protected
• No Google login possible

Of course, you should first remove the protective film from the Oukitel WP27, but it is so present that you won’t forget to do so. First of all, all smartphones should be charged before they are put into operation and I did that too. A note here: the charging socket is recessed quite deeply to make room for the waterproof cover. However, this is quite a tight fit. As a result, although the USB-C cable supplied fits, you have to look out for models with thin plugs when using third-party cables. Otherwise, the plug may not reach the socket.

Then, of course, the SIM card has to be inserted. The first step is to remove the factory-fitted protective cover. Now you will find the SIM slot under a rubber cover. Using the tool provided, you first have to press into an opening and then pull out the SIM card tray using the hook on the opposite side of the tool. Up to two nano SIM cards can now be inserted here, as well as an SD card if required. Insert everything back in the correct shape and reassemble, then the device can be started.

Otherwise, everything initially works as you would expect. After switching on for the first time, you first select the language, then connect to the WLAN and activate the SIM card, then log in to Google. Or not. It was not possible to log in to Google on the test device, neither via WLAN nor via mobile data. This is not only fatal for the test, but unfortunately also not an isolated case of our test device. No Google = no Google Play = no regular app installation.

System

• Android 13
• Many settings possible
• Test device does not connect to Google account

The Oukitel WP27 comes with Android 13 and doesn’t look overly modified. The SD card can be configured differently. If you plan to use it for other purposes, you should configure it as mobile storage. If you only want to insert it once and only use it for this purpose for the entire lifetime of the smartphone, you can also use it to expand the internal memory, which at 256 GB is already generously dimensioned when you look at the competition in this price range. Furthermore, it is not possible to log into your Google account from here either.

The Internet connection is not the problem, as this worked without any problems. Only the Google account login on the device was always impossible.

Pre-installed apps

• 10 practical tools are pre-installed
• Helpful for indoor use (image alignment, pendulum, angle measurement)
• Helpful for outdoor and camping (compass, spirit level, magnifying glass)

As it was not possible to install any other apps, we can only look at the pre-installed applications. In keeping with the smartphone theme, these are designed for outdoor applications and functional software.

Compass = Compass
Noise = Sound measurement
Hang Paint = Straight line for aligning images (horizontal)
Level = spirit level
Magnifier = Magnifying glass
Protractor = Angle measurement
Plumb = Pendulum for alignment (vertical)
Alarm Bell = Alarm bell
Mirror = Mirror
Heart Rate = Heart rate measurement

These pre-installed apps worked quite well. Of course, the compass also needs the location and it can take a while until it is correctly aligned.

In principle, you can also use some things without a Google account. Phone, SMS, Internet – no problem at all. Plus these gadgets for everyday use, a camera with night vision function. But in everyday life, you will quickly miss some of the apps you have become accustomed to. For example, if you get a device with this error, there is no navigation via Google Maps, no communication via WhatsApp, no games…

Performance

• Smooth operation
• No installation of additional apps possible, therefore benchmarks are not possible

The operation of the Oukitel WP27 runs very smoothly and the 120 Hz display will contribute to this.

But I can’t get any more precise in the Oukitel WP27 test. Without access to Google Play, no other apps could be installed in addition to the pre-installed ones. Accordingly, no games could be tested and no benchmarks could be run.

You can find a possible indication of the performance of the MediaTek Helio G99 from our colleagues at Notebookcheck, for example. It is possible that the performance may be influenced by other components, so that the practical performance of the Oukitel WP27 may differ.

Battery life

• Very long battery life
• Specifications do not match the battery in the test device
• No concrete battery test, as no clarification was possible

In the Oukitel WP27 test, the large battery is a particularly important feature to note. And indeed: In the test, the battery lasted a few days despite thorough use.

We noticed on the test device that the capacity specified in the settings differed significantly from the official specifications. Despite asking the manufacturer several times what this was all about, no response was received. There may be various reasons for this. For example, it could be a non-final version of the hardware. This would be unfortunate for the test, as more details could differ. Or the official specifications could be incorrect and still refer to a prototype. This should then be corrected. Or the manufacturer may have deliberately sent oversized equipment to the testers to make the test results look particularly good. Without wanting to formulate a specific accusation, this option cannot be ruled out either.

Since, as I said, there was no response to the request, we can only speculate here and apart from “the battery life of the test device was enormous”, I did not take any more concrete measurements. Especially since no objective benchmarks could be started here either, as the corresponding software could not be installed.

Aborting the test

• The problem with the faulty Google connection is common
• Solution to the problem was not possible despite communication with the manufacturer
• After six months without a functioning replacement device, the test is canceled

The latest firmware was sent to fix the software problems, but the device refused to accept it. In addition, the question about the battery capacity was never answered. After several days of trying to install the latest software on the device, the Oukitel WP27 test device was sent back to the manufacturer. After no replacement device arrived even six months later, we decided to end the test at this point. The robustness could not be tested either, as this test would have been carried out last in order to have completed all other test procedures in the event of damage.

Now that the test has been dormant for six months and the Oukitel WP27 has been on the market for some time, there are now plenty of customer reviews. And so, after not being able to get to a final test here, I had a little look around. The problem with the impossibility of registering with Google runs through the reviews* in large numbers. So it’s not something that’s limited to a prototype or a pre-production test model that we’ve gotten. Instead, faulty devices are actually being sold to end customers. A no-go from my point of view.

I had not yet carried out a more detailed camera test. The first impressions were quite positive and the infrared after mode also worked. But I wanted to combine practical pictures with a test of the outdoor capability. As no replacement device arrived, the test could not be continued.

Conclusion

The result is unsatisfactory for us. At first glance, the Oukitel WP27 looks somewhat bombastic and offers an extremely good feature set for the price. However, the problems with the device, such as the software or the deviations in the specifications, were serious. The problem-solving process was also not effective. If you’re looking for a compact smartphone, you’ve come to the wrong place. If you are lucky enough to get a fully functioning device – and can carry this monster around in everyday life – then the price is impressively low, but unfortunately the risk seems to be very high that you are only limited to the basic functions: phone, SMS, camera and the few pre-installed outdoor apps.

Personally, however, I would not take the risk at the moment and cannot recommend the Oukitel WP27. Especially as faulty devices are actually doing the rounds, so I can’t even recommend buying one second-hand. Unless you really only want to use the basic functions.