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My phone is currently having death throes, I can't complain it's at least 5 years old and up until now has never caused me any grief. I need a more robust phone as it does tend to get chucked about a bit hence my current choice of a Ulefone Armor 6E. I was going to replace it with another Ulefone, the Armor 12 5G, but they don't appear to be the bargain that they once were so have searched a bit wider and have stumbled upon the Nokia XR20. Anything else I should be looking at? Trying to keep the budget to around £300.
Thanks.
Quadlock case with poncho and any old phone you like?
I had a quick look at that Nokia, consensus seemed to be that it's hard as nails but is mediocre as a phone.
Didn't someone mention a lesser-known ruggedised Samsung on here the other day?
TBH though, I'm with igm, I'd be going with an Otterbox and not being an oaf. 😁 I dropped mine the other day which might yet prove to have been one drop too many, so I might be having a "what phone?" thread myself shortly.
Doogee V Max 5G
Pros: Under £300 on AliExpress. Decent performance. Very tough. Lasts a week between charges due to its humongous 22000mah battery.. No really - a week!
Cons: Huge battery equals HUGE phone. I had the S88Pro before and this is twice the size. Only fits in my pocket if I wear my "special" trousers. Too heavy for a Quadlock bar mount.
Other features: Handy as a weapon to strike attackers or throw at them. Ideal to mimic that bit in Crocodile Dundee - "That's not a phone! THIS is a phone!" Limits your excessive screen time as you can't hold it that long.
(Did I mention it was big?)
Didn’t someone mention a lesser-known ruggedised Samsung on here the other day?
Yup, Samsung Galaxy XCover 5. I got one on the basis of the recommendation and it ticks every box for me. Great small cheap rugged phone but only 4G so no good to OP.
I would go for a pixel 6a at 299 with a decent cover. The 6a is ip67 protected and with a decent case and screen protector will be physically well protected.
The benefit is you get a much better phone with longer android version and security updates. The 6a camera is far superior and the processor superior.
Thanks for the replies, I had no idea that you could get waterproof cases these days so that's something to look at as I could be persuaded to go for a Pixel, that said I don't really use many of the features that modern smartphones have, primarily I use my phone for Whatsapp/text messages, phone calls, to play music via Spotify, and as a sat nav with Google maps or Waze, secondarily I use it with Komoot as an emergency back up to my Garmin, the occasional photo, and to quickly check things on line, very very rarely to I watch videos or stream TV programmes etc.
I use it with Komoot as an emergency back up to my Garmin
You know you can load Komoot onto some Garmin devices?
don’t really use many of the features that modern smartphones have, primarily
Don't fool yourself, your "primarily" there is what everyone else does.
Phones are increasingly becoming electronic Swiss Army Knives and whilst I'm sure it's handy to someone I can't recall every needing to bale twine or remove a stone from a boy scout's hoof.
Not with a phone anyway
... yet.
You know you can load Komoot onto some Garmin devices?
Yes I do, but that won't be much use if I lose the Garmin or the battery craps out, which is the reason for a back up, I tend to be paranoid about these things!
Don’t fool yourself, your “primarily” there is what everyone else does.
I suspect you are correct, but does that mean I need a phone with the latest all singing all dancing processor etc. (genuine question) I've always felt that many peoples phone choices are dictated by fashion rather than what they need, the exception being perhaps camera quality for the photo enthusiast, but that isn't an issue for me.
I had no idea that you could get waterproof cases these days
A lot of decent phones are IP68 (basically waterproof) now even without a case.
I like my Otterbox case as it keeps fluff and grit out of the charging port.
Check out Blackview phones and get whichever you fancy.
I've had a BV9900 Pro for a few years. Tough as boots and doors everything a smartphone does. I have no qualms stealing it to my bars and using it as a bike computer. Has nifty thermal imaging camera too
That model isn't 5g though
I suspect you are correct, but does that mean I need a phone with the latest all singing all dancing processor etc. (genuine question)
IMHO,
No.
Look at PCs. Time was, software demands far outstripped hardware performance and if you didn't spend a fortune it was shite. Today we have a "what PC?" thread every couple of weeks, the requirement is always the same ("email, web, bit of light Office work") and the answer is always the same ("every PC will do that, buy whatever half-decent brand is on sale").
Phones have gone the same way. I've spent a lot of money over the years on handsets that have turned out to be toilet. Today, so long as you avoid the true bottom-feeders and Friday Night Special pups then most midrange phones are likely to do what you need unless you have specific requirements.
I just got the Blackview BV700. I'm impressed. Had a 6A but dropped it and the screen shattered. The Blackview was reasonably priced, armoured and 5g
I had no idea that you could get waterproof cases these days
I had an Otterbox for a while, but it was bloody useless! Yes, it might have a fairly rugged exterior, but the ‘screen protector’ was a flimsy bit of thin plastic that bowed up in the middle making it almost impossible to use the touchscreen on my phone, and there was almost no extra water protection. I ended up using cheap glass screen protectors and a silicon case with reinforced corners, for a total cost of about a third of what an Otterbox cost. That’s what I’m using on my current iPhone 14 Pro Max. The case is a Rinke, with a lanyard attachment point, so the phone is always attached to a belt or belt loop with a lanyard that’s got a quick-release on it, so I never have to worry about it falling out of my pocket, and I can mostly use it without unclipping it from the lanyard, or else I can hang it round my neck if needed. I’ve cracked one screen protector since October, and I have a toughened glass protector on the camera lenses, and I’ve cracked one of those recently. The phone is in perfect condition otherwise, and I’ll be swapping it for a new one in October, and using exactly the same type of case and screen/camera protectors, for a total cost of not much more than £20 or so.
Don’t worry about spending lots on a s****y case, most phones are more than ‘waterproof’ enough for general use, get a Rinke case from Amazon with an appropriate toughened glass screen protector and use a lanyard.
The Samsung A34 5G can now be had for £249 and is also IP67 rated.
5 years of security updates so no issues there.
Wrap it in a decent case and that could be an option?