People who spend their maximum time outdoors need a phone that can endure the extreme weather and topography and work through difficult and harsh conditions. Hence outdoor workers, globe trotters, adventure enthusiasts, and frequent travelers prefer a rugged phone over a generic smartphone.

Rugged phones are designed and manufactured to endure extreme weather, heat, temperature, cold, etc., and are usually waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof. They come with many useful outdoor tools and kits. Depending on the brand and your budget you can get rugged phones with a variety of features and functions useful for outdoor usage. And if you are planning to buy a rugged phone then check out these great deals on rugged phones at AliExpress Summer Sale 2022. 

Best Rugged Smartphone Deals 

Please note that the summer sale ends on 1 July 2022. So place your order before the deal expires.

Please note that the above price is region-specific and the final price may vary according to your shipping region, warehouse, and regional taxes.  

For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out our deals hub.

* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

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Do you remember the DOOGEE S98? The rugged phone with a watch on the back. DOOGEE recently launched their upgraded version: S98 Pro. The S98 Pro is not a performance upgrade like replacing a better processor, but a functional upgrade. And I believe this strategy will be the new trend for rugged phones this year.

The DOOGEE S98 Pro comes in the same box as the S98, with the phone’s model and storage space written in the lower right corner. Open the lid of the package, the accessories in the package are our old friends. DOOGEE S98 Pro comes in a box with a white pry bar, 33w charger, and charging cable. It also contains instructions manual, and an extra film, this time with some tools for the film. There is also a phone case. Instead of this case to protect your rugged phone, it is used to decorate your phone.

DOOGEE calls this case the “Alien-inspired case”, which makes the S98 Pro look like an alien from the movie. Of course, if you don’t like the adorable alien, you can take off the case. The back of the S98 Pro is almost the same as the Doogee S98, also with a leather-like design. The biggest difference is still in the lens module part, where the watch-like screen in the middle is replaced by a sensor. This sensor is the biggest upgrade of this Pro version, and we will come back to this sensor in detail later. The S98 Pro also has NFC and custom buttons, and the SIM Card Tray can be fitted with two SIM cards and a Macro SD card, so at least in terms of design, the Pro version is not much changed.

The S98 Pro uses an FHD+ LCD screen. This screen has the same specs as the standard version except the peak brightness is 200nit higher than the standard version. The protective glass of Corning Gorilla plus IP68 and IP69K certifications allow you to use it in any harsh outdoor environment. One of the advantages I like about the rugged phone is that you can clean the phone with water when it gets dirty, so you never have to worry about damaging the phone by getting water in it.

What is the interesting feature that we talked about at the beginning? It’s this new thermal imaging camera. This sensor in the middle of the two cameras is a real thermal imaging sensor, which can capture real infrared radiation images.

You may have seen a similar filter on Tiktok, but that is fake, and this is real. As soon as you turn on InfiRay, you can see the IR image. It is important to know that buying a thermal imaging camera alone may cost several hundred dollars, which is a considerable amount of money. The most direct way to use it is to use it as a night vision camera.

It is easier to find nearby creatures in the dark compared to Night vision Camera. Or when repairing electronic equipment can be used to judge where the problem is coming from. DOOGEE’s thermal imaging camera also has MIX mode, which allows you to mix RGB images and IR images to make it easier to tell what the subject is. I would like to explain that it is impossible to see people behind walls with thermal imaging cameras in movies or games. In fact, thermal imaging can’t even see through paper or glass, so don’t worry about the privacy of others.

The left and right cameras are the 20MP Night vision camera and the 48MP main camera. Although there is no more Ultra-wide camera, the performance of the main camera is even better. Dynamic range performance is good. Thanks to the sharpening algorithm, the photos look relatively clear. Next you can enjoy the Sample photos taken with S98 Pro.

1 of 8

The DOOGEE S98 Pro comes with the MediaTek Helio G96 processor. The standard version of the S98 also uses this processor. According to the results of Benchmark Tests, the Antutu Bench score is 330,000 and the 3DMark score is close to 1200. Game performance is the same as the standard version, mainstream light load games stable at 40fps is no problem.

The 33w wired charging power and 15w wireless charging are also standard on DOOGEE’s flagship phones. 6000mAh battery has not been upgraded, but it can also support you for two to three days without charging.

The S98 is a good rugged phone, which has managed to attract many people with its novel appearance. The S98 Pro takes it to the next level and does even better in terms of functionality. That thermal imaging camera I’m sure will become a handy tool for many people working outdoors.

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Lenovo is known as the only manufacturer that makes Motorola-branded smartphones but that is about to change as another manufacturer is about to begin churning out Motorola phones too. These new phones will be rugged phones and they will be made by Bullitt Group.

Bullitt Group is a phone and consumer-electronics company based in the UK and they are known as the manufacturer behind the CAT line of rugged phones. The CAT phones are made under the license of the American engineering giant, Caterpillar Inc. The UK company also manufactures phones under the Land Rover brand and are the ones that made the 2016 Kodak Ectra Camera Phone. Now Bullitt is ready to add Motorola-branded rugged phones to the products it makes.

This is a unique strategic alliance, as it allows Bullitt to apply its expertise to the Motorola portfolio of products. – Dave Floyd, Bullitt Co-Founder

According to Bullitt, this is a “long-term global strategic brand partnership to develop and market rugged mobile phones bearing the iconic Motorola brand”. The manufacturer says that more details of the Motorola rugged mobile phones will be announced this quarter.

We expect the first set of phones to launch this year and we expect them to run the Android operating system. We also expect models that support both 4G and 5G networks from the manufacturer.

Rugged smartphones are pretty popular amongst essential workers such as first responders, construction workers, and those in the health industry. These phones are designed to take a beating and will survive drops, work in extreme temperatures, and also have glove mode support. Some rugged phones even have special features such as thermal cameras and temperature sensors.

RELATED:

• Motorola tipped to launch the Moto G40 5G with 90Hz LCD screen in India soon
• Lenovo K13, Moto E7i Power, and Moto E6i get Bluetooth certification
• Upcoming Motorola Moto G series phones will get a new naming scheme

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We all would’ve at some point, thought of buying a rugged phone and for most (or all) cases the price/specs would be a discouraging factor. Well F150 is one company that heard the fan by launching a compelling rugged device – the F150 B2021.

Must See :[Deal] Grab Umidigi Bison Rugged Phone for a limited-time discount price of $145.00

A day or so ago, we’ve covered the B2021 highlighting its design. In case if you missed, go check that out to know more about the device in general as now, we’ll go through the software side of the device.

Dedicated F150 Key

The B2021 is backed with an optimized Android 10 operating system. It’s a rugged phone, so the least we could expect is an option to switch between normal and outdoor mode. With the dedicated F150 key, the user can do the very thing. All you have to do is to long-press the F150 key to switch between these modes. Repeatedly pressing this button will activate the emergency sequence, which will play a loud SOS alarm while continuously flashing the flashlight.

Real-Time Dynamic Measurement

While in the F150 mode the contents of the “toolbag” will be displayed on the home screen. This includes the following.

• The Compass points towards the destination instead of the North. It will also display the instantaneous latitude and longitude.
• The Power Manager widget frequently updates you with the power consumption rate. You can switch to either power-saving mode or extreme mode depending on your battery level.

Essential Tools in the ToolBag

The tools in the toolbag of the B2021 is what makes it stand apart from the other rugged phones. All the apps in the toolbag prove to be functional in one way or other. The phone is equipped with 4 kinds of sounds effects: Alarm, Dog bark sound effect, Engine sound simulator, and the SOS alarm. We don’t know why these sounds are there in the phone, but we hope it might have something to do with security. Also, we hope these sounds might come in handy when you’re roaming the wild.

Additionally, the toolbag provides you with some useful tools which will work flawlessly even while offline. The tools include a Torch, Compass, Protractor, Plumb, Fs-Clock, Timer, Voice Simulation, Step-Counter, and Magnifier.

UI design that perfectly blends with the hardware

A lot of attention has been put in while designing the UI. As you can see the octagon element is persistent everywhere in the B2021. Even the app icons are in the shape of an octagon. Most of the widgets, apps, and texts are all in yellow outdoor colour. The shape is also integrated into the boot animation, UI design etc.

That being said, on the software side, the device is equally “rugged” as it’s outside with stong features and customized UI blending well with the external rugged design.

The original price of B2021 is $199.99 on Aliexpress and Bangood. But, we could expect 55% off as an introductory offer from these retailers bringing down the rate to $109.99 in initial days. If interested, you may register on its official website.

Related: UMIDIGI Urun- GPS Sports Smartwatch Launched for Just $40

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We are heading towards the end of 2020 and we can already see the hype train keyword for next year. 5G phones are expected to be the face of smartphones in 2021 and the excitement is already building up for brands like Apple’s iPhone 12, OnePlus 8T, and more. Now, Blackview has joined the list as its new Rugged 5G smartphone is launching in a month or so. With this, Blackview becomes one of the first companies to launch a first-ever 5G rugged smartphone.

Regarding the naming, we aren’t sure how Blackview would call it yet. However, it might be different from the current ‘BV99’ series and don a new name. The 5G device is said to sport a fresh design with the usual rugged body. Hence we can expect metallic casing, Military Standard certification, water-resistance, and more.

Blackview 5G Rugged smartphone: Expected Specifications

The device will reportedly have a 6.5-inch screen with slimmer bezels. Regarding the selfie camera placement, it is likely to retain the notch-design. However, the highlight of the device will be 5G connectivity. Blackview has so far mastered the art of making rugged phones but connectivity was limited to 4G.

Editor’s Pick: Top 5 Blackview waterproof and rugged smartphones to enjoy summers flawlessly at the beach

That said, the new 5G connectivity will make it one of the first rugged smartphones in the world to support the latest network. The device is likely powered by Mediatek’s 5G SoC. Mediatek has its 5G SoC lined up under the Dimensity branding and hence, we can expect one of mid-range  SoC like Dimensity 7 or 8 series in it to keep the costs low or flagship D1000 as rumored before.

Moving on, the upcoming 5G phone will have better cameras. If reports are true, the new camera on the device will be powered by Honeywell® flagship-level 2D scanner useful for scanning barcodes. That said, we can also expect important sensors like Altimeter, Barometer, Pedometer, etc., for outdoor use.

As for the price and release date, sadly there is no concrete info yet. However, strong rumors suggest that the device will launch some time between September-October this year.

Up Next: Blackview BV9900E Pre-Sale to begin from September 21, Unboxing & Giveaway details inside

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Still riding high on the success of its last year’s Armor 3 and Armor 3T large battery rugged phones, Ulefone is all set to unveil their radically overhauled version dubbed the Armor 3W and Armor 3WT.

The Armor 3WT is the walkie-talkie version of the Armor 3W smartphone, which has gone up for pre-order bearing a considerably lowered price tag on Banggood. There are two variants of the Ulefone Armor 3W including the EU Version and the Other Area model, which is designed to work outside the European Union region.

Featuring 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage capacity, both variants usually retail for $383.89. Much to the delight of Ulefone fans, the two variants of the Armor 3W smartphone are now available for a lowered price of just $299.99 through Banggood.

In addition to getting this 22 percent discount, Banggood users can also avail free shipping on orders over $19.99. Available in orange, as well as black color options, the Ulefone Armor 3W is an irresistible smartphone that boasts an impressive array of features.

Related Deal: Pre-Order Ulefone Armor 6 Smartphone For Just $359.99 On GeekBuying And Win A Free Gift!

It sports a 5.7-inch FHD+ onecell display with 2160×1080 pixels resolution and Corning Gorilla 5 on top for added protection. Moreover, the rugged phone packs an MTK Helio P70 Octa-Core 64bit 2.1GHz processor along with a highly competent ARM Mali G72 MP3 900MHZ GPU, under the hood.

On the photography front, the Ulefone Armor 3W houses a 21MP camera with dual rear flash, touch focus and 1080P video recording at the back. Upfront, there’s an 8MP selfie camera that can also be used for video calling.

The phone runs the latest Android 9.0 Pie operating system and draws its juices from a robust 10300mAh built-in Li-Polymer battery. To check out the rest of the specifications and to place your order, simply follow this link. Note that the promo is slated to end on October 14th.

The post Pre-Order Ulefone Armor 3W Smartphone for Just $299.99 from Banggood [Get Free Shipping Over $19.99] appeared first on Gizmochina.

As smartphones get re-engineered to enhance their aesthetics with features such as slim bezels, thin frame, glass/ceramic body and others, they become more fragile. But there are persons who desire their phones to be rugged while still having all the functions of a smartphone. Blackview satisfies the need of that segment with the BV series. The rugged phone maker sent in a unit of the Blackview BV9000 for review a couple of months back. Here you have it.

BlackviewBV9000 isn’t a relatively new model as it was launched a long time ago alongside the BV9000 Pro. The models are separated by just a few hardware features. I’ve had this phone for more than 4 months and it is always with me whenever I have to hit the road to a remote region or rough terrain or while it rains. So my take on the BV9000 won’t be based on assumptions but on practical results.

DESIGN

You won’t have to take a second look at the device to conclude that the device is a rugged phone as a result of its mammoth size and weight.

The rugged phone comes with a cool rubberised body with some metal plates to add some aesthetics. The metal band and rubberized backplate held up pretty well over time. I’ve noticed that if you scratch the rubberized surface, you can polish minor scratches away with a cleaning cloth, which is pretty cool. However, any scratch to the metal backplate remains there permanently but it won’t scratch easily except on hard surface like the floor. The backplate tends to provide protection to the rear cameras and fingerprint sensor which it wraps around.

The BV9000 comes with an IP-68 rating meaning that it is water and dust resistant. The device has the SIM tray slot at the top edge while the charging port is at the bottom. Both are covered with a rubber seal designed in such a way as not to allow water in. The port also has rubber seals around it as well as the SIM slot holds tightly when it is slotted in. Also, the rugged body assures that the phone will survive a few accidental drops. The phone did drop accidentally on a few occasions, sometimes from the hands of my kids. The rubberised body gives that feel of cushion effect to any damage that may occur. I also did put the phone under running water and even inside a bucket of water and it still worked fine. Even under the rain, the phone works fine, including the display but as usual, the fingerprint sensor won’t respond well.

I found the display to be very good overall. While the sunlight legibility is not the best, it’s pretty good. I also love the loudspeaker that can get really loud and the sound quality is pretty good for a budget device. Other features include the LED notification light and a hybrid dual sim card slot. I found the fingerprint scanner to be quite accurate even though the display could light up a bit faster. The device has its volume rockers, power button and a shortcut button at the right side of the display. The shortcut button can be set to take the user directly to launch a particular app with one, two and three presses.So,you can add three different commands.

Finally, the phone lacks headset jack, which means that you always need to bring a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter with you but the phone ships with an adapter in the retail box. You also get an earphone, USB-C cable, OTG cable, a screen protector and a fast charge charging adapter.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

When it comes to hardware, the Blackview BV9000 Pro is one of the most powerful budget rugged phones out there.

The gaming performance is just great. All the 3D games work without any issues even if you play them on the very highest graphics settings, which is very impressive for a budget phone.

SPECIFICATIONS

The BV9000 packs a 5.7-inch display with FHD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It offers a triple camera setup featuring a 13MP+5MP camera combination at the back and an 8MP front shooter for selfies. The device is a MediaTek MTK6757CD Octa Core 2.6GHz processor (Helio P25), under the hood. The chipset is paired with 4GB of RAM while there are 64GB and 128GB storage options. In addition, the phone runs Android 8.0 Oreo, has dual-SIM support and crams a non-removable 4180mAh battery under the hood.

USER INTERFACE

The gadget has been very quick consistently despite the fact that I’m not a gigantic aficionado of redesigned icons in the UI. I wish Blackview stayed with stock Android yet that is effectively fixable utilizing a third-party launcher.

IMAGE QUALITY

I also like that the Blackview BV9000 is one of those rare budget phones from China that can take decent daylight pictures even on the cloudy days. The portrait shots are also surprisingly good in comparison to most of the budget Chinese phones I’ve recently tested. Selfies look pretty good but the video quality using both main and front cameras does not impress, even after receiving a few software updates. Check out some of the camera samples.

TEST NOTES

I didn’t have any connectivity issues with this phone and battery life has been consistently good. I was usually able to get about 7 hours of screen-on time which is a good result.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, I strongly hold that the Blackview BV9000 is a solid rugged phone on a budget. The phone has performed very well over time with awesome user experience.  The design is great, it attracts a lot of attention wherever I go and the battery can take you several places without fear of running out of battery power. Even the camera output is pretty decent for such a model. However, the lack of a headphone jack is quite frustrating, making it impossible to listen to music and charge the phone.

Overall, the Blackview BV9000 is still one of the best options in this price range and I recommend you check it out if you’re shopping for a rugged phone on a budget.

Buy Blackview BV9000 on Amazon

Buy Blackview BV9000 on AliExpress

Buy other Blackview Products on AliExpress

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Unihertz Atom is definitely one of the most innovative phones released in 2018 from an underground smartphone manufacturer. We took inspiration from one of the most famous Clint Eastwood’s movies by calling it “million dollar rugged phone” because, thanks to its unique features, the Shanghai-based company managed to collect more than $1 million in crowdfunding on the Kickstarter campaign well before its official launch. Unihertz Atom is the world’s smallest 4G rugged phone and this is our review with its pros and cons.

Design and build quality

Just like every rugged phone out there, Unihertz Atom does not do well in the looks department but its size and its build quality would surprise everyone. It measures only 97 x 45 x 18 mm, it weighs just 108 grams (but it will feel a bit heavy compared to its size) and, as said above, it is the smallest 4G rugged phone ever launched. This is a very important feature as people who look for a rugged phone to bring in the toughest environments usually desire a small-sized and not bulky handset.

It fits in every pocket and you can easily use it with just one hand thanks to its dimensions. Besides being incredibly small, this phone is very solid and resistant, and not only because of its very small size. It has a very sturdy build with a solid and rubberized black body and red highlights here and there. It is also IP68 certified, so you can forget worrying about dust and water. Further, it is protected against shock, vibrations and extreme temperatures. On the front side, it features a front camera, a notification LED and two capacitive keys to go back and access the multitasking menu, as well as a third one which doubles as a fingerprint reader.

The fingerprint reader does take a few seconds to react, but we found it to be accurate. On the right side, there is the power key, a push-to-talk button which opens the preinstalled app Zello, and a USB-C port which supports the OTG technology to connect external peripherals. The left side houses volume keys and a dual SIM tray (both the slots support nano-SIM cards and are 4G-enabled). The 3.5 mm audio jack (yay) is placed on the upper part of the phone, while the mono speaker is placed on the back (boo).

Display

As Unihertz Atom is the smallest rugged phone, it also has the smallest display. It has a diagonal of 2.45 inches, a resolution of 240 x 432 pixels and it is protected by Gorilla Glass (there is also a free screen protector in the box in case you do not trust Corning’s protection). The display is definitely the only real weak point of this device.

The detail is not so high, even though it is not so noticeable given the size, and viewing angles are not very wide. On the other hand, its brightness is satisfying. If you have big fingers or a poor eyesight you will find it difficult to use, but if you do not have these problems, thanks to the good brightness and a great touchscreen, you should not have issues (except for the QWERTY keyboard, you will have to get used to it or just set the old school 3×4 keyboard in the settings).

Hardware & performance

Under the hood, the Unihertz Atom has a midrange hardware side which is all but disappointing. It provides really nice performance in every scenario and given that with that display size you will surely not push multitasking to the extreme, the overall performance is smooth. It is equipped with an octa-core MediaTek Helio P20 which does its job greatly, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage not expandable. In our tests, it ran Asphalt 9 with a good and stable frame rate too!

Software

On the software side, Unihertz Atom has a stock version of Android 8.1 Oreo with no customizations, Google services included, and just a few preinstalled apps which could be useful in extreme environments in which rugged phones are usually popular. The system is smooth and apps open fastly. Right after turning it on, we got a notification with a software update containing fixes and improvements.

Camera

If there is ample lighting, the Unihertz Atom is able to click well-detailed outdoor photos which can surprise you for both detail and color reproduction (colors are just slightly washed out under direct sunlight, but HDR can adjust things). But forget shooting good photos in low-light conditions. It has a more than sufficient rear camera with a 16 MP resolution, but nothing very special. But it is enough for a small rugged phone sold at a reasonable price. The front camera is an average 8 MP sensor.

Battery

Despite its small 2000 mAh unit, we expected a bit more from the battery because of a small display with a below-average resolution which we expected to have a low energy consumption. But it’s not exactly the case here. Rugged phones are expected to have large batteries, but this ones an exception. Because of its size and hence the limited battery capacity on board, you cannot achieve a lot more than 4h of screen time under normal and constant use.

Price

Unihertz Atom is currently up for pre-orders on the official store which can be accessed at Unihertz.com. You can currently grab a unit for just $249.99 ($10 of discount for a limited time) which is definitely a great price for a unique device like this. The Unihertz Atom will start shipping in December. Overall, this device turns out to be a nice deal.

At an affordable price, you can grab a unit of a very sturdy and versatile device with very satisfying performance, water-resistance, a decent camera, and even NFC support. The small display and battery are the only compromises which should worry you if you do not like a device with a poor viewing experience going out of charge under 1.5 days.

PROs and CONS

PROs

• Very small dimensions
• Outstanding build quality
• Waterproof
• Affordable price
• NFC
• Good performance

CONS

• Not so amazing battery life
• Below-average display

The post Unihertz Atom Review: The million dollar Tiny Rugged Phone appeared first on Gizmochina.

Ulefone has a history of making rugged smartphones and the company’s latest offering, the Ulefone Armor 5 brings updated hardware inside a solid rugged body. The phone features a mid-range Helio P23 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Unfortunately, the 5.85-inch screen comes with a 1512 x 750p resolution, which is quite low for a 2018 smartphone. It doesn’t even miss the infamous notch, taking the aspect ratio to 18.9:9. However, the display is protected by Gorilla Glass 4, so they are taking the rugged aspect of the device pretty seriously.

Now, the Ulefone Armor 5 is seen in a hands on video released by the company. The phone goes through some basic tasks like talking to google assistant, sending emails, video calling on Skype, navigation and photography. In the video, the phone seems to execute each of these tasks pretty smoothly, which isn’t surprising given the Helio P23 MT6763 chip on board.

Ulefone Armor 5 aims to be a blend of rugged and modern smartphone. So it features IP68 certification which means it can survive under water (up to 1.5 meters) for up to an hour. It is drop resistant, corrosion resistant, and even high temperature resistant. This ensures that the phone will survive even the extreme environments without any major hiccups. What’s more, along with its rugged features, the Ulefone Armor 5 comes with modern tech like Qi Wireless Charging, Face Unlock. The phone is powered by Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.

The Ulefone Armor 5 is up for sale currently for a promo price of $189.99 on aliexpress until Aug 24. There are multiple bundles available along with the device, including a Mi Band 3 bundle for $210.99. You can check out the Ulefone Armor 5 Aliexpress listing and the bundles from here.

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The famous battery maker Energizer has unveiled a new smartphone focused on toughness and durability: its name is Hardcase H500S. It is an affordable device but also a solid rugged phone. It features a slim but resistant body with IP68 certification, so it is dust-resistant as well as waterproof (up to 1.2m deep for 30 minutes at max).

Further, the device is able to survive drops from a height of one meter and it has a display protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. Even though it is a rugged handset, Energizer Hardcase H500S has a thickness of just 10 mm. Its display is a classic 5-inch panel with an HD resolution: a panel with a very low consumption which helps its 3000 mAh lithium unit to reach a very long battery life. It can provide up to 22 hours of talk time.

RELATED: The Energizer Power Max P20 gets officially released!

On the hardware side, there is a quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor running at a max frequency of 1.3 GHz. The SoC is paired with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. There is a single 13 MP camera on the rear side, a 5 MP selfie camera and Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. Energizer Hardcase H500S also includes a hybrid dual SIM slot.

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Rugged phones always need more premium and resistant materials to be manufactured. That is why their price is usually higher than traditional smartphones with similar specs. Archos Saphir 50X is a device which has been launched to solve this issue. It is a rugged device, but it will launch in Europe with a very affordable price tag: it will cost just €149.90 in the Old Continent, which roughly translates into $183.

According to the company, this device can fall from one meter of height without any damage. Further, it has IP68 certification which makes it fully waterproof and dust-resistant. Archos Saphir 50X can be put underwater up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes at max. Given that it is an affordable device, it features low-end specs. The handset is equipped with a 5-inch display which shows images at an HD resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels with the IPS LCD technology.

On the hardware side, it has a quad-core MediaTek SoC, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. The main camera has a resolution of 13 MP, the front camera for selfies is a classic 5 MP snapper and the battery has a capacity of 4000 mAh. Archos Saphir 50X comes with Android Nougat out of the box and we do not know if it will ever update to Oreo.

(Via)

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We had reported a few days back that Blackview was upgrading its rugged ‘BV’ smartphone lineup with a new model soon called as the Blackview BV6000. Unlike other rugged handsets which come with mediocre hardware, Blackview has made sure that its new rugged smartphone is not just about durability but also about performance. This is why you get the latest Helio P10 octa-core chipset that powers flagships such as OPPO R9 inside the BV6000.

However, since Blackview BV6000 is basically a rugged smartphone, the company showcased the device in a unique manner at the recent Global Sources Mobile Electronics HK 2016 event. The phone is IP68 certified, so it’s waterproof, dust proof and even shock proof to some extent.

[Get The BLACKVIEW A8 For Just $49.99]

This is why the company showed the device under water in a special setup. The phone seemed to work perfectly well even inside water. You can check out the video from above.

Coming to the BV6000’s specs, apart from the MT6755 octa-core chip, the phone features 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable internal storage. You get Android Marshmallow inside, another plus point for the phone. At the back, you have a 13MP f/2.0 aperture OV sensor and up front, there will be a 5MP OV 85 degrees wide angle shooter. Since this is an outdoor-centric device, the company has used a large 4500mAh battery inside to make sure that it lasts for more than a day. Given the 4.7-inch HD display protected by Gorilla Glass 3, you need not worry about the battery life of the phone.

Other special features of the phone include Wi-fi, NFC, Snapshot button, SOS button, 4G LTE, dual SIM dual standby and double click to wake. The phone will be launched sometime in May 2016 for less than $200. Stay tuned for more details.

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From the number of rugged smartphones released by No.1 this year alone, it looks like the company is trying to specialize in this niche industry. The company’s previous releases like the No.1 X1 and the X2 have been rugged, with a large touchscreen up front. However, this time company has come up with yet another rugged phone, the No.1 A9. As you might have guessed from the different naming scheme, this particular device caters to a whole new segment, those who would like to have a physical keypad on the phone.

Yes, No.1 A9 brings rugged features to a phone with physical keypad. So, its dustproof, waterproof and even shock proof to a certain extent. This means you don’t have to worry about damaging the device in day to day rough usage. It can take a few hits. Plus all the ports are covered, meaning it can be immersed in water as well.

The phone is targeted at travelers and adventure freaks who are exposed to a harsh environment. The A9 comes with a small 2.4-inch display, with a keypad down below. It brings the old memories of a physical keypad smartphone. The phone is quite thick, measuring nearly 28mm, but you will be happy to hear that it comes with a large 4800mAh battery on board. So, its basically a powerbank as well, an ideal companion for your smartphones and other gadgets during a long trip.

The company boasts that the No.1 A9 sports excellent signal quality. You can use two SIM cards at a time as it supports dual SIM dual standby. Another highlighted feature of the device is that it can play FM radio without headphones. Finally, it features a powerful flash light as well, which can come in handy at night.

As you can see, this is not your everyday smartphone. Instead, its a niche product, ideal for trekkers, adventure enthusiasts and others who like to travel a lot. Its a basic smartphone that you can carry around wherever you want. The lack of Wi-Fi or GPS support is definitely a let down, but this phone will probably be your secondary device, which makes these drawbacks acceptable.

Naturally, being a basic smartphone, you can expect it to be pretty cheap. In fact, according to the latest information, the phone could be priced at just $45. That’s pretty cheap for a rugged smartphone.

So, what do you think about the No.1 A9? Anyone interested in this super cheap rugged phone?

You can check out more details from their official website.

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A few days back, we had shown off some pictures of the No.1 M2 smartphone. It was the third rugged device from the smartphone maker No.1 within the past three months and is targeted at those users who are looking for a compact phone that can withstand any harsh environment. At that time, we didn’t have much details about the device, but now, the company has released the tech specs as well as pricing of the M2.

The No.1 M2 features a 64-bit quad-core processor clocked at 1.3Ghz. While we don’t know the processor make, it could be from Mediatek, most likely the MT6732 64-bit SoC. The phone come with 1GB RAM on board and 8GB of internal storage. Given that this is a rugged device, it features a 4.5-inch display with Corning’s Gorilla Glass protection. So, you don’t have to worry about scratches on your screen.

Apart from being scratch proof, the No.1 M2 also boasts of being water proof and shock proof. In fact, to showcase the resistant capacity of the device, the company has released two new videos. The first YouTube video shows the M2 being dropped inside water without any visible damage. The second shows the phone being dropped from the top of the stairs, once again without any damage. The IP68 certification also gives us an idea about the ruggedness of the phone.

No.1 M2 Waterproof Test:

No.1 M2 Shockproof Test:

As for the camera, the phone sports a 13MP sensor at the back with LED flash and enhanced face detection and exposure controls. At the front, you get a 5MP camera. One of the highlights of the device is the new Android 5.0 Lollipop version that comes pre-installed on the device out of the box. There are hardly any rugged phones out there that run the new Lollipop OS, so this is definitely its selling point. Further, the bold looks and the 14.1mm thin body makes the device all the more appealing.

Coming to the best part of the device, the company will make the No.1 M2 available for sale by April this year for less than $100! The phone will be available for purchase via AliExpress with DHL shipping available in most countries.

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Recently there have been a lot of buzz about the upcoming ultra-rugged No.1 X-men X1 smartphone. Today, we got a glimpse of the true resistant power of the phone, when the guys over at No.1 ran a car over the device.

As you can see in the video shown below, the No.1 X-men X1 actually survives a car being rolled over it. Thanks, to its hard outer shell, the phone comes out scratch less after this feat. The company had made big claims about the device back when it announced it, but this is a real world example to show the actual strength of the No.1 X1. In the video, like you can see, the touchscreen worked perfectly fine even after the car went over it. So, its safe to assume that the phone can take a beating and it’s built to survive harsh conditions.

The X1 is certified to be rugged. Its IP68 complaint and is resistant against 7 different kinds of damages. The phone is waterproof, dustproof , pressure proof, freezeproof, Shockproof, high-temperature proof and Scratch Proof. So, you don’t have to worry about damaging your phone in whatever harsh environment that you are going to expose it.

Even the specifications are mid-range making it different than other rugged phones which usually feature disappointing specs. On the front, there is a 5-inch display with HD resolution which has become a standard among mid-range phones these days. Inside, the phone houses a quad-core 1.3GHz MT6582 processor with 1GB RAM. At the rear is the 13MP camera sensor with LED flash while up front lies the 3MP shooter. To power all these specs, you have a very large 5,800 mAh battery inside, which the company claims provides standby times of over 50 days which is a pretty impressive claim for any smartphone. It comes with Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box. As for the network connectivity, it supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900m and WCDMA 850/900/2100 networks.

Clearly the specs, design as well as the 7-Proof nature of the phone makes it one of the best rugged smartphones that we have seen lately. We have not yet received an official price from the company but expect the phone to retail anywhere around $185.

For more information, check out their official website here.

So, what do you think of the device after the durability test?  Would you buy the all new No.1 X-Men X1?

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Just last week No.1 released a set of images of the new No.1 X-men X1 ultra-rugged smartphone. However, at that time, apart from pictures, there was very little information about the specifications of the device. But today, the company has revealed some more details on the X1 and judging from the specs, the overall package definitely looks impressive.

On the front, there is a 5-inch 1280 x 720p HD display, which is big considering other rugged phones in the market. The large screen provides enough real estate to play games or even watch movies on the device. Inside, there is a MT6582 quad-core processor, which is now a standard among Chinese phones. On the back, you have a 13MP rear camera with LED flash while on the front, there is a 5MP shooter. The LED flash will especially come in handy when you are out at night and want to click some pictures. It can also be used as a flashlight, thanks to the various apps that you’ll find on the Android app store. To power all these specs, there is a large 5,800 mAh battery on board. Like we pointed out earlier, this battery should be enough for many days and you won’t have to worry about a charger when you are going out somewhere with this device.

The No.1 X-Men X1 is IP68 compliant, so you know that its ruggedness is certified. What’s more, the company claims that the phone is 7-proof! What they mean is that the X1 is resistant against seven different types of damages. So, the phone is waterproof, dustproof , pressure proof, freezeproof, Shockproof, high-temperature proof and Scratch Proof. The strong outer frame makes sure that your phone is protected from any of the above mentioned dangers.

Unlike some rugged smartphones, the No. X-Men X1 doesn’t look ugly too. You have strong design lines with a bright orange shade throughout the device which set its apart from the crowd. Its may be a bit bulky to look at, however, we feel the extra large 5,800 mAh battery easily compensates for the thickness.

Clearly, the X1 is equipped with all the features you need for outdoor use. We’ll update more details like pricing and availability soon.

Check out the the gallery below for more images.

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