It’s just heart-wrenching to see your mobile phone fall apart after accidentally dropping it for the millionth time. Mobile phones are not cheap and unless you’re someone who has a lot of money to spend on gadgets, you would like to get your money’s worth and invest on a gadget that will last you for the longest time possible. Take extra steps to make sure your phone is protected against scratches, dust, water, and shock by dressing it up with the latest screen and phone protectors making it thrice as bulky as the phone alone. Mobile companies have been coming with durable phones that can withstand accidental fall off the table or a dip in the pool. Nokia’s Lumia 900 claims to be tough as nails with its toughened screen. Sony came out with Xperia Go that is “strong enough for life’s little problems” being dust-proof and water-resistant. If you own any of these phones, you might think you’ve found the most durable phone in the market. Here are ten of the most rugged phones in the world that will definitely make you think otherwise.
10. Motorola Defy
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Let’s start with a smartphone in PC Mag’s Top 10 Rugged Phones list. Like current smart phones, Motorola Defy has Gorilla Glass touchscreen well enough at 3.7”. The phone is made of soft plastic and will survive a foot of water even while your music player is on. Defy has good sound quality even on speaker mode and has a passable battery life at a little over 7 hours of talk time. Unlike other rugged phones, Motorola Defy features a 5-megapixel back camera.
9. Samsung Rugby II SGH-A847
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Although it looks bulky with its plastic ridges, Rugby II is relatively light at 3.5 ounces. It is made of high-impact matte plastic, delivers good call quality and of course, tough. It is a clamshell phone with GPS apps and a 2-megapixel camera. This is one of the sturdy mobile phones can handle drops, vibrations, moisture, rain, and dust and is certified to Military Standard 810G.
8. Motorola Brute i686
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Another one from Motorola, the Brute i686 is a clamshell flip phone made of a mix of rubber and metal giving it a tougher look. This rugged mobile phone can stand being in water for 30 minutes and being Military Grade 810G certified, it is sure to handle dust, shock, blowing rain, salt fog, and even solar radiation.
7. Sanyo Taho
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You may not expect a rugged mobile phone from Kyocera but Sanyo Taho has proven to be one of the toughest phones in the market. Despite looking too good for a tough phone Sanyo Taho can survive through the harshest elements and can withstand immersion up to one meter of water. This phone has a non-slip design and an ergonomic shape. It comes with a 1GB memory card and can be expanded up to 32GB. It is also a clamshell phone certified to Military Grade 810G, the first in Kyocera’s line of handset phones. It was released in 2010 with a very affordable price of $100.
6. Casio G’zOne Ravine
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Among Casio’s tough devices and accessories line comes the Ravine. It can be considered as an outdoorsman’s phone because of its seven preinstalled apps such as a compass, pedometer, and thermometer. It features a classy look presentable enough inside a meeting room. The Ravine can survive running water, being thrown for more several times on a pavement, and being ran over by a car. It is also included in the list of The Best Verizon Phones which makes it as one of the toughest mobile phones today.
5. Casio G’zOne Brigade
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Unlike the previous Casio phone, Brigade features a full QWERTY keyboard that has spacious buttons. It is made of hard rubber and plastic, weighs 6 ounces, and looks smooth and clean enough for indoors. Although this phone is not focused on media, it has a pretty good 3.2-megapixel camera that can take photos in 5 different resolutions. The Casio G’zOne Brigade is certified to Military Standard 810F making it durable against harsh elements and extreme temperatures that is why it known as one of the sturdy mobile phones that you could keep for a long time.
4. Motorola Barrage V860
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This teardrop shaped phone is relatively a larger clamshell tough phone but somehow lightweight at 4.2 ounces. It has a modern and sleek design compared to older rugged phones. Motorola Barrage V860 is Military Grade 810F allowing it withstand conditions in an oil-rig or a military war zone.
3. Sonim XP1300 CORE
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This phone is a real tough nut, heavy and looks rugged. Cnet tested Sonim XP1300 Core by burying it in concrete, throwing it on the pavement, and immersing it in below zero antifreeze. The result? The phone survived. The Sonim XP1300 Core is a candy bar type phone wrapped in tough rubber and fiberglass and uses Gorilla Glass for it screen. Sonim promises this phone to be extremely durable with its ability to withstand transport and thermal shock, salt, fog, and humidity. It will survive up to 6.5 feet of water and below zero temperatures. You can try hammering a nail on its screen, throw it downstairs, or put it inside your freezer. It is considered the best phone in the world will still survive.
2. JCB Sitemaster 2
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Lost your hammers? No worries, you can use your JCB Sitemaster 2 to drive a nails into a plank of wood. The JCB Sitemaster 2 looks like a bundle of yellow and black toughness. It is certified military grade and certified IP67. Which means this rugged mobile phone can survive basically anything you subject it to. This phone can survive in a swimming pool and come out alive from a sauna. The toughest test this phone went through is probably being run over by a 44-ton truck. Yes, it didn’t break.
1. Sonim XP3300 Force
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Sonim has a good record of tough phones under its belt. Sonim claims that the XP330 Force exceeds military specs for ruggedness. PC Mag put this claim to a test by encasing it in concrete and whacking it until breaks, freezing it in to a block of ice and throwing it against brick walls. The result? Undamaged screen and a perfectly working phone. If that is not enough to amaze you, the Sonim XP3300 Force had been officially declared in 2011 as the toughest phone by The Guinness Book of Records after the phone survived a 25-meter drop.