The brand name IIIF150 is unlikely to mean much to most people. It is a company based in Shenzhen, they are involved in the production of durable phones, and they came to MWC 2023 with the aim of presenting the world’s thinnest rugged mobile phone. This is it Air1 Ultra, which comes in a 176.3 x 81.8 x 9.55 mm housing. The phone received IP68, IP69K and MIL-STD-810H certifications, so it can withstand dust and water.
IIIF150 Air1 Ultra [+]
The device housing is made of plastic, on the front there is a 6.8″ OLED display, which can be updated at 120 Hz with a FHD+ (1080 x 2640 pixels) resolution. The hardware is powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 chip, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB of expandable UFS 2.2 storage are also found in the device. The battery is 5000 mAh, charging can be 33 watts via a Type-C connector. The software is Android 12, it is not known if it will ever get an update. The mobile also has NFC, there is a fingerprint reader on the side, and on the back there are LED lights between the two cameras and the thermometer sensor, which can light up for notifications or the rhythm of the music being played.
The functions only look good on paper, based on what I’ve seen, they don’t shine in practice. [+]
Similar things can be seen on the manufacturer’s other products, for example, a second display was put on the back of the B-series, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, but it can’t be used for anything other than showing the current time. The question is rightly raised as to how durable these devices are, at the stand they tried to demonstrate their water resistance by storing a couple of mobile phones in an aquarium, but almost any device with IP protection can survive in water, shocks and drops should be better handled by rugged phones. In addition, in terms of operating time and extra functions — such as the satellite connection in the case of the Cat S75 — the manufacturers have to provide something that can help the customer target audience, and based on what we have seen, the IIIF150’s offer is not the best.
