Cell phones

Basic breakdown of ruggedized phones

Customers who want to buy aresistant phone can generally be divided into three groups, according to their requirements. These customers are usually looking for one ofoutdoor phones

• durable touchscreen phone with superior performance
  • It is for those who are looking for touch resistant phone with performance, large display and memory and high battery capacity. They also want to use apps like WhatsApp, Maps.cz, YouTube, ... on the phone. They don't mind the larger size of the phone or the weight. The superior parameters are:
    .
    • Display 6" or more
    • 8-core processor
    • internal memory of 64GB or more
    • operating memory 4GB or more
    • Battery capacity 6000mAh and above
    • fingerprint reader
    • wireless charging
    • SOS button
    • notification LED
  • durable touchscreen phone with standard features
    • It's for those who want to use apps like WhatsApp, Maps.cz, YouTube, ... and require a larger display in a durable phone. On the other hand, they want to carry the phone in their pocket and are limited by its size and weight
  • durable push button phone
    • It is for those who want to use the rugged phone only for calls and texts, or use protective gloves frequently when handling the phone

The following are the main features that users look for most in a rugged phone

Coverage level and military standards

Intrusion protection (IP) rating indicates the phone's resistance to foreign object and liquid intrusion. The most common degree of protection for a rugged phone today is IP68, or IP69. If the manufacturer has omitted testing for one part of the rating, list only the letter X instead of the certification rating, e.g. IPX9. Below are the most common certifications

Grade               Dangerous touching           by intrusion of foreign objects

IP 5x                any aid                  dust partially</p

IP 6x                any tool                  dust completely

Waterproof                 waterproof (IPX specification)</p

IP x8                     Protection against continuous immersion in water under conditions specified by the manufacturer

IP x9                 Protection against gushing high-pressure hot water

Some waterproof phones also meet the military standard MIL-STD-810G. The difference in the degree of protection is that the military standard MIL-STD-810G determines the methods of testing ruggedized phones in different conditions. It determines how many times, or how long, a rugged phone can withstand very low and very high atmospheric pressure, low and high temperature conditions, including exposure to thermal shocks during operation and in the off state. It is determined how long an outdoor phone can withstand rain, including freezing rain, and the effects of salt air, sand, dust, rapid acceleration and deceleration, shock and transport shock, and the effects of controlled and random vibration are tested. The purpose of the tests is to simulate conditions in the environment.

Display Protection

Most outdoor phones use protective glass< Gorilla Glass. These were developed by Corning Inc. They are made of a material called alkali-aluminum-silicate, which is created by combining aluminum, silicone and oxygen. Glass protection is developed for two main types of damage. Drop resistance and scratch resistance. But the two properties go against each other. In order to withstand a fall, the glass must be soft. But soft glass is easily scratched. Harder glass, on the other hand, can cope with scratches, but is more fragile. Glass protection technology is improving all the time. After the Gorilla Glass to Gorilla Glass 6 models, the latest Gorilla Glass Victus was launched in 2020, which handles both protections best. Below the features for the last two models of protective glass: 

Gorilla Glass 6 - can withstand up to 15 drops from a height of one meter

Gorilla Glass Victus- withstands drops on hard ground from up to two metres, scratch resistance is double that of Gorilla Glass 6

Sensors

Outdoor phones have mostly lagged behind traditional phones in their development. But today, the rugged smart ones already have most of the common sensors. So they have an accelerometer, G-sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor and NFC. Some rugged phones also have abarometer that measures atmospheric pressure and is part of the GPS system. The barometer allows you to measure the altitude a person is at, making it more accurate and faster to mark the location of the device and with it the person.

Phone design

To increase the durability of the phone, some manufacturers use the technology of inserting a magnesium metal frame into the inner perimeter of the durable phone. This frame gives the outdoor phone superior mechanical durability that protects the internal components.

For external protection, rugged phones have a< massive rubber frame. Its quality often determines how long your rugged phone will last.

When choosing a rugged phone, buyers should also focus on protection of connectors against the ingress of dirt and liquids, this is usually implemented by a removable rubber cover.  USB-C the connector itself is waterproof and does not need a cover.</p

For more information on rugged phones, see our articles How to choose a rugged phone,  Five reasons to buy a rugged phone.

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