Best Rugged Smartphones

Finding the best rugged smartphone for travel adventures and exploring can be hard when there’s so many different brands and manufactures on offer and a range of top specs to compare. You want something that’s going to survive long days out hiking up mountains and exploring the outdoors without suddenly dying or becoming un-responsive.

A rugged and tough smartphone needs to be waterproof and usable in the rain as well as have a good camera to get those stunning photos. Most importantly the battery has to last and be quickly rechargeable for when you are getting ready for your next adventure.

Top 10 Rugged Smartphones Compared

We present the Top 10 rugged mobile phone comparison to give you the lowdown on a phone that can withstand the elements, survive accidental drops and knocks and be your trusty companion on your travel adventures. Reviewed on price, battery life, weight, cameras and the specs of the CPU and memory to help you choose your next tough smartphone.

1 – Land Rover Explore

The best all round rugged smartphone for adventurers with a waterproof, drop-proof design and portable battery module. It can work in an ultra freezing operating temperatures and the touchscreen also works when wet using a glove. The home screen features an Outdoor Dashboard for the latest weather information and all sensor data from the phone.

2 – Doogee S90

One of the first 5G rugged smartphones available in 2019 using a clever modular design for additional features including Night Vision, Walkie Talkie & Extra Battery Life. It’s great value for money and a has a good range of spec.

It’s the toughest phone money can buy with an IP69K rating and sets the benchmark with an easy dynamic clip-on accessory range and giant battery life.

3 – Ulefone Armor 2

Built like a tank with a high end performance specification for the price. The Ulefone Armor 2 rugged smartphone is made for those who love travelling and want to get the best possible reliability with a powerful user experience and features.

With the most powerful dual-satellite GPS positioning system and GLONAS, you can get righ to your destination no matter where you are in the world.

4 – AGM X3

The AGM X3 rugged high spec smartphone is comfortably the fastest tough phone in 2019.It has stylish looks so can be used as an everyday phone as well as a durable outdoor and exploration handset

It’s powered by the Snapdragon 845 chip, which is currently only in few high end smartphones. The X3 is only available as an import from AGM and not available from UK retailers yet.

5 – AGM X2

A rugged smartphone that is superior when it comes to overall results, with top end benchmark scores in, battery life, camera quality, and build quality. It’s a tough bit of gear with a long lasting battery and also floats in water.

Unfortunately though the X2 has a basic 802.11 WiFi, and not industry standard 802.11ac Wi-Fi which can affect speeds.

6 – Doogee S60

The Doogee S60 is feature packed rugged smartphone with NFC, Wireless Charging, 6GB’s of RAM and a fully charged MediaTek Helio P25 CPU. It comes with an IP68 rating for full protection and large 5580mAh battery life for a full days exploring

The phone has a rugged feel and design with a tough outer case and a powerful 21MP Sony IMX230 camera to get great focused photos.

7 – Blackview BV9000

The BV9000 Pro is a very robust and rugged smartphone at a very affordable price. It feature a dual lens camera however the rest of the spec on board this phone are very average.

It is great value for money only costing £240 at the time of writing this so would be best suited for those who regularly drop their phones and want a cheaper replacement than an iPhone.

8 – CAT S61

A feature packed military graded rugged smartphone that out performs the rest with in an inbuilt Thermal Imaging Camera, Laser Measuring Tool and Air Quality Sensor, it really is a builders best friend. Cat have stepped up the mark making this one of the most tough phones around with an IP69 and 810G military rating making it nearly indestructible.

The only negative about the CAT S61 is it’s expensive price tag.

9 – Blackview BV9500

Quite literally a power plant on wheels the BV9500 hosts a stunning 10,000mAh inbuilt battery with fast charging which will last for days. It has some great spec for the money and has some extra options like walkie talkie mode.

However with an average sized internal storage of 64GB and a dual lens camera which isn’t up to scratch; the second lens just being a 0.3MP VGA lens for getting light measurements in photos it’s size doesn’t outweigh it’s flaws.

10 – CAT S41

An all round great performer the CAT S41 is a rugged phone made for those who know about the CAT brand and want the after product care that CAT offer. It includes a 5-inch display and 13MP camera but is more driven for day to day work, going on whatsapp and using as a SatNav, with just 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage.

The phone body is a tough and highly resistant design for abuse and drops but nothing screams out making this rugged phone amazing