A friend of mine has asked for a phone recommendation, and is specifically curious about ruggedized phones. He is a jack-of-all-trades for a property management company, and in theory could specifically benefit from some of the ruggedization features.
Despite being decently familiar with both Android and the hardware landscape, I’ve spent no real time with rugged phones. I’m hoping some folks here have experience and opinions to could help.
So, the first and most important question is:
Are the ruggedization features actually useful?
Sure, they might help a phone dropped from chest level, but what about from the top of a ladder while painting? If he drops it off the third story of a residential building while doing some shingle repair, does any phone stand a chance of working after that?
Do any ruggedized phones offer rootability?
Almost all of the ruggedized phones seem to be similarly priced models from Chinese vendors, except for the CAT-branded one… which is probably a Chinaphone with a license agreement. Budget-tier Chinaphones have a bad habit of shipping adware and malware.
The ability to wipe the installed userspace and flash with stock Android would give me peace-of-mind when making a recommendation.
Are there any specific models of manufacturers to avoid?
Doogee devices pop up on a lot of the ruggedized lists, but they’ve been shown to ship with adware in the systemUI components. That rubs me the wrong way, and eliminates about a third of the phones that have reviews. Are there any others with bad practices that I should be aware of?
And finally…
Any suggestions for specific models that have worked really well?
iPhone + Apple care/insurance + 1/2 cm of rubber, plastic and glass protective casing (like and otter case or something better.
That’s probably the best ruggedised phone you can get.
Unless you just need to make calls? Then get an old Nokia.
Honestly I don’t think root matters, I think you need a phone with a known service agreement and one you can easily get fixed. And only the iPhone does that (maybe slightly possibly Samsung, but not to the same degree).
Cubot, Ulefone, Doogee, Cat are pretty much the only ones I can think of. While they might meet the requirements in terms of ruggedness, they are very very meh when it comes to software. Even if you can get one with stock Android chances are you’re stuck on that version and never get any updates at all. On top of that, most come with Mediatek SoCs, so custom ROMS are not an option.
While KaiOS ain’t perfect, I like the Nokia 800 Tough. The good thing is that it supports 4G, dual SIM and you can use WhatsApp (also Twitter, Facebook, YT and has its own app store).
Alternatively, just like @anon46267848 said, any phone and a super tough case. Maybe one where replacement parts such as screens are readily available and cheap (just in case).
You really want applicable insurance I think in this case. A good case will also protect the screen but a phone on a work site can be damaged in many ways not just a cracked screen.
IF it covers the potential damages that can occur on work sites, then yes. Otherwise it’s just a waste of money.
We’re talking “rugged”, so that’s to be expected. The flimsy TPU and thin hard plastic cases don’t apply here. Otterbox is probably one that offers the most protection but even those will do nothing if the phone falls screen first on a corner/stone/any pointy object that will focus the impact on a small area.
IF it covers the potential damages that can occur on work sites, then yes. Otherwise it’s just a waste of money.
This is my biggest concern with any kind of warranty or service plan. In my experience, they’re never worth the money. I’m a desk jockey, and every time I’ve tried to get a repair done, I’m told it’s not covered or “caused by abuse”.
I have a hard time considering anything “abuse” if it occurs in a situation where a human being is expected to be regularly. Vendors and insurers seem to disagree.
I’m leaning towards recommending a generic consumer device with an Otterbox Defender.
Your employer will cover that as they should for any onsite requirement for a phone. Alternatively if your self employed you just need to pick up the right applicable insurance.
Yeah. As it’s up to their judgement there’s no guarantee that any accidental damage will be covered.
Also this:
AppleCare+ plans include up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage every 24 months.
Starts at $5.99/month and you still need to pay $30 for the screen repair (any model within warranty). And $99 for “other repairs” (also within the warranty).
Most other insurances are useless. They make sure to cover their asses with loop holes so they don’t have to pay for any repairs.
So, I dont have specific phone reccomendations. I am a manual laborer (ish. It is part of my job). Heat, water, chemicals, and physical damage are all potentials for my phone. Heat is probably the worst. I have a samsung galaxy s4 that I have been using for 3 years. The battery dies due to the heat and use over a year. So I just buy replacements. And with the tempered glass protectors, that seems to be good enough for my use case. The one thing I can reccomend is rubber port plugs for whatever ports might be open to the elements.
One thing I have been thinking about is getting some conformal coating from amazon, and dismantling my phone and coating the pcb. But I havent, so far.
I have owned a few “rugged” phones over the years. My personal approach is to have a normal smartphone that stays at home. A rugged dumb-phone for work. The ruggedised Smartphones tend to be either way too big and heavy or under powered, or worse still both heavy and under powered!
I had a DooGee S60 for a while, great phone but you could kill a man if fell from a pocket up a ladder. It was heavy enough to pull your jeans down! Not something you could ever forget you had it in your pocket.
I’m thinking about getting a Nokia 800 it’s a smart-dumb-phone running KaiOS so has some limited “smartphone” capability’s like Google support, Whats App, Facebook even. IP 68 with 48-day standby battery life.
I think this will be my next rugged outdoors phone.
Me and my cousin have been using the CAT S41 since it released and it’s the best rugged phone compromise out there with really sturdy construction and a 5000mAh battery and a 3.5mm jack. Also comes with a thick pre-applied screen protector that takes the dings from sharp edges. I haven’t managed to kill mine even though I’ve dropped it many times from 10+ feet on to ground/rocks or steel and only slightly dinged it and forgotten it dropped in a snowdrift for hours.
Pretty decent price if you can find it about ~400$ cash, I’m considering buying another one to keep for the future if something catastrophically happens with the current one.
I have a work provided iphone, so I just use a water"proof" case that can be sealed up, and use a wireless charging pad. This way if I drop it in water or if it gets soaked from crop moisture or sweat there’s no problem.
You’ll want a sacrificial screen cover anyways, especially with exposure to soil scratcing the hell out of everything.
A “rugged” phone is just going to limit your options and be more expensive with potentially less capability.
If you are paying for your own phone, consider a semi-disposable dumb phone.