Summary
- Energizer unveiled a cheap flip foldable phone with a small battery, deviating from its usual long-life focus.
- The device sports Android 14, a 6.6-inch Full HD display, and a MediaTek Helio G99 processor with a 64MP main camera.
- Despite the pricing, we’re puzzled by Energizer’s focus on a foldable device given its history with long-lasting devices.
Energizer stole headlines this year at MWC 2024 with its 28,000mAh phone, but the brand also has a smaller announcement as it’ll be introducing its first flip foldable that’s cheaper than most devices in the space. While it’s cheaper, the new Energizer Ultimate U660S has a curiously small battery for a brand that is all about long-life devices.
Energizer just slapped a phone into a powerbank
This 28,000mAh battery has a fully functional phone in it
The Ultimate U660S has a 3,400mAh battery, which is small even by clamshell foldable phone standards. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 from Samsung has a 3,700mAh battery, and in our time with that phone, we’ve found it to be at best satisfactory but often underperforms what we expect from a smartphone. With the Energizer at 300mAh lower than Samsung’s option, it likely means lower results than Samsung’s device, which sometimes struggles to last a full day.
The Ultimate U660S is part of a flurry of cheaper flip foldable phones at MWC 2024 including the Nubia Flip 5G, and devices from both Blackview and Doogee. The Energizer foldable is set to cost 500 euros, which would translate to around $550 at the time of writing. We’ve yet to hear confirmation on whether the device will be sold in the US. It’ll be on sale from November this year.
The Ultimate U660S features Android 14 software, a 6.6-inch Full HD main display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080, and a MediaTek Helio G99 powers the device. There’s 256GB of storage with 12GB of RAM. On the front is a 25MP camera for selfies when unfurled, while the main camera is a combo of a 64MP and an 8MP. There’s a recycled plastic shell on the device, and as you can see in the photos above there’s an odd textured effect on the casing.
I’ve tried the device a little at MWC 2024, and while I’m excited to see foldables drop in price, I’m perplexed by the branding here. The main focus for the Energizer brand is usually on long-lasting devices designed for those who need a smartphone to run for multiple days at a time whether they’re off hiking or they’re working on a building site. The new Energizer Hard Case P28K has been one of the most talked about devices of MWC 2024, and it ties in with the company’s branding well. Why this foldable handset is sporting the branding though is a bit of a mystery, unless it does remarkably well in day-to-day use.