The Unitech EA500 comes with a suitably sized 5.0-inch LCD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. That's 294 pixels per inch and makes for a sharp-enough picture, as sharp as most contremporary consumer phones. The EA500 also has a 2-megapixel front camera for conferencing, and a rear 8-megapixel autofocus camera with flash for documentation. And there is a USB Type-C connector for charging and data communication. Compared to micro-USB, USB Type-C is quicker, more reliable, and you plugging it in isn't trial and error, as Type-C is reversible.

The EA500 uses capacitive multi-touch that's also works with gloves and when it's wet. Below the display are the standard three Android buttons: Back, Home, and Tasks. There are scan buttons on each side of the device, a volume rocker on the left, and also a programmable key.

While many enterprise handhelds with integrated industrial-grade scanning are on the big and bulky side, the EA500 is remarkably compact with a 3.0 x 6.2 inch foot print (almost exactly like an iPhone 8 Plus), a very manageable half-inch thickness and weighing only 7.4 ounces (by comparison, the non-rugged iPhone 8 Plus weighs 7.13 ounces). The frontal design follows contemporary smartphone standards with flush frontal glass, and a rectangular shape with rounded corners. Heftier and slightly raised perimeter protection identifies the EA500 as a device that's much tougher than any consumer phone.

What's not quite clear is the relationship between the EA500 and the EA602. The EA500 lists for US$175 less for a handheld with the same screen size and mostly the same features, one that weighs less, is IP67 sealed (the EA602 is IP65), and comes with the preferable USB Type-C. The primary difference seems to be that the EA602 has a discrete integrated scanner whereas the EA500 uses its cameras for barcode reading. Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, August 2018