Yes, your iPhone is lovely but can you drop it from a two-storey building without leaving a scratch?
Of course, your Blackberry is impressive but can you go deep sea diving without taking it out of your pocket?
No sissy boys, you can’t.
What you need is a manly, no frills phone that can withstand the most brutal punishment and still get decent signal.
Here are five such rugged handsets you can rely on, even in the worst of conditions.
Sonim XP3300
Drop it onto concrete, submerge it in wastewater, hurl it against the wall, the Sonim XP3300 won’t let you down.
It’s water resistant, scratch resistant, dust resistant and boast a 1.5MM thick gorilla glass display. How much more manly can it get?
Staying power isn’t a problem either. You’ll get a staggering 24 hours of talktime out of this bad boy and a mind-boggling 800 hours on standby.
Luxuries are in short supply, but you do get a 2MP camera with a flash bright enough to blind any unsavoury characters you come across in your no-doubt hardman field of work.
JCB Toughphone Sitemaster
Even the name of this phone sounds intimidating. But the hardware packs a considerable punch too.
It can supposedly withstand a ton of pressure and has been built to ‘military standard’ according to JCB. Impressive.
Other nifty features include Bluetooth, FM Radio, a torch and a laser pointer. Standby time is nearly 3 weeks too, so you won’t have to charge it very often either.
Samsung Solid Immerse
For a cheap and cheerful alternative, the Samsung Solid Immerse is a decent piece of kit.
Like most of the above, you can batter it against a wall or leave it sitting in a bowl of water and it won’t effect performance one bit.
Unlike the JCB and Sonim modeals though, you can have a little bit more fun with the Immerse, as logging onto Facebook and Twitter is possible.
You also get a useful torch, an impressive keypad and FM radio.
Motorola Defy
If you like the idea of a tough phone, but can’t even comprehend the notion of living without apps and a slick web-ready operating system, then the Motorla Defy is a nice middle ground.
You get a smart Android touchscreen handset, but with a rugged twist.
The tough Gorilla glass screen makes the Defy scratch, water and dust resistant, so unlike most other touchscreens, you don’t have to fret about this one slipping out of your pocket.
The battery is also more resilient than most smartphones and you can last a good few days without charging, particularly if you refrain from hammering power-sapping apps.
The Verdict
If you’re looking for the best all-round phone then the Motorola Defy is without doubt the most complete package.
However, for sheer knuckle-dragging toughness, the Sonim XP3300 would be my choice. It’s as rugged as anything else on the market and the battery can keep going for over a month.
And that’s tough!
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