Best Rugged Smartphones for Outdoors and Industrial Use

I have Conquest S8 Pro for almost 6 months – bought with Chinavision.com – but it was a mistake (explanation at the end).

Pros:
Battery looks strong – that was my main reason for buying, charging takes time but lasts also loooong.
In general the phone is ok: it may be big but is solid, it is very fast even with this CPU which people say it’s low spec.
While the phone is really big, the screen size it’s smaller than the one in iPhone 6s Plus but the phone is 3 times fat 🙂 – Mostly due to the rugeddness.

Cons:
First issue I’ve notied just after unpacking was when it got some humid inside, on the screen. I could see a nice small fingerprint at the
very middle of the screen FROM THE INSIDE. I think the quality of production leaves some field for improvement.
I had also an issue with Walkie Talkie when antenna was connected – PPT button did not workd correctly. This was fortunatelly fixed with the OS update.
The power button is getting loose with time, but haven’t felt out yest for those few months.

The factory screen protector looks like if it was sticked by a child – it is uneven and skewed, there was a dust under the protector like if this was sticked on Beijing streets, not a clean factory.
The socket charger is a standard $0.50 charger which actually smells like if it was burning inside when plugged – never will use it again.
One of the features Conquest advertises is the stand charger, for powering the phone without opening the waterproof claps. Actually it is a cheap piece of plastic which does not even fit the phone.
The phone just immadietely jumps out of it and is not charging.
The camera spec says “13Mpix” which is true but the phone takes worse pictures than 5Mpix iPhone 4S’ camera.
There’s no cards hotplugging – when you insert a SIM or a SD card you need to reboot the phone.
Thermal sensor shows rather the main board temperature than the exterior one.
I have not tested the waterproofness yet – I’m a bit scared to drown the phone with this quality but people online did it and seems fine.
It did fell once once and not broke, however it has shut down and I had to power it on manually.
The phone has a few chinese apps preinstalled, eg. QQ, the bootloader is in chinese so you might need to use Translate with camera to find the right option (like factory reset).
It also seems that after the last system update Google Play Services stopped working so App Store in unusable and I have to copy APKs from other phone.
There are a few glitches which could work better (eg. handling of the home button) but one can live with that.

And here goes the best one: the model I have has a serious problem with the GPS.
The signal strength of the sattelites is way weaker than measured with any other Android phone – this might be due to ruggedness but also poor technical design of the GPS module.
If you put other phone next to S8 they more sattelites (including GLONASS).
After the phone gets the fix on the sattelites – you need just to shake the phone to loose signal of all of them; if you do it twice it will be permament and a reboot is required.
So this “outdoor” phone is not fit for running or driving a car with use of the GPS.
What’s more when you get the fix the attitude reported is totally wrong and the gauges show that you’re walking when you are standing still.
And the last but not least – GLONASS support is a lie – S8 never showed me any russian sattelite; shows however chinese sometimes (without getting fix)
It could be related to the previous GPS issue but I have sent the phone back for repairs twice and Conquest says it did fix those issues – so maybe that is the way the phone is build?

The OS seems to be the only reliable part of the phone – probably because it’s almost raw Android so it’s not manufactured by Conquest.

I have sent the phone for repair and it seems the manufacturer either can’t understand English neither videos with reproduction steps.
I did sent the phone for repair twice (!) and while the producer said it has fixed the issue – it did not. Only new OS compilation was introduced – not even the seals were changed.
So if get no luck as I did you might not have your issues repaired what does not say a good word about Conquest.

And finally, unreliable Chinavision.com – I had to send the device two times, as first they have send me back the device in exact same condition.
I have sent it once more, after providing them a few videos with the GPS problem reproduction they said they will send me a brand new one – of course they have sent me exactly same broken device back,
unfixed and did not even had slightiest decency for reimbursing for the costs of 1st return. They have explained that they rely on the producer tests after repairs while
they state on their page they perform a Quality Control before sending back, and that seems to be a lie.
I do not recommend using they services as I have never been treated so badly by a seller.

This experience does not show in a good light neither Conquest or Chinavision.
I see in the Conquest page they are preparing next model – S9 – but excuse me- I won’t take the risk.

And you can check AGM X1 first
Display 5.5’’FHD 1080P display
Type Super AMOLED
Chipset Snapdragon 617
Internal 4GB, 64GB
Rear Camera 13MP dual lens
Front Camera 5MP
Battery 5400mAh
IP rating IP68
a competitor of the best rugged phone

The Sonim XP7 is excellent – if you want a phone, with some apps, and not a toy, with loads of music and games. Works perfectly off Virgin Mobile Canada, part of Bell Canada, though the article mentioned the phones were incompatible with the network. All 3 Cdn networks sell them though mine was the special, unlocked version, directly from the company. I have it because I’m hard on phones and spend a lot of time outdoors.
Pros: Everything positive ever written about the phone; smash-proof, excellent quality, sound. I think it’s a 103 decibel speaker. Weight; I actually like the heaviness and wear a clip. Charge lasts forever. Charges fairly quickly. I’ve spilled all kinds of stuff on it, dropped it, etc. Perfectly fine. Glass is scratched but usable.
Cons: Phone must be sent back should battery fail, typically from user miss-use on charging this type of battery. Then it isn’t covered (I didn’t do this, know someone who did – charging the battery at say 25%, frequently, and never at 3 or 4%, will kill the life of the battery. Common in this type of battery). Expensive, time-consuming, tedious process to send it back. Very little storage if you use your phone as a toy. Takes a while to dry everything out if you do soak it but it does work perfectly again. Mediocre screen quality. Very poor photo quality though functions.

currently using a Ulephone armor – checked by dropping it from 10 meters not a single scratch, under water for 20 min . speaker isn’t that loud but with headphones it rocks.
CONS: Battery isn’t fast charging following a certain way of discharge , battery lasts 3 days along with an app – shut app. camera is decent . but if we ate looking at a good rugged phone black view bv6000 .

Never ever buy the Conquest phones. I made the mistake of purchasing the S9 and have been left with a doorstop. The buttons never worked properly and eventually stopped working altogether. The phone crashed spectacularly. It would not charge or boot for a few days. After banging it around a bit, it stated charging. When attempting to boot, it went into a diagnostic screen (all in Chinese) which showed that there were major problems with components.
After numerous emails (no phone support) I finally got a return ticket. Well that turned to a farce too as the phone had to be returned by normal postage and the local postal service refused to ship a phone. Said I’d have to use an express delivery company. Well the supplier refused any delivery other than standard post.
So now I’m left with a $500+ phone that’s not worth the postage.
Never again!

HTC 1 M7 , 6 Years old and still better than this lot, been through rivers, firey kitchens, out car windows and landed on. Big chunk of metal and tough as..

I have a CAT S50 great phone. Speakers not very loud but I didn’t buy it for that. Ran it over with a 17ton vehicle and left it in a damp field over night when I found it it worked fine. When I did finally break it, a 12 foot drop on to hard wood, the mic, vibration function and micro SD reader stopped working. The screen is fine and everything else works.
My only complaint is that while trying to get it repaired I found almost no one would work on it and those that could were unable to get parts. So if you don’t think you can break it buy the S50 I’m still using it now.

Be aware that the CAT S60 is very expensive but he specs lack. And I mean a lot. It is slow and sluggish. And the screen is horrible. The resolution is too low. The price is high because of the FLIR. and that’s it. The covers over the charging ports also break for most people.

I now have a Doogee S60. And I like it so far. Lot’s of storage space and memory (6GB). 1080P screen. Big battery and it has NFC and wireless charging. Because of the wireless charging you don’t need to open the flaps all the time. Because that is the first thing that’ll break down on a rugged phone. The camera is a 21 MP sony unit. Which is not as good as I hoped. But still better than that of all other rugged phones.

I am a tree surgeon. Have been for 25 years plus. What the desk people are calling tough phones is the same
as cardboard to tissue paper. I NEED a flip phone, or a similar facsimile, thereof (face protected). When I mention flip phone, I end up getting these sissy little child”s phones. The last one att sent me was kyocera.. Major rugged on the
outside. comparable screen. Even though the font was able to be enlarged on the phone, in the internet screen functions, the font was about 2 hairs thick. PRIMITIVE operating system, and a sim card problem. My phone that I am reluctant to get rid of is a samsung SGH A847. One of the last of the good rugbys. Att discontinued supporting the browser (about to drop them, with all their b.s. about customer service). When I say rugged, I don’t mean good to 3 feet of water (meter is just a power word to catch us non metric people). Face protected! Not with some thin piece of thick cellophane, with a fancy name. My crew comes to work with those sissy built phones all the time. The face is broke by lunch. Chainsaws are not jewelry. Tree limbs are not pencils. Our phones either have to be left in the truck, or not be brought to work at all. My phone, personally, stays in my pocket while I’m working. It gets hit by tree limbs, chainsaw handles, leaned against machinery, dropped, etc. If you’re not bleeding at the end of the day, you didn’t work. I don’t think another 1/16th of plastic protection merits $1000 price tag. I’m tired of hearing from the phone people that cement workers need rugged phones. Nothing against cement workers, but what’s involved? Building forms, shoveling, screeting, truck driving. I need a real, live, rugged phone. Most MEN can’t handle what we do, I need a phone that does..

When purchasing a rugged phone .
First we got to check the LTE Band is supported in our respective regions .
Second will be call quality on Speaker and on the ear piece.
Most of the phone manufactured ship with Mediatek ARM Mali processor which is either Octa or Deca Core.
Few of them have SnapDragon processor. While using a specific app for a longer time it heats up the region near the ear piece.
Battery charging is something will be the main concern not all support fast charging .
Best to buy the spare’s along with the phone , as support is limited to only a few countries.
If your looking at a budgeted phone – BLACKVIEW BV9500 PRO , DOOGEE S50 /60 , vernee active should do the job.
If your looking at a higher budget without lag and performance – AGM Models would be the best – CAT Phones are too pricy.
I currently am using 2 phone AGM X2 and Doogee S60 – I have never had issues with these.

You may want to check out the Sonim XP8 (XP8800) ruggedized Phone. Its meets IP69 and MIL-STD 810G. I have used Sonim XP5 and (currently) XP6 ruggedized phones and they are most reliable (ATT service). The CAT S61 seems closely related and may very well be the XP8 in different livery and with a few added tools (e.g., LASER measuring device and air quality monitor).. The XP8 uses GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou (Satellite constellation installed Peoples republic of China). Whereas the CAT S61 uses GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, SBAS (Galileo is European satellite constellation),,GLONASS is the Russian satellite constellation,QZSS is japanese system. Not sure about SBAS..