An indispensable travel companion, a smartphone can quickly find itself in hostile territory, whether on a beach, by a pool or in the middle of any outdoor activity. Here are 5 devices built to survive the most challenging circumstances.
Caterpillar CAT S50
Waterproof up to 1m for 30 minutes and resistant to dust and drops of up to 1.2m, the CAT S50 can function in temperatures ranging from -13°F (-25°C) to 131°F (55 °C). The 4.7 inch (1280×720 pixels) smartphone has a quad-core Qualcomm MSM8926 processor clocked at up to 1.2GHz and 2GB of RAM.
The battery will give you 16 hours of 3G talk time and it is also the first Caterpillar smartphone to come with customised and useful applications.
The CAT S50 retails for US$459.99
Quechua Phone
Quechua partnered with French manufacturer Archos to produce its first smartphone, built "to be mountainproof" (water, dirt and wind). It comes equipped with a rubber shell that allows it to absorb shocks, as well as a touchscreen made of thick hardened glass. Quechua also boasts of 22 hours of talk time.
The Quechua Phone 5 retails for £199
Fieldbook F1
Shock, dust and water resistant, Logic Instrument's Fieldbook F1 can theoretically function in extreme temperatures ranging from 14°F (-10°C) to 131°F (55°C). This is a quality phablet, with a 6 inch HD display (1920×1080 pixels) operating on Android Lollipop. The Fieldbook F1 is also equipped with many sensors (barometer, ambient light, etc.) which transform the phablet into an actual weather station.
Contact the manufacturer for a price request.
Galaxy Xcover 3
A robust entry-level smartphone from Samsung, the Xcover 3 can handle water, dust and drops (up to 1.2m). Beyond that, it's got a 4.5 inch 800×480 pixel display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor,1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable with a microSD card.
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 retails for €229.
The Turing Phone
Only available online since the beginning of this summer, the Turing Phone bills itself as a secure smartphone, guaranteeing the privacy of your conversations and data, which are systematically encrypted. The Turing Phone also has a casing made of a never-used-before material called Liquidmorphium, which is stronger than steel and titanium according to its creator, and which protects it from physical and climatic hardships.
The Turing Phone is only available online, starting at US$610.
