Rugged phones

Phones with a rugged casing are more resistant to drops. This is usually due to the use of additional materials, which makes the casing look a bit sturdier. Rugged often means waterproof, but the reverse is not necessarily true.

In the past, water- and dust-resistant phones were usually also rugged. These days, manufacturers are increasingly adopting a waterproof design without the device necessarily being rugged as well. As a result, the design is often sleeker and more compact—and therefore more susceptible to damage from drops. The screen, in particular—which has grown larger in recent years—is often the first to suffer after an accidental drop. Cell phones with a rugged casing offer protection specifically against damage from drops. This is usually achieved by adding extra material around the edges, particularly rubber.

Drop-resistant phones

However, there are also phones that don’t immediately look rugged but are actually more resistant to drop damage. This is sometimes due to their construction, which features a sturdy metal frame and a display that is recessed into the casing. Developments in display glass technology are also ongoing. For example, Corning’s Gorilla Glass gets better and stronger with each new generation. However, even the latest generation of Gorilla Glass can still break in unfortunate circumstances. This category is for those who absolutely do not want to take that risk. It’s useful for people who spend a lot of time outdoors, since rugged devices are typically water-, dust-, and temperature-resistant. But it also appeals to those who work frequently with small children and where accidents are always a possibility.

Brands of Rugged Phones

The “rugged phones” and “tough phones” from most telecom manufacturers are often easy to recognize by their product lines. Samsung often uses the names “Active” and “Xcover,” and Lenovo/Motorola typically uses “Force” as a suffix for its rugged smartphones. In addition, there are manufacturers that specialize exclusively in producing rugged products, including:

• Cat rugged phones
• Sonim rugged phones
• RugGear rugged phones
• Crosscall rugged phones

MIL-STD-810

Although ruggedness is difficult to measure, standards have indeed been developed. MIL-STD-810 is one such standard. The standard was first developed in 1962, and products meeting this standard are approved for use by the U.S. military. The standard has several versions, of which MIL-STD 810G is the most recent. Despite its military background, the standard is also frequently used by phone manufacturers to demonstrate ruggedness. However, manufacturers are free to use the term without needing approval from any governing body. Therefore, one should not immediately place too much stock in a manufacturer’s claim of being MIL-STD-810G certified.