Cubot KingKong 7 review: Inexpensive Rugged Smartphone with Excellent 64MP Triple Cameras
The Cubot King Kong 7 is the direct successor to the King Kong 5 Pro. As an upgraded model, this version comes with a better CPU and a better camera, but with a significantly smaller battery capacity than its predecessor. Being a rugged device means it is both IP68 and IP69K certified for water and dust resistance. It features a 6.36-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 2300 pixels and a dotted notch on the screen.
Are you interested in a rugged smartphone with Flagship AI Triple Cameras? The purpose of this article is to present a detailed Cubot KingKong 7 review to understand the various specifications and qualities of a true professional. This may be what you like, so let’s get to know it thoroughly.
Full specifications of the Cubot KingKong 7
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
- ROM: 128GB, UFS 2.1
- Weight: Approx. 267g
- OS: Android 11
- Power: 5000mAh
- Support for microSD cards: up to 256 GB
- Screen: 6.36″FHD+ (2300×1080) with IPS Display
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio P60 (MT6771V/C)
- Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.0
- Rear Camera: 64 MP, f/1.9
- Certification: P68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810H
- Dimensions: 166.75×83.50×14.00 mm
Design, Materials, and Build Quality
The design of the Cubot KingKong 7 is very much in line with the purpose of the smartphone, and the manufacturer did not try to make it look more …… civilized. Although the smartphone did not receive any brightly colored inserts, its design, traditionally designed for this class, is aggressive and savage, with sharp lines, angular shapes, and a variety of textures and materials.
The material of the housing is not directly specified by the manufacturer, but there are no secrets there. The glass is in the front and the housing itself appears to be plastic, but from the outside, it is completely covered with some kind of rubber material. At the edges, there are rectangular matte metal inserts. All structural elements fit perfectly and there are no squeaks.
Despite all the practical design, the smartphone’s position resembles that of a “normal” device. For example, the front-facing camera is embedded in the upper left corner of the screen, a solution that is already used in many places. The bezel around the screen is relatively wide, but not bad for a protected smartphone.
64MP Triple Cameras
Cubot KingKong 7 has three modules in its mainframe, each of which can shoot. There are no unnecessary auxiliary modules, and the existing set of cameras is similar to the Cubot X50 smartphone: a 64-megapixel wide-angle module (f / 1.9), a super wide-angle module with a resolution of 16 megapixels (f / 2.4) and a 5-megapixel macro module (f / 2.2).
The photos look normal in daylight with natural colors, but the smartphone still does not work properly under underexposure. Even in good lighting conditions, photos look dark and overexposure in bright areas is not uncommon. Despite the existence of a separate night mode, you shouldn’t really want to shoot at night either.
The macro module is interesting in that it comes with a sophisticated autofocus feature that can be used to shoot even at very close distances. But the resolution is still very low and requires a lot of light so that the photos don’t become blurry. There is nothing special in terms of quality.
Display
The Cubot KingKong 7’s 6.36-inch IPS display has a resolution of 2,300 x 1,080 pixels, which corresponds to a pixel density of nearly 400 pixels per inch. You won’t be able to perceive individual pixels anymore. The competition only uses HD panels in outdoor smartphones at this price point; the Doogee S96 Pro is a clear example.
The screen quality is quite good. The resolution is more than adequate, and all text and small icons look sharp on the screen. Colors are relatively saturated and contrasting but without unnecessary embellishments. I mean, as far as color reproduction is concerned, in general, there are no problems, but it is impossible to adjust. More important for a rugged smartphone is the maximum brightness and viewing angle.
Software & Connectivity
The Cubot KingKong 7 comes with Google’s latest operating system, Android 11. While two or three security updates are available, the likelihood of an update to Android 12 is extremely slim.
In terms of connectivity, Cubot is also on the red line. In fact, the current wireless standards are still uncertain, 2G / 3G / 4G, including parallel support for LTE bands on two SIM cards 20. Cubot KingKong 7 supports dual-band WiFi 4 and also only supports Bluetooth 4.2 – the standard of 2014. Of course, you can use both without any problems, but we would now prefer to see the current standard in a cheap smartphone. At least there is NFC for Google Pay and GPS.
Performance
Cubot KingKong 7 comes with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of expandable memory. The processor is an old friend: the MediaTek Helix P60. The platform is built on 12-nm process technology and has eight cores, which are divided into two clusters: four Cortex-A53 cores running at a maximum clock speed of 2.0 GHz, and four other cores are Cortex-A73, but with the same clock speed up to 2.0 GHz. The triple-core Mali-G72 MP3 acts as a graphics gas pedal.
For everyday tasks such as instant messaging, social media and photos, that performance is easily satisfied. However, the choice of processor is not particularly future-proof. In addition, there will be no custom ROM.
Conclusion
The main advantages of the Cubot KingKong 7 are IP68/IP69K protection and a relatively low price tag, which makes the smartphone an attractive option for users who need such a device. It has a decent display, good performance levels, enough memory, and excellent battery life.
At the same time, the King Kong 7 is not the most rugged device. The stated standard of protection involves dust and moisture resistance, but the manufacturer is silent on shock resistance. Without its ruggedness, it is a simple budget Cubot smartphone with its own pros and cons.