Rugged phones

Phones with a rugged casing are more resistant to drops. This is usually due to the application of additional materials that immediately make the casing look a bit coarser. Robust often also means waterproof, not the other way around.

In the past, water- and dust-proof phones were usually rugged as well. Nowadays, manufacturers are increasingly adopting a waterproof design without immediately making a device rugged as well. As a result, the design is often finer and more compact and therefore more susceptible to fall damage. In particular, the display screen, which has become increasingly larger in recent years, is often a victim after an unintentional drop. Cell phones with a robust casing particularly offer protection against fall damage. This is usually done by adding extra material around the edges, especially rubber.

Phones resistant to falls

However, there are also phones that do not immediately look robust but are more resistant to drop damage. This is sometimes due to the construction applied with a sturdy metal frame and by sinking the screen into the casing. Developments in the field of screen glass are not standing still either. For example, the so-called Gorilla Glass from manufacturer Corning gets better and stronger with each generation. However, even the latest generation of Gorilla Glass still wants to break in unfortunate cases. For those who absolutely do not want to run that risk is this category. Useful for those who spend a lot of time outdoors, as robust is also usually water, dust and temperature resistant. But also those who work a lot with small children and an accident is lurking may feel addressed as a target group.

Brands of rugged phones

The 'rugged phones' and 'tough phones' of most telecom manufacturers are often easy to identify through the use of serial names. Samsung often uses the name 'Active' and 'Xcover' and Lenovo/Motorola often uses 'Force' as an addition for its rugged smartphones. In addition, there are manufacturers that specialize in releasing only rugged products including:

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

MIL-STD-810

Despite the fact that ruggedness is difficult to measure, standards have been developed. MIL-STD-810 is one such. The standard was first developed in 1962 and products with this designation are authorized for use in 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 often used by phone manufacturers to demonstrate ruggedness. However, manufacturers are free to use the term without having to obtain approval from an umbrella body. Therefore, one should not immediately give too much credence to a manufacturer's claim to be MIL-STD 810G certified.