Chinese manufacturer UMIDIGI has reportedly revealed a brand new line of rugged devices, built with outdoors and sports enthusiasts in mind, which the company is prepping for release 2018. In fact, the company has as many as five Ironman devices in the works, which are said to range in size from 4.7-inches for the entry-level device up to 6-inches for the top model. Given that the devices aren’t slated for release in the immediate future and that none has an official timeframe for release just yet specific release date, UMIDIGI is understandably keeping most of the details about its devices’ specifications well under wraps. However, it has revealed at least some aspects of the devices that consumers can expect to be effectively universal for each entry in the series.
For starters, each device will be ruggedized up to IP68 certification in terms of dust and water resistance, while the front glass will run edge-to-edge and be hardened against damage. That’s set to be embedded in a reinforced frame with a coating of shockproof gray polymer. Meanwhile, along with the bottom edge of the device, users can expect to see a USB Type-C port. To the left of that, and showing that UMIDIGI plans for the devices to sell well among more active users, each device in the Ironman family will feature a red aluminum hook for linking up to lanyards or safety cables. Meanwhile, each device is also being designed for photography, with a “stabilized” fisheye camera in place for the main camera, backed up by an LED flash. Helping users make the most of that camera, each Ironman device will also come with dedicated buttons for shooting photos, adjusting the shutter, and switching shooting modes. Finally, every device in the series will also retain a 3.5mm headphone jack.
With that said, that’s where the similarities will likely end and the devices are said to be dividable into two distinct categories. The first category of devices is distinct in that it has a more-or-less traditional, square-shaped camera and a small display that appears to display information about the device’s storage, current camera settings, and battery life. Devices falling into that category are expected be at the upper end of the price spectrum and to have a maximum shooting resolution of 4K at 30 frames per second. On the other hand, the second group features a more circular camera and no display but also seems to be more hefty, which could indicate they are designed to have a longer battery life. The differences between the newly expected UMIDIGI devices and its previous devices are pretty stark here, but reports also suggest that UMIDIGI could go further and design a rugged smartphone intended for high-intensity gaming shortly after the Ironman series releases. That’s based on a presentation slide viewed by the source, which shows a concept sketch of a UMIDIGI branded phone and an image of an Alienware laptop. However, that is mostly speculation at this point and perhaps shouldn’t be taken too seriously just yet.
