Unihertz Atom L 6GB+128GB, Rugged Unlocked Smartphone Android 11 4300mAh Battery 48 MP Camera (Support T-Mobile & Verizon only)

This UPDATES MY REVIEW. MARCH 2022, I used mine with Consumer Cellular. With a drop of 3G my phone worked on Data, but not did not process calling. CC and local reps at Target could not fix what they said to be a SIM card incompatibility. And that forced me to buy a sleazy new phone. I like my Atom L much better. Be wary of this problem and if anyone has better advice please provide info.---------- Orig review -----------My first smart phone was a petite Atom which I liked. This continued to work following ocean immersion. As I became a heavier user I needed a larger phone with higher capacity battery. The Atom L met that requirement. Although a larger size it is still not too big and the larger screen, especially keyboard, is nice. It seems very rugged and has other added capabilities (over the Atom) such as SD card compatibility. The camera is very good. I use Consumer Cellular and some system settings had to be changed to download data with easy tech support of CU, I found a nice rotating clip case by Turtleback (for iPhone 5/5S/SE) that is a perfect fit (itemA-PMPVerSMExtHDL2). Other on-line reviews cover the phone in more detail. Overall a good practical phone that is not fragile. The owner manual is a bit too minimal. That should be improved.An update a year later - still working fine with good battery life. Yesterday after dark dropped it off the end of a pier in sea water. Using a crab net I recovered it this AM and after a period it seemed to recover fine and tests our OK and seems to be fully functional again. I would buy this again. I think a good choice for heavy duty use where a basic, non-glitz, smart phone is the requirement.

Hardware wise, it's exactly what I've been searching for: rugged and compact and Android 10. Unfortunately it was aggressively rejected and the accounts were suspended by both of the GSM networks I use, Cricket and AT&T (technically the same architecture, since AT&T owns Cricket, but they have very different data packages and customer service so I have accounts with both). Unihertz still has work to do with this phone.Edit: It turns out that AT&T/Cricket has begun a policy of rejecting any and all phone changes while they migrate off 3G technology, so any time you move a SIM it will block your service until you call in and tell them what kind of phone you're using. According to the rep I spoke with, this will continue until at least February 2022.Edit Again: After two hours on the phone with AT&T tech support, I finally made an actual phone call and started using mobile data. I was happy for less than one hour when they suspended the service again for using a 3G phone. I may keep the phone because I like it and I think Unihertz will eventually be able to resolve this with a software update, but for now it goes back in the box and the review remains at two stars.Final Edit (June 2021): I kept saying I was going to put it back in the box, but it kept working. After that last suspension two months ago it hasn't had even the slightest hiccup in service. If you buy this phone, I suggest you don't put in the SIM until you turn it on, give it access to WiFi, and let it completely finish the software setup. Make sure you check for any Android updates (Settings>System>Advanced>System update). Be sure you check your network settings and verify 4G is selected/preferred and HD calling is enabled. Do not put in the SIM and let it connect to your cellular provider UNTIL all the software is installed and the configuration is up to date.As for the phone itself, I was wanting something comparable to the old Sony Xperia Compact but with updated operating system. This checks the boxes in size, software, and operating power, but the interface just doesn't seem as robust. I keep selecting apps I had no intention of entering. It's nearly the same size as the Compact yet I spend far more time correcting text than sending it, even though using the same keyboard, dictionary, and texting app on both phones. I prefer it to anything else currently in Android production but really, that's not saying a whole lot. I think this is something they can improve on with hardware so I look forward to seeing the next iteration from Unihertz.Overall, four stars I think. Everything was fine until walking through the grocery store one day and a little 4-year-old jumped up in her shopping cart and yelled, "Daddy, Daddy, that man's phone looks just like mine!!" So glad Unihertz and I could add some joy to someone's day.

I was happy to get this phone since I need a new one after four years on one that was underpowered even when I bought it and I hate the massive things people try calling phones nowadays. So I saw this, did a bit of research, ordered it, got it in, and set things up. It was easy to set up and seemed to be working great: nice call quality, zippy compared to my four-year-old phone, just with the normal issues you'd have with a new phone (e.g. getting used to the new feel).Then it turned off in my pocket. Did I accidentally hit the buttons while walking? I put the phone on my desk and did a few other things for ten minutes. And the phone was off again. It shut itself off probably six times within two hours after which I looked for support, realized I'd be basically without a phone for way too long given the amount of time any support was supposed to take, and started transferring everything back. It was easy to transfer everything TO the phone but there seem to be problems transferring FROM the phone, but we'll see if I lose all of my data for nothing or not. Either way I will not consider a Unihertz product in the future and I recommend nobody else consider one either. Guess I'll have to choose a phone just shy of the size where you'd have to strap it to your back like an impractical anime sword.