Slimmer and Cheaper Dual-Screen Smartphone! Unihertz TickTock S REVIEW

Do you remember me testing Unihertz TickTock smartphone? It was a rugged mobile device with a dual screen. I really liked that smartphone, but it was very massive.

Now, a slim version of this device was released. It is called Unihertz TickTock S.

The new smartphone also has 1.3 inch customizable display on the rear panel, as well as 6.53 inch hole-punch display on the front, Dimensity 700 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, 64MP dual camera.

By the way, if we look at the Unihertz TickTock and Unihertz TickTock S, they have a completely different design. The new smartphone has much thinner bezels around the screen, especially at the top and bottom.

OK, let’s do a full review of the Unihertz TickTock S.

Unboxing

Like the previous model, the new smartphone comes in a simple white box.

There is a company logo on the front, and TickTock S on the side. We can also read some specifications of the new phone on the back.

Inside the box, there is a smartphone, 33W power adapter, USB Type-C cable and 3.5mm headphone adapter.

I am surprised there is no user manual included. I also checked the kit on the official website, and I don’t have warranty card, screen protector, and TPU case.

I probably have a pre-ordered version of the smartphone, but you should have a protective case in the package because the previous Unihertz TickTock came with it.

Design

So, to be honest, I like the design of the new Unihertz TickTock S smartphone much better. It looks more elegant and slimmer than the previous model.

However, it is still a big mobile device, because it has a rugged design. The body is protected from water, dust and shock by IP68 rating.

The rear panel and corners are made of rubber to avoid damage after a fall, while the side edges are metal.

There are volume up and down buttons, as well as a power button with built-in fingerprint reader on the right side.

On the left side, we can see two customizable keys and a slot for dual SIM. The smartphone doesn’t support microSD memory cards.

Then, there is an IR blaster at the top.

A small microphone hole and USB Type-C port under the rubber plug are at the bottom of the mobile device.

You know, the camera design of Unihertz TickTock S is the same as Unihertz TickTock, but in general, the rear panel looks different.

There is a metal strip with the company logo, as well as a speaker on the back.

Speaker

By the way, let’s check the speaker quality.

I think the sound quality is good for a single speaker. The main thing is that it is very loud.

Rear Panel

The main feature of the rear panel is a second screen. We will talk about it later in this article.

There are also two camera sensors, two microphone holes and a flashlight around the screen.

Overall, I like the way the new Unihertz smartphone looks. It is not only slimmer compared to the previous model, but also the whole rear panel has been redesigned.

There are also some changes on the front panel. Let’s talk about them.

Front Panel

Unihertz TickTock S has a hole-punch display with a diagonal of 6.53 inches. The screen resolution is Full HD+, 1080 x 2340 pixels.

As I said before, the bezels around the screen of the new smartphone are smaller. However, there is still a chin at the bottom of the display.

Overall, this is a normal screen for the Android smartphone of 2023.

Second Screen

The feature of Unihertz TickTock S is the second display on the rear panel. It has a diagonal of 1.3 inches and resolution of 360 x 360 pixels.

In the subscreen settings, you can select a clock plate for the second screen, screen timeout, backlight level, and go home time.

You can also choose how a second screen turns on – with the main screen and the double tap.

The other settings of the second display are notification tip, open music app, take photo voice, back camera photo size and front camera photo size.

By the way, the camera app on the second screen works independently of the main screen. However, both screens use the same camera sensors, so the picture quality is the same.

I like the idea of a second display because you can quickly check the time, battery level, read new notifications when the smartphone is lying with the main screen down.

Software

When it comes to the software, it looks like Unihertz TickTock S runs on the stock Android.

There are no pre-installed applications other than Google apps.

However, like the other rugged smartphones, there is a toolbox with noise test, compass, flashlight, bubble level, and other functions.

By the way, the new Unihertz smartphone has Android 12 operating system. The last Android security update was on December 5, 2022.

Hardware

Now, let’s talk about hardware, and then we will test a performance of Unihertz TickTock S.

You know, the new smartphone has the same chipset as the previous model – Dimensity 700. It also has 8GB of RAM, but the internal storage has been increased to 256GB. That’s very good.

Benchmarks

Now I want to run the benchmarks, and then we will play some games.

So, Unihertz TickTock S has about 334 thousand points in AnTuTu. It is a little higher than a previous model.

The new smartphone also has 686 points in single core test of GeekBench 6, and 1835 points in a multi-core test.

In a 3DMark benchmark and Wild Life test, the new smartphone has 1179 overall score.

Thus, I think the benchmark results are good for a rugged mobile device under $300.

Games

Now, let’s play some games.

As you can see, the maximum graphics in PUBG Mobile is HD, and fps is High.

In my opinion, Unihertz TickTock S is not a gaming smartphone, because it is quite heavy, and it is not very comfortable to hold for a long time.

However, the smartphone has a good performance, as well as a large display.

If you put the device on a stand and connect a gamepad, it will be much more convenient to play.

The games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile and Genshin Impact, run very well.

Camera

The new Unihertz TickTock S smartphone also received a new main camera.

Now, the main sensor on the rear panel has 64MP resolution, while the second sensor is 2MP macro.

The front camera has a 32MP sensor.

Camera App

So, you will not find ultra-wide angle or portrait modes in the camera app. You can only use Timelapse, Video, Normal, Pro, Macro and MacroVideo.

I rarely take macro pictures, so I would like to have a wide-angle camera on this smartphone.

In the picture settings, we can turn on/off anti-shake mode, save in a RAW format, self-timer, auto screen brightness, GPS location, and other options.

The maximum picture size is 64MP – 9216 x 6912 pixels.

In the video settings, we can choose a scene mode, turn on/off electronic image stabilization, microphone, select a video format and video quality.

I will shoot photos and video at maximum resolution.

Sample Photos and Videos

I had a very nice sunny weather, when I tested a camera, so the photos are really good.

As I already said, there is only normal and macro modes. I am not a fan of macro mode, but I think I was able to take some shots.

Overall, the photos quality is very good for the mid-range smartphone.

Talking about video quality, first, it is smooth, because there is electronic image stabilization, and it has 2K video resolution, so it is also crisp.

The new Unihertz TickTock S definitely has a better camera than the previous model Unihertz TickTock.

Battery

You know, the battery of the new smartphone S is not very big – 5200mAh, but I am surprised by the battery life.

I tested the battery life of the smartphone by continuous playback of videos on YouTube via Wi-Fi and maximum screen brightness.

As you can see, the screen on time is 11 hours and 23 minutes. This is a very good result for 5200mAh battery.

The new Unihertz smartphone also supports 30W fast charging. The full battery charge takes 2 hours.

Connectivity

We are left to talk about connectivity.

Unihertz TickTock S is powered by Dimensity 700 chipset, and it has a built-in 5G modem. Both SIM cards support 5G networks.

The smartphone also has dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC. That’s very good.

Pros and Cons

Finally, let’s talk about pros and cons of Unihertz TickTock S.

The main feature of this smartphone is a dual screen. I wouldn’t say that this is a unique feature of this mobile device, but the screen on the rear panel is still very rare. However, I think it is really convenient.

I also like that Unihertz TickTock S has a slimmer body than the previous Unihertz TickTock, so it is not so bulky.

The bezels around the display are also smaller, and it looks like the smartphone itself became more compact. That’s very good.

However, it is still a rugged smartphone, so it is heavy and massive.

The performance of Unihertz TickTock S is also good. All the games run very well. However, I cannot play for very long, because the smartphone is heavy.

As for the camera, the new smartphone received 64MP main sensor, and it takes very good photos and videos. However, 2MP macro sensor is useless for me. I would like to have a portrait or ultra-wide angle sensor instead.

You know, the battery of Unihertz TickTock S is even smaller than the Unihertz TickTock, but it has almost the same screen on time. I think 11 hours of battery life is very good for a 5200mAh battery.

The smartphone also supports 30W fast charging, and the full battery charge takes about 2 hours.

So, if I had to choose between Unihertz TickTock S and Unihertz TickTock, then it would be a new smartphone, because of the new slim design, better cameras, and cheaper price.