Earlier we mentioned how smartphone makers struggle to reinvent mobile phone design. There’s the elegance of the Minimal Phone and then there’s this: The Doogee S119.
Despite the name, the lesser-known Chinese brand has no affiliation with Neil Patrick Harris… we think. But the phone’s design — it’s a solidly mid-range rugged device — is certainly as wacky as some of the Doogie Howser M.D actor’s later film and television roles.
That Doogee S119 in the window
The obvious oddity is the S119’s rear 1.39in 360 x 360 “second screen”. It looks, to us at least, like a surplus Android smartwatch casing embedded into the rear of the phone, right down to the bezel and lugs that would otherwise hold a strap. Two rear camera sensors are embedded into the left-hand lug and one on the right, creating something novel enough to provoke conversation.
It’s unlikely to be filled with independent hardware so good luck to anyone attempting to pry it loose and slap some straps onto it. Rather leave it in the rugged chassis, working alongside the 6.72in main screen, and reap whatever benefits it supplies. Doogee reckons the S119 will handle all the tasks you’d expect from a second display — answering calls, viewing notifications, controlling music, and a handful of others.
The more traditional hardware includes a MediaTek MT8788 processor, a 4G chipset that won’t be frightening Apple’s mobile silicon any time soon, and 8GB of RAM. The latter is extended by 16GB of virtual memory but there’s a great 512GB of storage onboard. The rear cameras comprise a 108MP main, 20MP night-optimised, and 5MP wide-angle sensor, with a 16MP effort up front. There’s also an infrared lamp, according to the Doogee S119’s website. Laser autofocus, perhaps?
The Doogee S119 meets various rating standards, specifically IP69, IP69K (it can handle high-pressure jets of water), and MIL-STD-810H (an all-round military standard for ruggedness in the field).
Doogee’s little oddball is currently on sale for R6,500 ($340) but you’ll have to find some way to get it here. The company doesn’t ship directly to South Africa at this point. That’s a pity. We were keen to see whether it really is a smartwatch embedded into the back of this thing.
