If you use a cell phone in a hard line of work, you need one that will stand up to major wear and tear. You need a phone that meets the United States Dept of Defense MIL-STD-810G battlefield standard — these are the phones with the most survivability, maneuverability, and durability. Most come with a very high IP certification, which can come in very handy under such heavy hitters as hurricanes and earthquakes. They’re not built for beauty but for lasting the course under the roughest of conditions — whether it’s a hiking trip or a natural disaster. Especially if you’re traveling or deployed to different parts of the world where sometimes you might even need a new Birmingham number for a short period of time.
These five are considered the roughest and toughest cell phones for civilian use:
The Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro
This bad boy is diminutive but durable. As recommended above, it is IP-68 military certified, and a great fit for an outdoors lifestyle. It meets all military specifications for stormy weather, such as wind whipped rain and blowing grit. It can withstand tropical high humidity, as well as subzero conditions if taken into the Arctic or Antarctic regions. Very shock resistant, it’s also dust proof and stand underwater up to three feet for a half hour. It has a four inch scratch resistant screen that is touch sensitive, and most models come with standard backlighted keys so that it can be fully utilized during moonless nights, during blackouts, in caves, and during severe weather.
The Caterpillar CAT S60
Caterpillar’s CAT S60 is the first global thermal image-recording smartphone. It’s an Android, with a four point seven display screen, which is excellent for those whose work takes them outside often and places them in rugged, unpredictable terrain. This CAT S60 smartphone by Caterpillar is compliant with all military cell phone standards, including for battlefield use. It’s IP68 certified and will withstand up to sixteen feet of fresh or salt water for up to an hour. It’s die-cast framing is reinforced and tempered so that a drop of up to three straight feet will not affect it whatsoever.
The Kyocera Brigadier
The innovative sapphire crystal on the Kyocera Brigadier cell phone makes it one of the toughest and most drop resistant on the market today. It’s manufactured by Verizon and meets all United States Dept of Defense Standard Military requirements for, among other things, immersion in salt or fresh water, solar radiation, atmospheric low pressure, temperature extremes, shock, and vibration. It’s considered the most glove friendly display screen on the market, because of the sapphire crystal touch screen. Another big plus is that workers who toil in loud places such as assembly plants and trucking depots can dial up the dual speakers to hear over almost anything.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active
It’s IP-68 certified and goes well beyond MIL-STD-810G requirements. This is really the same cell phone as the regular Galaxy S7, with the difference being it’s encased in a shell specially designed to withstand temperature extremes, deep water immersion, and falls from up to five feet. It includes an exclusive fingerprint scanner on its five point one inch display screen.
The LG X Venture
It’s a military-standard anti-shock cell phone that gives you a five point two inch screen. Water resistant to the max and nearly dust-proof. It can be operated while wearing gloves. Reinforced metal corners protect it from damage from accidental drops. It’s manufactured by AT&T, rated IP-68, and features a front and rear camera.
