Four new rugged travel smartphones built for adventure that will keep going wherever you are
This week’s Mobile World Congress saw super-tough smartphones from Land Rover, Energizer, Caterpillar and Hong Kong’s RugGear making their mark, packing huge batteries, drop- and freeze-proof bodies, and new GPS functions
When it comes to finding the ultimate phone for their next trip, a lot of people will look for which has the best camera – and with this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona seeing the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, Sony’s Xperia XZ2 and the Nokia 8 Sirocco, they are not short of options to choose from.
However, a new kind of device has emerged with a stronger focus on features that other travellers – think skiers, snowboarders, hikers and snorkellers – have been demanding for years. These “adventure travel phones” can survive in freezing climates, be dropped and bumped, and pack huge batteries.
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One of the first to come along is the Land Rover Explore (US$835/HK$6,545). For most phones you can buy a case that protects against bumps, drops and scratches, but the Explore has all that built in. It can survive a drop from 1.8 metres, works well underwater – even in salt water – and it works below freezing and in extreme humidity.
It has also got a huge 4,000mAh battery and – this is where it gets good – there are plenty of options for customising this five-inch Android phone. Add an “adventure pack” module and the battery life doubles, plus the phone receives a powerful GPS patch antenna to turn it into a handheld GPS device that will work in the mountains and other remote areas.
Other modules include an additional battery and, for cyclists, a universal bike mount. It even comes with a carabiner for rock climbers, and has weather sensors, an SOS flashlight, a night red-filter mode, and sunrise/sunset times built-in.