Rugged phones (1 Viewer)

[pppppvvvv]

I'm seeing more and more "Rugged" Android phones on the market recently.
All waterproof, drop proof, seemingly very high capacity batteries.
Some claim the screen can be used when wet, others have thermal camera or night vision built in.

Motorola Defy 2, Doogee S100, etc.

On the face of it, they seem ideal for birding! Has anyone got one?

I have tended to go for cheap/mid-range Android phones with waterproof case, and not worry too much if they get damaged. They do struggle, however, in that they become unusable in rain, the screen seems to react more to raindrops than a fingertip!

 

[Mono]

Most rugged work phones are very heavy. The thermal option is optimised for engineering use looking at heating or electrical systems.

There is a review (from an electrical engineering point of view) here...

I am tempted but they do look huge.

 

[Mike Crawley]

I did have a fabulous little Nokia phone (a 5210) for a few years a while ago. They claimed the case was waterproof and dust proof but I didn’t every test the claim.

 

[pppppvvvv]

I did have a fabulous little Nokia phone (a 5210) for a few years a while ago. They claimed the case was waterproof and dust proof but I didn’t every test the claim.

That one wins a lot of battles vs today's phones! Battery life in particular, but I wouldn't be able to do my ebird, or field surveys with it.

 

[pppppvvvv]

I'm looking at two likely models at the moment, Motorola Defy 2 and Nokia XR21.
Both have the advantage of being "regular" looking, well known brands. Not too dissimilar from the standard android phones, but with the rugged features.

 

[Richard D]

I'm looking at two likely models at the moment, Motorola Defy 2 and Nokia XR21.
Both have the advantage of being "regular" looking, well known brands. Not too dissimilar from the standard android phones, but with the rugged features.

I've had the older XR20 for a couple of years now and been happy enough - solid reliable performer rather than earth shattering performance and definitely more robust than most without looking particularly odd. I like Nokia's lack of bloatware and pretty much stock Android (plus locally dual sim is very handy when I'm travelling round Kent for work - some networks have dead or weak spots particularly along the coast). Updates come through on a reasonably timely basis. I'm not into using demanding applications so it's fine for my needs. Screen is still a pain to use in the rain though.

 

[pppppvvvv]

I got an Ulefone 18t, which had a £100 off on Amazon prime day (plus pooling all my birthday money, and giving my current phone to my daughter who, unbeknown to us, has been watching her Huawei 10 slowly grind to a halt!). It looks like it is back up to £600+ which I don't think I could justify.

It has a couple of features that could have been potentially useful, but I don't think they are in practice.
The thermal camera is more industry biased, as opposed to wildlife, although it could be ok in the dead of night.
It also has a microscope, but this only works for a subject pressed against the lens, so unlikely to have many uses in wildlife, grasses perhaps.

Having said that, the phone is very good, fast, and battery lasts 2 days and charges quickly off the mains.
A bit on the chunky side, but I need this, or at least to try this. My phones do get a bashing.
Camera seems fine.
I was reluctant to get this phone, as it is a fairly unknown brand, but it seems fine.

I suspect there is a cheaper ulefone model in the range with the speed and battery life, but without the thermal. Their product range is extremely difficult to navigate.

Not much else to say! I haven't dropped it, or drowned it yet. It's been round Keyhaven collecting ebird data, and grabbed a few pics inside the moth trap!

 

[Butty]

the phone is very good, fast, and battery lasts 2 days

...like all brand-new phones!

 

[pppppvvvv]

...like all brand-new phones!

Yes, and that has just got me thinking. There is no option to delete the dalvik cache on this phone, which had me slightly worried. As that was often a solution for devices slowing down.
It turns out, latest versions of android, the dalvik is no longer, and the cache is cleared for each app individually.
( I haven't filled mine up just yet, working on it!)