Meet the AGM Phone H5!

Here on Geeky Stuff, we occasionally get our hands on a lot of interesting gadgets and smartphones – it just so happens that we’ve managed to grab hold of what is a particularly unique smartphone, in the form of the AGM H5.

The AGM H5 is a smartphone that takes a different approach to ruggedness and durability, with a handful of features that you won’t get on a lot of other competing smartphones out there. We’re going to do a bit of unboxing and see what AGM has to offer with this one – let’s get started.

Packaging and Contents

The H5 comes in a rather large box, which already gives us an idea of what to expect with this handset. Inside you’ll find some paperwork which includes your manual and warranty information, a power brick and USB-C charging cable, and there’s an additional charging dock for the phone itself.

Like the box that it came in, the AGM phone is rather large – and we mean LARGE. One of the biggest differences that sets apart the AGM phone from other handsets is its size, which dwarfs other smartphones like the Google Pixel 6a, and even smaller handsets like the Apple iPhone SE 2022. It’s a very large and bulky device, and if you’re after something slimmer, then this phone isn’t for you.

AGM was also nice enough to send us a cool T-Shirt along with the package – shout-out to them.

Design and Display

The H5 comes with a 6.5-inch IPS display, with a basic 720×1600 Pixel resolution. It features a waterdrop notch that houses the 20-megapixel front-facing camera, as well as a fairly wide chin at the bottom. This is understandable though given the overall thickness of the handset.

What does make up for the basic display is the hefty and rugged outer shell, which according to AGM is certified for MIL-STD810H certification, which offers protection from nasty drops, shocks, as well as immersion under 1.5-meter depths of water for up to 30 minutes. Due to this, the phone is very heavy when it comes to handling.

The sides of the H5 are made from a combination of rubberized material and tough polycarbonate, which keeps your phone nicely buffered against impact. While the buttons are exposed, there are rubber flaps that cover the charging port, headphone jack, and micro-SD slot from moisture and dust. In addition to your main buttons, there’s a single programmable button that can be set to access certain features or apps.

The rear panel is likewise something to behold. There’s a textured design that according to AGM is designed to look like Aramid Fiber, and while it is actually made out of plastic it still invokes a solid feel. The backside of the phone also houses the fingerprint scanner, as well as charging pin connectors for the dock charger.

The highlight of the rear panel though is the massive central loudspeaker, which is surrounded by an LED lighting system and camera sensors. The speaker can get really loud with up to 109 decibels, although it does lack a strong bass sound which affects the overall sound quality. 

As for the LED lighting system, there’s built-in software inside the H5 that will allow you to customize it with different ring patterns. It’s something that you don’t get on a lot of smartphones, but it’s a pretty cool addition that might appeal to some folks.

Camera

As we mentioned earlier, the phone comes with a 20-megapixel front-facing camera. This is accompanied by a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 2-megapixel macro lens, as well as a 20-megapixel infrared night-vision camera, although we doubt you’ll be taking a lot of photos on this device.

We say that because the phone isn’t too far-off from photo quality that you’d get on a ton of mid-range and budget phones out there – it’s not terribly impressive, although casual snaps every once in a while might do.

Unfortunately, there’s a lack of balance when it comes to contrast, and elements like dynamic range aren’t really handheld too well by the camera. You’ll really need to frame your photos carefully and check your lighting if you want to take good-looking photos on here.

Internal Hardware

Inside the H5 is a MediaTek Helio P35 chipset, paired with 6B of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. Right off the bat, the low resolution and modest SoC are indicators that despite the rugged aesthetics, this is a budget phone through and through. It does run on Android 12 though, which is a nice addition given that most budget smartphones run on Android versions 11 or even sometimes older versions.

For moderate tasks, the phone will do nicely. Casual web-browsing, social media apps, and the occasional video call do work, and for a device primarily used for communication, this H5b is capable.

With that said, it’s not ideal for performance-hungry tasks. Gaming, in particular, is something that this phone is not really meant to do on a frequent basis, and even a “graphically-light” game like Grimvalor showed signs of dropped framerates from time to time. Perhaps smaller, casual games might be better suited for the phone’s hardware in this situation.

Perhaps where the AGM H5 shines is its battery. There’s a massive 7,000 mAh battery built into the handset, and given the relatively “budget” processor and display, it should last moderate users well over a day of basic use, especially if they stick to basic and casual tasks like communication, web browsing, and such. You can charge it via the included USB-C cable and brick, or use the charging dock instead – it does take a while to fully replenish the battery though.

Final Thoughts

In short, the AGM H5 finds its strength in its large battery, heavy-duty design, and a loudspeaker set-up that should do well for media consumption, provided that you adjust your expectations accordingly. It’s not meant for performance, however, and the camera isn’t something you’ll be using for instagram competitions and such.

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