Unbreakable tough waterproof smartphones should be the new normal. However, a significantly high number of people in South Africa are still using the vulnerable breakable smartphones.

iPhone 12 recently passed the ruggedness test, however, Apple still recommended the consumers to buy and use a protection cover. This is a very telling advice on the side of Apple. The whole point of buying an iPhone is the fun of having a strong super-thin smartphone. The moment you clothe your iPhone with a cover, it loses the cool and thin look. Unfortunately, Apple seems not to really care about that, meaning the ruggedness of the iPhone is questionable. 

Considering that this is the case, it is time to think about the new breed of rugged smartphones offered by Gorugged, which range from super-thin to attractively big. They all have built-in drop-and-dunk resistance, no case needed. And they typically offer a slew of useful features no iPhone or Samsung Galaxy or Huawei phone can replicate.

For example, the AGM A9 and Cat S52 lay claim to being the lightest and thinnest rugged phones, respectively. The bigger but sleek Cat S61 offers unique sensors for temperature and distance. The diminutive Ulefone Armor X9 writes a new page in the rugged phone stylebook, while the Blackview BV9900 and Crosscall Trekker X4 make no apologies for the rugged lines that envelop these apocalypse-ready devices.
Water Resistance

Rugged phones sold at GoRugged laugh at being dropped on a hard floor, dunked in water or even immersed in liquid. The ruggedness credential for most phones is Military Standard 810-G, which encompasses a lot of specifications but is commonly described as the ability to withstand a 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) drop without damage. All the phones at Gorugged are 810-G-rated.

A phone's resistance to foreign matter is signified by an IP code, typically IP68. The 6 in IP68 means the phone is closed to dust and grit, while the 8 means the phone is protected against water immersion "under conditions...agreed between the manufacturer and user", according to the International Electrotechnical Commission, which oversees the standard. That means not all IP68 ratings are the same. It can denote immersion resistance ranging from 5 feet for 30 minutes for the AGM A9, 2 meters for 30 minutes for the Ulefone Armour X9 2 meters or as much as 3 meters for 60 minutes for the Cat S61. Read the tech specs before you buy, but all the phones at Gorugged have some level of IP68 protection. The Cat S61 achieves an IP69 rating, indicating that they can also resist direct sprays of liquid.

Push to Talk

With fires, power outages, floods and other unusual events becoming more usual, many people are joining local neighborhood response groups or CERT teams, which rely on radio-style communications but not necessarily with actual radios. Push to Talk over mobile phone apps such as the one offered by Instacom allow a phone to work like a walkie-talkie with anyone else running the same app.

All of the phones on our list except the Cat S52 have one or two dedicated buttons that can be set to Push to Talk.

Dual Sim Cards

Most of the phones on our list support dual SIMs, giving them another kind of ruggedness: network resiliency. If you're willing to spend the money, having two carriers activated on a phone can mean the difference between having service or not during a crisis. Setting up a pair of technically distinct carriers on a phone can substantially reduce your odds of being offline when networks are jammed or damaged.

Cameras and Screens

Rugged phones used to treat camera and display quality as elective, but these new models leave little lacking when it comes to these features. They may not have the number of cameras found on flagship phones like the iPhone 12 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S21, but the cameras they do have are ample in megapixels and take advantage of the Google image processing built into Android.

Should I buy a Rugged Phone?

If you are tired of breaking phones and you are big on outdoor adventures or public service volunteer work, think beyond the usual suspects next time you are in the market for a phone. These new rugged alternatives make phones excitingly distinct again.