Consumer electronics manufacturers are forced to constantly experiment in a highly competitive environment. As a result, in addition to general-purpose models, the market is replenished with specialized series. For example, projectors today are divided into Home Theater,
Ultra Short Throw, Gaming, Education, and other highly specialized models. Of course, smartphones are no exception. This list, for example, includes:
– camera phones (higher quality photo / video shooting);
– gaming (Asus ROG, Nubia RedMagic, etc with a powerful high-performance CPU and cooling);
– projector phone (built-in DLP projector);
– rugged smartphones (durable case, protection class – IP68 or military MIL-STD-810H standard, powerful battery, etc).
Projector phone
Usually they are more expensive or inferior to traditional models in non-priority functions. The rapid progress of cameras and CPUs in smartphones has radically reduced the superiority of camera phones and gaming models in performance compared to general-purpose phones. Today, even mid-budget smartphones offer high enough quality for most consumers.
The phone-projectors have also already passed the peak of their popularity. Their appearance on the market was met with enthusiasm by consumers. Perhaps some remember Blackview MAX 1, Moviphone, Qantum V, Movi, etc.
Unfortunately, they could not withstand the competition. The built-in projector increases the phone price by $ 300-$ 400. As a result, the buying a phone and a pico projector separately with similar specs saved 20–30%, which radically reduced the popularity of the combo version. A few years ago, Samsung and Nokia announced Galaxy Beam 3 (2021) and Nokia Projector Phone 5G, but without continuation.
Nevertheless, the idea did not die. Last year, the Chinese Unihertz E-Commerce Co Ltd the 8849 Tank 2 model with built-in projector. Judging by the name, 8849 is a subsidiary sub-brand of Unihertz.
The next Tank 3 version comes without a projector. But new Tank 3 Pro and 3s Pro (2024) have this option again.
Apparently, the company has successfully solved the problem of the profitability of the phone projector. Indeed, brightness is one of the main specs of any projector. It directly affects the color saturation and, accordingly, the image quality. But high brightness increases energy consumption, which is critical for any smartphone. But the Tank series uses batteries with unprecedented capacity, so the projector’s power consumption has little impact on overall runtime.
A comparison of the new Tank 3 Pro vs Tank 2 may be useful for fans of hybrids.
Unihertz 8849 Tank lineup
All models have a similar design.
The list of current models contains 7 phones, including:
– Unihertz 8849 Tank (2022) – $ 310, 6,81″, FHD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, 4G, Android 12, 108MP Rear Camera, 22000mAh & 66W Fast Charging, MediaTek Helio G99 (MT6789) chipset (6nm process, 2.2GHz), 12GB + 10GB virtual RAM & 256GB ROM;
-“- Tank 2 (2023) – $ 400, 6.79-inch FHD+ (2,220 x 1,080) IPS display, 4G, Android 13, 108MP, Laser Projector (40 lumens brightness, HD 720p resolution, 80,000:1 dynamic contrast), 15500mAh (66W charging), Helio G99, 22GB RAM + 256GB ROM;
-“- Mini (2023) – $ 260, 4,3” FHD+ screen, 4G, Android 13, 108MP, 5800mAh (33W charging), Helio G99, 24GB RAM + 256GB ROM;
-“- 2 Pro (2024) – $ 400, 6.79”, 4G, Android 14, 108MP, Laser Projector (100 lumens brightness, FWVGA 480p resolution, 460:1 native contrast ratio and 80,000:1 dynamic contrast, 120Hz projection refresh rate, manual focusing), Helio G99, 23800mAh (120W charging), 16GB RAM+256GB ROM;
-“- Tank 3 (2023) – $ 550, 6.79”, 5G, Android 13, 200MP, 23800mAh (120W charging), MediaTek Dimensity 8200 (MT6896Z) chipset (4nm process, 3.05GHz), 32GB RAM (16GB +16GB Extended Ram) & 512GB ROM + 2TB TF Expandable;
-“- 3s (2024) – $ 590, 6.79”, 5G, Android 13, 64MP, Laser Projector (100 Lm / 480p / 120Hz / Focus), Dimensity 8200, 15600 mAh (120W charging), 32GB RAM & 512GB ROM + 1TB Expand;
-“- 3 Pro (2024) – $ 680, 6.79”, 5G, Android 13, 200МP, Laser Projector (100 Lm / 480p / 120Hz / Focus), Dimensity 8200, 23800mAh (120W charging), 32GB RAM+512GB ROM + 2TB TF Expandable.
Key Features
Thus, over the past few years, the company has introduced 7 versions of the ultra rugged Tank phone, the specs which vary in the range:
– price – $ 260 (Mini) to $ 680 (3 Pro);
– chipset – MediaTek Helio G99 / MT6789 (6nm processб, 2.2GHz) or MediaTek Dimensity 8200 / MT6896Z (4nm process, 3.05GHz);
– battery – from 5800mAh & 33W Fast Charging in Mini up to 23800mAh in other (66W / 120W Fast Charging);
– 50MP or 108MP main camera;
– RAM & ROM – from 22GB (10GB + 10GB virtual) and 256GB to 32GB (16GB +16GB Extended) and 512GB (2TB TF Expandable);
– functionality (built-in DLP projector) – Tank 2, 2 Pro, 3s and 3 Pro.
All models use Android 12 / 13 /14, support 4G or 5G, and have 6.79″ FHD+ IPS display, except for the Mini version with 4.3-inches screen.
As seen in the specs, the Mini version is the cheapest ($ 260), compact (4.3″) and lightweight (240g). It’s ideal for students who like to travel occasionally. Tank 3 and 3 Pro with a 200MP sensor can be positioned as the camera phones. Pro 3s and Pro 3 are almost identical except for the battery (15600mAh vs 23800mAh) and main camera (64MP vs 200MP). Both models offer a full range of features.
For fans of projector phones, the company offers Tank 2, 2 Pro, 3s and 3 Pro models. Except for the Tank 2, all models use an improved projector. This list includes higher brightness (100 vs 40 Lumens), increased frame rate (12060Hz vs 60Hz) and manual focus. To cool down due to the increased brightness, the phone uses an additional ventilation system.
Projector specs
Specs (Tank 2 projector vs other versions):
– 40 lumens brightness, HD (1,280 x 720) resolution, 80,000:1 dynamic contrast vs 100 lumens brightness, FWVGA (854 x 480) resolution, 460:1 native contrast ratio, 120Hz projection refresh rate, manual focusing.
For comparison, specs of the most popular pocket-sized ultra portable projectors:
– Wemax Go (2022) – $ 580, 300 ANSI Lumens, DVGA or Double Video Graphics Array (960 x 640) resolution, 300g;
– Kodak LUMA 150 – $ 220, 60 ANSI Lumens, SD (854 x 480) resolution, 100g;
– AAXA LED Pico+ Max (2024) – $ 180, 25 Lumens, FHD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, 300g;
– ViewSonic M1 Mini Plus (2024) – $ 200, 50 Lumens, FWVGA or Full Wide Video Graphics Array (854 x 480) resolution, 300g;
– Pocket Yaber Pico T1 (2022) – $ 400, 110 Lumens, qHD (960 x 540) resolution, 100g.
– Formovie P1 (discontinued 2024) – $ 400, 250 ISO Lumens, qHD (960 x 540) resolution, 300g.
With the exception of the fairly expensive Wemax Go, Formovie P1 and Yaber Pico T1, the Tank projector is brighter than its competitors. In principle, brightness from 100 Lumens already provides a high enough image quality with saturated colors for projection up to ~ 50″ diagonally when played back without ambient lighting. SD (854 x 480) resolution also provides a clear enough image for this screen size.
In fact, the company has brought to life the idea of a ‘pocket TV’, the picture quality of which is quite comparable to 55″ LED TVs costing several hundred dollars. It’s ideal for playing, for example, YouTube content in hiking trip or at a backyard barbecue.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, everything has a price and rugged models are no exception. Of course, they offer unprecedented durability. In particular, the Tank series meets IP68 and military MIL-STD-810H standards.
In addition, smartphones offer a wide range of very useful smart tools for a hiking trip, including Compass, Alarm, Bubble level and other functions.
Finally, the huge battery capacity allowed the developers to even implement an outdoor camping light.
But the weight of 700g makes it not very convenient for everyday use by a resident of a metropolis. For comparison, the weight of a regular smartphone does not exceed 200g. But the premium iPhone 14 Pro Max weighs almost a quarter of a 1 kg (240g). Of course, a massive device can help fight off robbers, but it’s unlikely to fit into a shirt’s breast pocket.
In any case, Unihertz Tank has already become the first smartphone with a fully competitive built-in DLP projector and will forever remain the first ‘pocket TV’.
The video demonstrates the Unihertz Tank 3 Pro 5G with built-in DLP projector.
