bbs.blackview.com

Just got delivery of my BV9600 Pro. I have no complaints about the size, weight, and gorgeous screen, but there a couple of annoyances I've run into already.

The WiFi seems a bit flakey. I have a BV9500 that this phone will replace, and a mesh router with 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios, both with the same SSID, which is standard for mesh routers. Placing both phones side by side, the BV9500 gets and keeps a strong 2.4GHz connection, but the BV9600 constantly switches between both 2.4GHz and the weaker 5GHz radios. And in some cases it will disconnect from both entirely until I manually connect. Roaming to a different room, it also didn't automatically connect to the same SSID until I manually connected.

Also I would like to know the reasoning behind the bizarre non-standard USB-C port and cable. I have several USB-C cables that I keep around the house and in my car so I can charge the phone wherever I am. However all of these cables just fall right out of the BV9600 USB-C port. It seems the USB-C cable and port for the BV9600 are a millimeter or two longer than the usual USB-C standard, so now I have to carry the "proprietary" cable that came with the BV9600 with me everywhere. Even the cable that came with my BV9500 wont work.

And what is the dongle that came with it for? It's not for the headphones, because they also have a non-standard USB-C connector that fits the BV9600.

Well it turns out the "different" USB-C cable for rugged phones is not so unusual after all. So much so that there is a market for these "extended tip" USB-C cables that fit in certain rugged phones or phones in cases where regular USB-C cables won't connect. Still seems strange that Blackview couldn't stick with the same connector the 9500 had.

However the glitches on this phone continue. The fingerprint reader does not seem as sensitive as the BV9500. I sometimes have to touch it several times to get it to recognize, and today it wouldn't recognize my fingerprint at all and the fingerprint icon on the screen kept flickering. Had to delete and re-enter my fingerprint to get it working again.

And the WiFi keeps disconnecting and reconnecting and sometimes won't reconnect at all. My BV9500 has a strong connection and right beside it the BV9600 has no connection to the same network. The network SSID just sits there with "Saved" displaying and nothing I do will get it to connect again. So I Forgot it and tried to connect again, and now it tells me to check the password when I know I have the correct password typed in. Yes, I've reset the network several times. I suppose I could wipe the phone and start from scratch but it takes hours to set everything up and configure it properly.

Do i have a defective unit, or is the BV9600 Pro not quite ready for market yet? 

No matter what I did the BV9600 Pro would not reconnect to my network.  Kept telling me "check the password". So I did a factory wipe, got connected during the initial setup, and then the WiFi signal dropped part way through. When I tired to reconnect after setup finished it would sit there at "saved", or tell me the network was not within range, even though it was at the top of the list of SSIDs and had the strongest signal.

This whole experience has been quite disappointing after my BV9500.

AND ... THE WIFI IS AGAIN DISCONNECTED!

I'm giving this thing 1 more day before sending it back for a refund.

I found the keyboard was too quick to select alphanumeric alternative keystrokes and unless you watch the letters like a hawk it was really easy for hidden typos to corrupt password. Once I sussed that it was all good. Drove me nuts for awhile.

I had password display on, so I knew it was the correct password.

The WiFi seems to be the worst of the problems. 4 phones sitting side by side. 3 have good WiFi connections with no problems. The BV9600 constantly flips between the 2.4 and 5GHz band sometimes disconnecting entirely and only connecting again when it's good and ready. No amount of manually connecting will get it back online until it feels like it.

Well now I know what the dongle is for and I appreciate Blackview providing it. It adapts a standard microusb cable to the deep USB-C phone connector.

csewell wrote:

Well now I know what the dongle is for and I appreciate Blackview providing it. It adapts a standard microusb cable to the deep USB-C phone connector.

Yes, but never to be used for charging. Can cause fires. Micro USB cables are not power rated for the current these big battery USB-C phones draw. Trying to charge a Blackview using the little adapter is like connecting a fire-hose to your home water supply and expecting the taps to withstand the higher pressure. Only use adapter for data connections.

I don't believe that's true.  What about all the big battery phones or any phone for that matter that came with a micro USB connection?  Do you have to use the manufacturer provided cable only to charge the phone? You don't need a special cable for QC 3.0.  The dongle may slow down the charge, but I'm sure Blackview wouldn't provide a dongle that could cause a fire.  And I'm not using the Blackview charger anyway since it doesn't match my country.  I use  standard QC 3.0 charger.

csewell wrote:

I don't believe that's true.  What about all the big battery phones or any phone for that matter that came with a micro USB connection?  Do you have to use the manufacturer provided cable only to charge the phone? You don't need a special cable for QC 3.0.  The dongle may slow down the charge, but I'm sure Blackview wouldn't provide a dongle that could cause a fire.  And I'm not using the Blackview charger anyway since it doesn't match my country.  I use  standard QC 3.0 charger.

You need to watch this:
https://youtu.be/5ng9eVYZoNw
I've seen several roasted dongles from customers and I've seen a customer's fire damaged phone from using non-approved cable.. USB-C contains more sophisticated protocols allowing a phone to control how much charge it receives. When you fool the phone into thinking it is being charged under the USB-C protocols, but you are actually using a micro cable, you invite disaster.
Blackview should be aware but probably are not. Their own cables are properly balanced, but someone else's manky generic cable is not.
Read this is you have any lingering doubts:
https://www.howtogeek.com/240777/watch-out-how-to-buy-a-usb-type-c-cable-that-wont-damage-your-devices/

I'm a little baffled by the extra long tip on the USB C cable as well.  Has anyone found a good source?  Is an action to force me to buy more and proprietary?

Does the BV9600 support wireless charging?  They sell a wireless charger for it on Amazon, but I already I have several that I like that seem not to work.  Is this another action to force me to buy more and proprietary?

Build of the phone seems really good, I like the size and weight.  Trying to work through the features.