If you’re lucky enough, you can find unlocked Galaxy S8 Active on sites like eBay. You can also take advantage of the dual-LED flash which illuminates your photos fantastically well. Let me know what’s your favourite rugged phone in the comments below! IP56, IP57, IP58, IP66, IP67 & IP68. It details some serious durability and performance while not breaking the bank making it a very attractive option. When I'm not hacking my home entertainment system or importing Chinese gadgets you can find me drinking unhealthy levels of Coffee in Manchester, UK. And let’s be honest, it looks pretty similar as well. Many individuals have the perception that rugged smartphones are simply for those in physical professions like builders and lack the capabilities to compete with today’s tech. Related: Cubot Top 5 Smartphones The display uses a HD 1440×720 panel (292 PPI) that’s protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Tough Credentials: IP68 Rating, Dust Proof, 30 minutes water submersion at 1.5m, shatter resistant (5 feet flat surface), Gorilla Glass 5, Display: 5.8″ UHD (2560×1440) | PPI: 577 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 (8-Cores) | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64GB (expandable 256GB) | OS: Android 8 (Update to 9) | Rear Camera: 12MP | Selfie Camera: 8MP | Full UK Network Support: Yes | WiFi: Dual-band (ac) | NFC: YES | Battery: 4000mAh (+wireless) | Weight: 208 grams. The MediaTek Helio P22 while still budget, runs the bloatware-free version of Android 9 speedily. We also get a side-facing fingerprint readers, NFC and wireless charging for that humongous 10000mAh battery. The Ulefone Armor X7 comes with a 4000mAh battery which is relatively long-life and can handle a day’s usage but it’s not too much to shout about. To get this rating, the BV9500 was blasted with high pressure water jets at 80°C. Looking at performance, the S80 is sitting in high-midrange with 6GB’s of RAM, 64GB’s of storage (+ room for expansion) and the power-efficient MediaTek Helio P23. You can also follow PCguide.com on our social channels and interact with the team there. The Active version of the Galaxy S8 does away with the curved infinity display in place of a flat screen. I think a smartphone of these proportions (metaphorically & physically), deserves a high-end Helio processor (Helio P60), but the P23 does help keep the cost down. This is all held together by the central metal chassis. You’ll only find the toughest, most rugged & fully waterproof smartphones of late 2018 and 2019. Hammer Energy LTE Dual Sim Tough Rugged Waterproof IP68 Sim Free Wi-Fi Bluetooth Smart Phone, 5" HD Gorilla Glass 3 screen, 8MP camera, 16GB, quad core, Black Brand: Hammer 4.2 out of 5 … This rugged smartphone has the biggest battery we’ve seen on a 5G handset By Desire Athow 28 October 2020 An 8,000mAh battery, Android 10 and an affordable price tag to boot To top it all off, the Vernee V2 Pro comes with a large 5.99″ full HD display. There are some on the other hand that excel in all-round durability and these rugged smartphones are the top picks and certainly the ones to go for, especially if they come with powerful internals. It also includes an air quality sensor that measures VOCs. Its a cheap rugged phone for those who want to buy the Caterpillar device when compared to Caterpillar Cat S60. Rugged Phones - Hammer (18 Products) Category. While being extremely durable, the S61 also boasts some really impressive features that can be utilized by explorers and those in the construction industry. You’d think with a sub-£100 price-point that NFC would be off the cards, but delightfully the S40 has full NFC capabilities. Display: 5.5″ (480×960) | PPI: 195 | CPU: MT6739 (4-Cores) | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB (expandable 32GB) | OS: Android 9 Pie | Rear Camera: 8MP + 5MP | Selfie Camera: 5MP | Full UK Network Support: Yes | WiFi: Yes | NFC: YES | Battery: 4650mAh | Weight: 268 grams. The screen uses Gorilla Glass 5 and is also certified to work in wet conditions. This phone received a 4.5 star review from Tech Radar for its practically indestructible design, long battery life, and push-to-talk functionality. Blackview is a brand that you may not have come across in your search for smartphones but while you may not have heard of them, they build one of the best rugged smartphones on the market today. With an old CPU, 2GB’s of RAM and only 16GB of storage it’s definitely not a performance heavy-weight. Best of all it features the latest Android 9 Pie OS and weighs in at a reasonable 238 grams. Unlike Cubot’s previous attempt at a rugged phone (Cubot King Kong 3), the Quest still has features like NFC, a Helio CPU and plenty of RAM to run Android smoothly. The 18w fast charger will top you up 30% in only 30 minutes. Cubot is better known for its range of reliable budget smartphones, than its rugged phone lineup. The S61 we believe is their best overall rugged smartphone and one that you’ll certainly be impressed with. They’ve been making tough phones for years and are experienced in making some of the most badass smartphones ever! Rugged Credentials: IP69K Rating, MIL-STD-810G, Walkie Talkie Mode, Battery Module, Night Vision Module, Dust & Dirt Proof, -30°C to +60°C operating temps, Compass, Barometer, Gorilla Glass 4, 10w Wireless Charging, Titanium Alloy Frame, Display: 5.99″ FHD+ (1080×2246) | PPI: 403 | CPU: Helio P60 (8-Cores) | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 128GB (expandable 256GB) | OS: Android 8.1 | Rear Camera: 16MP + 8MP | Selfie Camera: 8MP | Full UK Network Support: Yes | WiFi: Dual-band (a,b,g,n) | NFC: YES | Battery: 5050mAh (+wireless) | Weight: 300 grams. 7. Display: 6.2″ FHD+ (1080×2280) | PPI: 406 | CPU: Helio P60 (8-Cores) | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 128GB (expandable 256GB) | OS: Android 8.1 | Rear Camera: 16MP + 8MP | Selfie Camera: 8MP | Full UK Network Support: Yes | WiFi: Dual-band (ac) | NFC: YES | Battery: 4900mAh (+wireless) | Weight: 267 grams. Rugged Credentials: IP69K Rating, MIL-STD-810G, Detachable Antenna / Walkie Talkie Mode, Dust & Dirt Proof, -30°C to +60°C degrees operating temps, Compass, Barometer, Display: 5.99″ FHD+ (1080×2160) | PPI: 403 | CPU: Helio P23 (8-Cores) | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 64GB (expandable 128GB) | OS: Android 8.1 | Rear Camera: 13MP + 8MP | Selfie Camera: 8MP | Full UK Network Support: Yes | WiFi: Dual-band (a,b,g,n) | NFC: YES | Battery: 10080mAh (+wireless) | Weight: 398 grams. Unfortunately, there’s no expandable storage but with 64GB of internal storage, it’ll keep you going for long enough and some are likely to not even fill that. The technology Blackview has opted to include in the BV9800 Pro is surprising but welcome. Wiki researchers have been writing reviews of the latest rugged phone cases since 2016. This can be useful again for you builders and adventurers. It also supports wireless charging, removing the need for any physical wires for a quick and easy charging process. In all seriousness though, if you work out in the elements or love the outdoors, you need a smartphone that’ll survive the apocalypse or at least in extreme conditions… a delicate smartphone isn’t going to cut it. Update: Ulefone have now released the more cost-effective Armor 6e. PCguide.com is part of the BGFG family of websites. Alongside the FLIR camera, another couple of pieces of top tech are the inclusion of an integrated laser assisted distance measure as well as an indoor air quality monitor to alert you to high levels of indoor air pollutants (VOCs), while also measuring humidity levels. Rugged Credentials: IP68 Waterproof Rating (1.5m), MIL-STD-810G, -25°C to 55°C degrees operating temps, Gorilla Glass 5, Barometer, 1.21m Drop-tested, 10w Qi Charging, Display: 5.99″ FHD+ (2160×1080) | PPI: 403 | CPU: Snapdragon 845 (8-Cores) | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 64GB | OS: Android 8.1 | Rear Camera: 24MP + 12MP | Selfie Camera: 20MP | Full UK Network Support: Yes | WiFi: Dual-band (ac) | NFC: YES | Battery: 4100mAh (+wireless) | Weight: 200 grams. The BV9500 Pro is one of these and comes with the highest protection of IP69K. However, those people are wrong. It features an IP68-certified, dust- and water-resistant housing and the largest battery among the brand’s phones. The ‘ruggedness’ of this smartphone is of a similar standard to that of our best overall rugged smartphone pick – the Blackview BV9800 Pro with its military standard [MIL-STD-810G] for dust proofing, waterproofing, and shockproofing as well as resistance to humidity, solar radiation, and temperature extremes. If you’re still waiting for news on the release of a Samsung Galaxy S9 or S10 Active, then you’re out of luck as the line has been cancelled. Surprisingly, it actually comes packaged with Android 10, the latest version of Android’s operating system which makes this rugged smartphone rank much higher than many other options out there while also being somewhat futureproof. He is now a keen PC builder and gaming enthusiast, making him an expert in the overall field. Disappointingly though, the Doogee S90 is still running the outdated Android 8.1 OS even though it’s a 2019 release. For a smartphone with a massive 5000mAh battery, the 13.9mm thickness and 256 grams weight can be forgiven. Unless you need the thermal imaging though, there are much better value rugged phones. It was underpowered and didn’t stand out against the competition. It also features 10w wireless charging meaning you don’t have to mess around with USB port when charging. 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