“Why did someone send you a brick?”
That was the first question my wife asked me upon seeing the box for the Unihertz Tank 3 Pro, a smartphone that’s quite a bit different than any other I’ve encountered before. It tosses aside the current trend of mega-thin phones in favor of being one of the thickest handsets I’ve seen since the days of landlines, and by far the heaviest, too. At 1.5 pounds, it’s as much self-defense tool as it is a phone.
There’s a method to the madness, though: not only does the phone have an unbelievable 23,800mAh battery, but it also has a built-in DLP projector. Yup, you read that right: this phone has a projector that lets you watch Instagram reels the way they were truly meant to be seen.
I’ve spent a good bit of time with this phone, both as a novelty item and as a daily driver, and I’ve learned a lot about it. The most important lesson? Don’t hold this over your head. Dropping an iPhone on your face hurts. This is like dropping a dumbbell on your face.
But as for other things, here’s what you need to know.
You need to project on a flat surface for the best experience
The Tank 3 Pro is a rugged smartphone, which means it’s designed to go to places that aren’t exactly hospitable to electronics. It can stand up to a lot of dust, water, and abuse — like a hiking or camping trip. It’s a no-brainer for inclusion since its battery lasts so long, too, but if you think you’ll be watching movies out in the wilderness…well, you might.
If you have a tent, you could project onto the side of the cloth. You would need a relatively flat area and a way to prop up the phone to get the right angle. Without a backdrop of some sort, the image is distorted, although I guess it would still work well enough on a smooth rock face. But if you’re going to plan ahead and bring a phone that doubles as a projector, pack a screen for it, too.
Projectors are cool, but only in the dark
The built-in projector is only 100 lumens, and that’s not very much light at all. Trying to use it even in a dimly lit room results in a subpar experience, strengthening the washed-out effect common with projectors. If you wanted to use it outside during the day, you wouldn’t be able to see much at all.
To put that in perspective, a standard 60-watt light bulb typically produces anywhere from 500 to 700 lumens. The Tank 3 Pro produces directed light, but the colors lack vibrancy except in the darkest conditions.
You absolutely do not need external speakers
One area where the Tank 3 Pro excels is sound. Its speakers are loud, even on lower settings. I set it up beside a decibel meter, and it maxed out around 88.5 dB — around the same volume as a blender or hair dryer. I found keeping it at roughly 30 percent volume was sufficient to hear while sitting relatively close to it, and I kept it closer to 20 percent while watching reels.
Of course, the decibel meter was right beside it, and you probably won’t be holding the phone up to your ear. You shouldn’t, anyway, unless for some reason you enjoying hearing damage. But if you place this phone in the center of a room and crank up the volume, it is plenty loud enough to hear even over the sound of popcorn.
The projector chews through battery life
When I first tested the phone, what stood out most was the insane 23,800mAh battery. I had no idea why it would need one so large; according to Unihertz, the battery supports up to 118 hours of calls or 38 straight hours of gaming. The battery makes those in modern flagships look absolutely tiny. Only after I started toying with the projector did it make sense.
Sure, this phone can act as a battery bank, but projecting a video on the wall with the volume turned up uses more juice than just about anything else I tried. Even with the projector going for over an hour, the battery only dropped about 10 percent. That’s nothing short of impressive; you can haul this with you on camping trips and only need to charge periodically. It would be more than enough to entertain you for a few days without running low.
You’ll need a stand
The Tank 3 Pro is solid, but to project on the wall at an angle, you’ll need a stand or a mount. I managed to angle it through a precariously arranged stack of books (and several times by placing it pointing straight up for ceiling projection), but it isn’t sustainable and making adjustments to the angle is a chore.
A stand would also help counteract shaking. While it’s fun to watch Instagram reels on the ceiling of my bedroom, even small movements like swiping to the next video could induce an unpleasant amount of shaking. You’ll get the best experience out of the Tank 3 Pro if you angle it properly and place it on a firm surface before you start a movie.