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The Unihertz 8849 Tank 3 Pro is not your typical phone that you can buy and keep using every day. It’s a powerhouse for anyone working or who likes to explore the outdoors. For starters, it includes unique features such as a built-in DLP projector, a robust, rugged build with IP68 certification, a massive 23,800 mAh battery, and a camping light.
Last year, I reviewed the Tank 2 Pro, and the Tank 3 Pro looks like a refreshed upgrade from its already excellent predecessor, now with better network and core processing specs, perfecting the performance issues that were present on the Tank 2 Pro. Particularly, the Tank 3 Pro now handles productivity applications such as the Google suite, Docs, Sheets, and Drive more fluently. It also supports the newer 5G network, which was a bit laggy on the Tank 2 Pro when I reviewed it back in 2024.
That said, the 8849 Tank 3 Pro remains a huge phone, and Unihertz hasn’t attempted to deliver anything small or lightweight in terms of design. It’s not your typical phone that you’d buy and slip into a trouser pocket – needs some heft. It’s a little bulky and large; while it can fit into a trouser pocket, you’ll find it to be uncomfortable.
When you finally sit down and look at the pros and cons of this rugged phone, it has very little to complain about, especially with its target audience in mind. First, it’s an all-around device with all the bells and whistles of camping gear. There’s the 1200LM camping light, 100 lumen DLP projection, and the massive 23,800 mAh battery that lasts over 3 days of phone, projector, and reverse charging use.
Over its predecessor, the battery can now be used to reverse-charge most of your camping gear, making it more robust than a typical smartphone. And, while the mini projector won’t compete with a typical portable projector such as the Dangbei N2 portable projector in terms of clarity, it’s still surprisingly handy. To that, add a rugged design and 5G connectivity, and you have a phone that will withstand all the rough elements of nature and remain working for extended periods between charges.
Unihertz 8849 Tank 3 Pro Specs
- CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 8200
- Graphics: Mali-G610 M6
- RAM: 16/18GB
- Storage: 512 GB
- Ports: 3.5mm audio, USB-C
- Connectivity: Wifi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, 5G, GPS + GLONASS + BEIDOU + Galileo
- Audio: 3.5mm
- Camera: 200MP Main Camera + 64MP Night Vision Camera + 50MP Wide Angle Camera + 8MP Telephoto, 50MP Selfie Camera
- Size: 179 × 86 × 30 mm
- OS installed: Android 14
- Accessories: Screen protector, power adapter, USB-C to USB-C cable
Design
Right now, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are the best smartphones money can buy; both sport sleek design, offer ultimate portability, at pack the highest specs ever on mobile handsets. At 6.42 x 3.06 x 0.33 inches, 227 grams for the iPhone 16 and 6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches, 218 grams for the Galaxy S25 – these are the ultimate gadgets for portability and performance.
The 8849 Tank 3 Pro, on the other hand, is a full-brick, nothing compared to the top flagship smartphones for 2025. Measuring 7.04 x 3.4 x 1.2 inches and weighing in at 696 grams, it’s a massive gadget – bigger and slightly heavier than even its predecessor.
The extra heft notwithstanding, it gets better battery life, more features, a sharper screen, and enhanced overall performance. As mentioned, this is a niche smartphone, and anybody buying in this direction is interested more in what the phone does and less in what it weighs or measures. As such, the sturdy, rugged design and IP68 and military-grade certification for toughness are more reasons you should be spending on the Tank 3 Pro.
With these certifications, it means the phone can hold its own against water and dust bursts and the occasional outdoor bumps and shoves. It’s especially a great device for anyone embarking on an adventure and needs a phone that’s resilient and can withstand the basic rough terrain and beyond.
Features
The screen is a 6.7-inch LCD with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 1080 x 2460 resolution, which is common for midrange smartphones. In addition to the display, there’s the DLP projector with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels (WVGA) and offers 100 lumens of brightness and a 120 Hz refresh rate. This is pretty enough for watching movies and viewing docs on a bigger screen, visuals remain smooth and unpixellated. A thing to note about the projector is gets auto keystoning like the Tank 2 Pro, it once again comes with a small metal focusing wheel on the phone body for manual focus.
As with all smartphones, the Unihertz 8849 Tank 3 Pro gets a good set of cameras, even if they aren’t the main feature. The back cameras are a quad array of lenses: a 200-million-pixel main camera, a 50-million-pixel wide-angle lens, an 8-million-pixel telephoto lens, and a 64-million-pixel night vision camera. On the front, you have a 50-million-pixel selfie camera; that’s a lot of cameras right in there, more than you get with some flagships.
Since this smartphone is designed for use outdoors, its network and connectivity options need to be optimized for specific environments. As such, the 8849 Tank 3 Pro features a 40-in-1 navigation system and L1 + L5 dual-band GPS. It now integrates support for GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo navigation systems, and this dual-band GPS is far more precise than most standard smartphones.
To wrap up the feature set, this phone’s SIM carrier can hold up to two SIMs – meaning you can have two cards from different carriers, and it also supports two TF (microSD) cards should you need to expand on the 512GB of internal storage.
Performance
Having covered the 8849 Tank 3 Pro’s features, you can easily conclude that it delivers good performance as both a smartphone and as camping gear. One thing is clear, though: this is a niche smartphone, all thanks to its size, bulk, and rugged build. While it can fit in a jeans pocket, it’s not the same experience you get with the slimline flagships from Samsung, Apple, and others. A dedicated phone holster might prove to be more practical when carrying around the 8849 Tank 3 Pro, or you can just pop it into the side pocket of a backpack instead of carrying it I your jacket or chest pocket.
The size and weight emphasize that this is not your average smartphone; it’s a gadget designed for people who work or find themselves outdoors most of the time and need a phone that does more than just access the internet or make calls. For such people, an ideal phone should be able to withstand some occasional shoves and pushes, and the extra features, including a DLP projector and high-capacity battery, are very necessary.
It’s the huge battery and inclusion of a DLP projector that add to the phone’s bulk, and there’s no better way it could be done. So, with the extra weight and size, you’re getting a tough smartphone that you can consider as a portable power bank, a projector, and a camping light – in that view, everything starts to make a lot of sense.
As a daily-use mobile phone, the 8849 Tank 3 Pro supports 5G network compatibility, which promises better and steadier signal coverage than the Tank 2 Pro from last year. The enhanced network coverage is noticeable when loading up apps from the Google suite, watching online content, or browsing the internet. The connection speeds and performance are incredible. If you put the 8849 Tank 3 Pro side-by-side with the iPhone 15 Pro on the same network, the Tank 3 Pro easily achieves much better network connectivity. Also, despite the size, it’s comfortable enough to hold in hand, albeit a little heavy.
Powered by a 3.1GHz MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Chip with 16GB RAM and 512GB ROM, the phone’s performance on standard productivity apps such as Google Docs is excellent. The speed of the new processor and GPU combo makes everything blazingly fast. The 6.7-inch screen makes it easy to navigate through various applications, and if you need to view items on a bigger screen, the DLP projector feature is always click away.
As a phone, the Tank 3 Pro checks most boxes for most mid-range professional users. It has the power, speed, and extended functionality for productivity applications as well as entertainment. The only difference comes in the size and design, as well as the built-in projector. The projector is small and only has 100 lumens of brightness. You’re not going to use it in bright sunlight, but as the sun sets, the projection brightness gets decent enough.
Overall, the 8849 Tank 3 Pro delivers on its premise – well-rounded performance and durability as both a smartphone and camping gear. Having a powerful light built into the phone is great, the projector is very usable, and the processing power and camera performance will not disappoint. For campers and outdoor professionals, the 8849 Tank 3 Pro remains a dream gizmo that competitors will take a few years to unseat in terms of design, features, and performance.
Unihertz 8849 Tank 3 Pro Review: Verdict
When I reviewed the Tank 2 Pro in 2024, it stood out as the ultimate outdoors smartphone, but it had a few flaws in matters of connectivity. Now, with the Unihertz 8849 Tank 3 Pro, everything is polished, and the smartphone is easily the newest McLaren of rugged smartphones. It now features 5G connectivity, the quality of the DLP projector is stellar, and the phone’s overall performance has received a major boost with newer processors and a better array of cameras.
Once again. I’m impressed by the durability of the phone and the fact that it packs such a large internal battery that supports reverse charging. Well, it’s not going to replace your portable projector, but it gets the job done for those days you don’t need to lug extra equipment during travel or camping.
Well between and beyond the impressive features and design of the Tank 3, this is a phone you can only buy if you need those highlight features: the massive internal battery that allows you to use it as a power bank, the camping light that offers decent brightness and eliminates the need to carry additional kit, and the DLP projector that lets you watch movies and other media over a bigger screen. All these make the 8849 Tank 3 Pro quite a unique piece of equipment.
Considering it combines the functionality and feature set of several other gadgets into a single, portable unit, the Unihertz 8849 Tank 3 Pro will easily appeal to its targeted following of users – campers, hikers, and other outdoor professionals. It’s our newest Editors’ Choice for mid-range rugged smartphones.
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