Smartphones are nearly indispensable in today’s society. If you need a ride, a meal, or even a place to stay for the night, you can just open an app on your smartphone. This makes damaging your smartphone crippling instead of just annoying.
The same features that make smartphones so useful also make them susceptible to damage. Their slimness means that you can break one in half just by sitting on it. Their touchscreens are in constant danger of shattering from a small drop. But because you need them so much, you’d rush to the nearest store that repairs Androids or whatever phone you have.
When worrying about your phone becomes too much, consider upgrading to rougher and more rugged models.
Certifiably Rugged
When you’re shopping for a rugged smartphone, you need to know that water-resistance or even waterproofing doesn’t make a device rugged. To qualify as a rugged phone, the device model has to pass different certifications. A device needs two general types of certifications to officially be a rugged phone: Ingress Protection and Military Standard.
Ingress Protection refers to the certification the International Electrotechnical Commission gives a smartphone, indicating the device performance after you expose it to water or particulates, like dust and dirt. There are separate ratings for dirt and water. Particulate ratings range from 1 to 6 and water exposure ratings go from 1 to 8. A smartphone with the rating of IP 68 indicates that the device is impervious to dirt, and you can leave it underwater for an undetermined period, depending on the depth.
Only different sections of the United States Military or the Department of Defense award Military Standard certification. The rating scale of Military Standard means much more than just waterproofing or dirt resistance. Some indicate that a phone can survive a fall onto concrete or rapid temperature changes. One rating category indicates that the device can survive both of these things and nuclear radiation.
Landmarks of a Rugged Phone
Smartphones can be durable even without these certifications, but if you want a truly rugged device, you should assess it for the following qualities.
- A really tough screen. You can tell if the device has a screen that will survive most damage by asking about the screen’s material. If you have a job that makes dropping your phone a routine risk, invest in a rugged phone with double glass screens.
- Check if it’s waterproof. Outdoor sports or activities, such as hiking and sailing, expose your smartphone to moisture. If you enjoy these kinds of activities, check the IP rating of your intended phone and see if the exterior protects USB ports, audio jacks, and other ingress points from liquids.
- Make sure it has a long battery life. All the security features and added durability of a smartphone is useless without a battery capacity to match it. Without a reliable battery, your rugged phone is just a really tough plastic brick.
With a high-quality rugged smartphone in hand, you can go about your day secure in the knowledge that nothing you encounter during the day will do anything to your phone. Not even a nuclear blast.
Meta Title: What are the Qualities of a Really Good Rugged Phone?
Meta Description: A delicate smartphone might not last according to your needs. Fortunately, you can switch to a durable, rugged device by looking at two key rating categories.
Tags:
