My trusty Samsung B2100 was showing its age in more than the physical sense. While the display and keyboard are still fine, despite the 8 (I think) years and numerous encounters with rocks, dirt, the floor, water, etc. they are still functioning like day 1. The camera has never been great, barely good enough to take a shot to remember what something said, the lens is covered in scratches.
The case, while covered in battle scars, is still watertight. The battery has been replaced in 2020.
No software issues to speak off, shortcuts on the D-Pad make sense, dedicated flashlight button is 10/10.
There are two reasons this trusty friend is being retired:
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The internal charge circuit is wonky at best. Charges the battery to about 3.9 V (should be 4.1 to 4.2V) over the course of four hours. This means I have to recharge every 2 days.
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Proprietary connector. If the charger was to die, I would be SOL.
Half a year of searching and reading, I pulled the trigger on the CAT B40. While way bigger than the B2100, it has twice the battery capacity (non removeable, wich will probably come back to haunt me in 4 years), USB-C and a 3.5mm jack. It is also water-, dirt-, drop- proof, like the B2100.
The other Contenders:
CYRUS CM8 - Almost a tie
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I like everything about this. It is a dumb phone, torch in the right spot, good size, exchangeable battery, within the budget.
Why it failed: 3G, which may or may not be faded out beginning this year, some reviews mention stutters while typing SMS, looks too tacky.
Nokia 800 Tough - Blew the Budget
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Navigation is well thought out. I like the way the mount-point for the wrist strap (or other catch line) is done.
The big issue I see is the rubber-ish coating going weird in some time.
beafon AL560 - Cheap remake?!
This looks like the B2100 in every aspect, except the back is slightly different and it does not say Samsung. Rebranded old stock? Dunno.
The setup was super simple: Put in the SIM (or two) and microSD, and off you go! The incredibly dumb gimmick startup sound of a big diesel engine starting, can thankfully be disabled.
The D-Pad can be configured with various shortcuts (I put the flashlight there, which may be redundant, but who needs a manual?), Calculator, Camera and Musicplayer on there.
One trick missed in the B40’s menu is the following: The B2100 had an arrangement of 3 wide by 4 vertical menu icons to be selected by pressing the key on the keyboard for that spot. On the B40, you have to use the D-Pad in the main menu. In the sub-menus, keyboard navigation works just fine. Allthough pressing up to wrap around to the last entry would be nice.
USB works nicely for data-transfer or charging. The prompt to close the covers again is a bit annoying, can probably be disabled somewhere.
To unlock the phone, you press the left context button, then the star. None of the other buttons even get the display to light up.
Longer-time review to follow.
Pictures to follow.
