In the event you’ve seen any rugged telephones, the ThinkPhone 25 doesn’t look something like them. As an alternative, it looks as if an abnormal, if elegant, smartphone.
It even delivers the all-important IP68 commonplace, which permits the telephone to be utterly submerged in water as much as a depth of 1.5M for half-hour and not using a rubber plug over the USB-C port.
The result’s an on a regular basis telephone that isn’t considerably compromised by being proof against drops and the atmosphere.
Its solely weak spot is that it doesn’t have the large battery capability that some rugged designs supply, limiting it to about two days of typical use earlier than needing a recharge. Nevertheless, the smaller battery within the ThinkPhone 25 recharges from empty to full in underneath an hour, making this system rather more handy to hold.
ThinkPhone 25: worth and availability
How a lot does it price? £450/€321When is it out? Out there now in Europe and AsiaThe place are you able to get it? Out there exterior the USA from on-line retailers
The Motorola ThinkPhone 25 solely is available in a carbon black color scheme, making this a single SKU providing.
Motorola’s choice to not promote the brand new ThinkPhone 25 within the USA, a area the place it beforehand bought the unique ThinkPhone, will disappoint American clients.
This system prices £449 on Amazon.co.uk within the UK and €599 in most European international locations.
It may appear costly in comparison with the likes of Ulefone and Doogee, however it’s cheaper than the unique ThinkPhone, which initially retailed for a wallet-busting $900/£899.
Whereas some elements of that design have been downgraded, many have been upgraded, so half the worth appears a very good place to begin.
Whereas it’s rather more costly than the Samsung Galaxy XCover7 (£274) and the Nokia XR21 (£403.75), the specs of each these units aren’t on the identical degree as these of the ThinkPhone 25.
It won’t be low cost, however it represents cheap worth for individuals who desire a sensible telephone with rugged credentials.
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
ThinkPhone 25: Specs
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Merchandise
Spec
CPU:
Mediatek Dimensity 7300-Extremely
GPU:
ARM Mali-G615 MC2
RAM:
8GB
Storage:
256GB
Display screen:
6.36-inch p-OLED 3000 nits
Decision:
1220 x 2670 pixels
SIM:
Nano SIM + eSIM
Weight:
171 grams
Dimensions:
154.1 x 71.2 x 8.1 mm (6.07 x 2.80 x 0.32 in)
Rugged Spec:
IP68 and MIL-STD-810H
Rear cameras:
50MP + 13MP ultrawide + 10MP Telephoto
Entrance digicam:
32MP
Networking:
WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4
OS:
Android 14
Battery:
4310 mAh battery (Max 68W cost + 15W wi-fi)
ThinkPhone 25: design
Skinny and stylish Simplified button structure Nano SIM and eSIM Wi-fi charging
I’ve gotten used to rugged telephones that seem like sci-fi TV present props, so the ThinkPhone 25 is one thing of a tradition shock, being curiously like an abnormal telephone.
At solely 8.1mm at its thickest level and about 6mm over the vast majority of its type, that is a sublime design the place the display screen has a tiny border. The profiled digicam cluster is ruining this kind, however the cameras have telephoto optics; subsequently, I’ll minimize it some slack in that respect.
The inclusion of user-definable buttons has change into commonplace on rugged designs, however Motorola didn’t take that path. The one buttons on this telephone are the facility button and the amount rocker. The facility button additionally doesn’t double as a fingerprint reader, as that’s underneath the display screen, making this telephone higher suited to left-handed homeowners than these with a right-side sensor.
There may be additionally no 3.5mm audio jack, however Motorola did embody a pair of USB-C headphones within the field with the telephone and PSU. The telephone additionally comes with a protecting bumper, and attaching this makes the digicam lenses flush with the digicam cluster.
And with each ThinkPhone 25 field is the device wanted to eject the SIM tray. A paper clip will work positive to eject the tiny tray in case you misplace this merchandise.
This tray considerably departs from regular rugged telephone requirements. It’s sized solely to simply accept one Nano SIM and no MicroSD card. Nevertheless, eSIM assist circumvents this design’s single SIM limitation to a level.
An eSIM may be added solely with a QR code supplied by the service supplier, and no bodily SIM is required. That’s a perfect characteristic for company clients since they’ll remotely swap to a distinct service supplier with out the telephone needing a SIM despatched and put in.
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
The dearth of a MicroSD card is both a showstopper or not for you personally, however it’s doable to connect an exterior SSD to the telephone by way of the USB-C port if you might want to carry giant quantities of information. I’d belief a kind of units greater than a MicroSD card.
A bugbear on many latest rugged designs is that these styling the telephones make the again open and flat and fail to make use of this topology with wi-fi charging.
The ThinkPhone 25 doesn’t make the identical mistake, supporting 15W wi-fi charging and enhanced 68W wired. In testing, it took round 3 hours and 40 minutes to cost wirelessly from empty, however solely 50 minutes utilizing wired. The velocity of charging permits a very good chunk of battery capability to be grabbed in a remarkably brief period of time. Excellent for individuals who overlook to cost and get up with a low battery alert.
What’s placing about this design is that it by no means looks like a rugged telephone, but it has these credentials. Somebody studying it will have an particularly powerful worker on telephones, and this could be the system for them. However equally, must you be rewarding system abuse with such a pleasant telephone?
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
Design rating: 4.5/5
ThinkPhone 25: {hardware}
MediaTek SoC Energy environment friendly p-OLED show
There was a time when virtually completely branded telephones used Samsung or Qualcomm processors, and solely Chinese language units used the cheaper MediaTek silicon. The explanation was undoubtedly price as a result of it actually wasn’t efficiency.
The MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Extremely demonstrates how far this chip-maker has come, because it’s extra highly effective than the Snapdragon 7cPlus Gen 3, a preferred mid-range SoC.
Whereas it received’t outperform a Snagdragon 8+, the Mediatek Dimensity 7300-Extremely (MT6878) has some enhancements that make it extra appropriate for a rugged design.
First launched in Q3 or 2024, it is a 4nm chip with eight cores that helps each WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, together with a slew of distinctive options for digicam management.
This chip additionally helps twin 5G comms. In the appropriate regional situation, the 140MHz mobile spectrum is allowed to allow a 3.27Gb/s 5G downlink by way of 3CC service aggregation.
Briefly, there isn’t a lot that’s old-school or below-par on this SoC, even when, technically, it’s barely much less highly effective than the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 that the primary ThinkPhone was given.
A lot of the distinction is all the way down to the GPU, because the ARM Mali-G615 MC2 can’t match the Adreno 730 that the Snapdragon received.
However until you play extremely demanding 3D titles in your telephone, this isn’t one thing you’ll discover as a result of the ARM Mali-G615 is highly effective sufficient for many makes use of.
The Dimensity 7300-Extremely positive aspects the higher hand as a result of it’s considerably extra energy environment friendly than many cell processors. That is one thing I’ll discuss extra within the efficiency part.
The opposite expertise on this telephone that must be mentioned is the show, and the one within the ThinkPhone 25 isn’t a typical panel.
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
Regardless of being a curious 1220 x 2670 pixel decision with a 39:18 ratio, the p-OLED expertise show is outstanding in a number of necessary methods.
Utilizing the most recent model of AMOLED tech, this panel can characterize 100% of the DCI-P3 color area at 10-bits deep, and helps adaptive refresh charges as much as 120Hz.
But it surely stands out from even the perfect IPS panels as a result of it has an unimaginable peak brightness of 3000nits, making it one of many few telephones that’s actually able to HDR10+.
This helps an enormous quantity when utilizing the telephone in robust daylight because the distinction ranges out there to the panel are large. It may very well be even higher with an anti-reflection coating or screensaver, however out of the field, it’s nonetheless workable in most lighting situations.
The show may make this telephone fashionable with drone fliers, for whom reflections generally is a difficult a part of flying outdoor.
ThinkPhone 25: cameras
50MP and 2MP sensors on the rear 32MP on the entrance 4 cameras in whole
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
The ThinkPhone 25 has 4 cameras:
Rear digicam: 50MP Sony LYTIA 700C major digicam, 13MP Ultrawide angle, 10MP TelephotoEntrance digicam: 32MP
With 100MP and even 200MP sensors, the narrative of telephone makers is that extra megapixels are higher, even when that’s not remotely true.
For instance, the first sensor on this telephone is just 50MP, however the Sony LYTIA 700C is an unimaginable sensor that additionally appeared within the Motorola Edge 2024.
What this sensor does is achieved by having two layers of pixels that the sunshine passes by way of to create an f/1.8 aperture however with a 1.0 µm pixel dimension.
Taking the idea of pixel-binning to the subsequent degree, Sony developed Extremely Pixel Know-how to supply 2.0 µm efficient captures whereas utilizing complicated optics to ship optical picture stabilisation. That is all from a 1/1.56-inch sensor and stacked right into a telephone that’s barely 8mm thick.
Within the Motorola Edge, the LYTIA 700C was supported by a 13MP ultrawide sensor that additionally doubled for Macro capturing. Nevertheless, with the ThinkPhone 25, there may be additionally a 10MP telephoto sensor that permits optical zooming.
This association makes for a remarkably versatile bundle that helps tons of particular capturing modes and options. If that wasn’t sufficient, this is likely one of the few telephones I’ve encountered the place each the rear and front-facing 32MP sensors can seize 4K video.
In the event you take the decision down a little bit, the rear sensors may seize 120fps sluggish movement.
(Picture credit score: Motorola)
This all sounds fantastic, and telephone digicam specs typically seem extra wonderful than the pictures and video they’ll seize.
Nevertheless, on this occasion, these aren’t simply advertising and marketing hype. The LYTIA 700C takes some wonderful photos, makes HDR capturing the norm, and is very spectacular in low-light situations.
I do know all this as a result of, throughout the time I had the ThinkPhone 25, it was completely used to do product pictures for my TechRadar Professional critiques. That was a choice over my outdated Nikon D90, a basic DSLR with some costly lenses.
My solely latest photos that aren’t from the ThinkPhone 25 are on this assessment, as I’ve solely received one.
The standard of this system’s pictures elevates it considerably above what I’ve come to count on from rugged telephones, being genuinely top-notch.
Lastly, this system additionally helps Widevine L1 encryption, that means that playback of streamed providers like Netflix, Apple and Disney is all at the very best decision.
ThinkPhone 25 Digicam samples
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ThinkPhone 25: efficiency
4nm SoC Energy environment friendly Much less highly effective than unique ThinkPhone
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Telephone
Header Cell – Column 1
Motorola ThinkPhone 25
Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Professional
SoC
Row 0 – Cell 1
Mediatek Dimensity 7300-Extremely
Dimensity 6300
Mem
Row 1 – Cell 1
8GB/256GB
8GB/256GB
Weight
Row 2 – Cell 1
171.g
301g
Battery
Row 3 – Cell 1
4310
6200
Geekbench 6
Single
1050
800
Row 5 – Cell 0
Multi
2998
2134
Row 6 – Cell 0
OpenCL
2602
1480
Row 7 – Cell 0
Vulkan
2527
1478
GFX
Aztec Open Regular
38
17
Row 9 – Cell 0
Aztec Vulkan Norm.
40
15
Row 10 – Cell 0
Automobile Chase
33
16
Row 11 – Cell 0
Manhattan 3.1
56
25
PCMark
3.0 Rating
15115
11011
Row 13 – Cell 0
Battery
14h 21
19h 17
Cost 30
%
55
60
Passmark
Rating
14125
9691
Row 16 – Cell 0
CPU
7077
4699
3DMark
Slingshot OGL
6090
3807
Row 18 – Cell 0
Slingshot Ex. OGL
5037
2809
Row 19 – Cell 0
Slingshot Ex. Vulkan
3676
2659
Row 20 – Cell 0
Wildlife
3185
1373
I had initially supposed to check the ThinkPhone 25 to the unique ThinkPhone, however I’ve since stopped utilizing a number of the benchmarks, like GeekBench 5, and I not have that system to retest it with newer checks.
For these curious, based mostly on my outcomes, the ThinkPhone 25 is much less highly effective than its predecessor, particularly when it comes to graphics efficiency. Nevertheless, it’s additionally rather more power-efficient.
A greater comparability is the Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Professional, a barely dearer system with a much less highly effective SoC and better battery capability.
Pitching the Dimensity 7300-Extremely in opposition to its Dimensity 6300 cousin demonstrates the additional efficiency of the newer 4nm chip, because the ThinkPhone 25 is significantly better at common processing and graphics than the Ulefone. In some checks, it actually doubles the efficiency, making for a extra responsive expertise.
Nevertheless, the Ulefone {hardware} has one successful trick, and that’s the quantity of battery capability out there that permits it to run for roughly 5 hours longer. However with the additional battery, it most likely ought to have run for even longer. It has 44% extra battery than the ThinkPhone 25 however solely lasts 34% longer. While you issue within the further weight of that battery, which makes the telephone weigh 76% extra, possibly the Motorola design is a greater resolution.
Or quite, if battery life isn’t crucial to you, it could be.
I’ve seen some reviewers giving the ThinkPhone 25 a tough time for being, in processing phrases, a step again from the unique design. Whereas I can rationalise their disappointment, on reflection, the SoC within the first ThinkPhone was most likely overkill until you play extremely demanding video games. And, except for the SoC, virtually all the pieces else concerning the ThinkPhone 25 is healthier than the telephone it replaces, and it’s half the worth.
If you wish to play 3D video games, then different decisions exist, however not at this worth level.
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
ThinkPhone 25: Closing verdict Given the variety of telephones and tablets your reviewer handles in a typical yr, it’s daunting how few of them I’d really buy for my private use.
Unexpectedly, the ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola is one which I’d swap to as my each day telephone in a heartbeat as a result of it ticks so a lot of my obligatory packing containers.
It’s light-weight, has a terrific show, cheap battery life, can deal with being exterior, and has wonderful cameras. In comparison with most Chinese language-made rugged telephones, they appear remarkably elegant and refined, though regrettably extra pricey.
The worth is the one sticking level with this system as a result of whereas £450 isn’t costly the place telephones are involved, it’s not an impulse buy for most individuals.
However in case you can afford it, or you’ll be able to persuade Motorola to overlook you may have it, or it’s a enterprise telephone supplied by an organization, then the ThinkPhone 25 is a wonderful alternative for individuals who like neat and resilient units that may ship so successfully.
Ought to I purchase a ThinkPhone 25?
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ThinkPhone 25 Rating Card
Attributes
Notes
Ranking
Worth
Worth is on the excessive aspect, however Motorola didn’t skimp on options
4/5
Design
Skinny, elegant, pocketable and but strong
4.5/5
{Hardware}
Nano and eSIM, pOLED show
4/5
Digicam
New Sony sensor takes nice photos
5/5
Efficiency
Punch and energy environment friendly SoC
4/5
General
A rugged telephone design that’s extremely sensible
4.5/5
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
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