[Grizzly]

Since simple GPS and Whatsapp more or less has become a requirement for hte path I now walk, I shall need another smarthphone.

This is my current phone:


The picture basically says it all: The thing is damn near indistructable, and since I am one clumsy bastard, this has come in handy in quite a few ocassions already. However, smartphones genrally have an reputation of not being nearly as reliable as this thing has been. ANd since my clumsiness probably is never going to go away, I will need to find a cheap, durable, that preferably can survive water and is highly shock resistant. It also, preferably, has to be cheap.
It does not need any other features, except GPS (And I think every SP has that nowadays) and the ability to run Whatsapp.

[Fury]

Samsung Galaxy xcover is probably your best bet. Other Brands may have similar phones though.

[Dragon]

Well, I'm using Sony Xperia Mini Pro. Cheap-ish, has GPS and runs Android 2.1. Though I have no idea how durable it is, it's dinky and really convenient in use.

[Black Wolf]

My Nokia Lumia 920 handles everything I throw at it, including fieldwork. If durability is more of an issue than pocket size or aesthetics though, I'd suggest  making a decision based on prices/specs alone, and then buying an Otter case for it. They're bulky and ugly, but rubberized, splash proof and tough as nails.

Only other recommendation I'd make is to stay well away from Apple if durability matters. Iphone screens break seemingly at the slightest provocation. I'd say 2/3rds plus of the ones I see up at work are cracked or entirely shattered.

[Grizzly]

Samsung Galaxy xcover is probably your best bet. Other Brands may have similar phones though.

Hmm.



Aah yes. I see what you mean. Good one!

My Nokia Lumia 920 handles everything I throw at it, including fieldwork. If durability is more of an issue than pocket size or aesthetics though, I'd suggest  making a decision based on prices/specs alone, and then buying an Otter case for it. They're bulky and ugly, but rubberized, splash proof and tough as nails.

Only other recommendation I'd make is to stay well away from Apple if durability matters. Iphone screens break seemingly at the slightest provocation. I'd say 2/3rds plus of the ones I see up at work are cracked or entirely shattered.

Off topic aside: What kind of field work did you do? I used to do geology (but I was kicked off my study last year).

Hmm. Looking at the Otterbox cases - can those phones actually be used solidly when you have a case over it? I don't want to fiddle with those things too much.

[Veers]

I personally am a fan of Samsung's phones right now, my two previous phones being the Galaxy S and the current gen Galaxy S4.

I know they are the flagship models and not the on the cheaper scale for what you are looking for, but my experience with both these phones has been they are both incredibly solid.

If anything, only some slight chips and minimal scratches. The maximum height they would have fallen would be about 2metres, onto grass, concrete, tiles, rocks, steel. But I've also seen people barely tap their phones and they've broken... :/

I think Samsung is running some of the best phones right now across the board. Especially in overall build quality.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

The Casio G'zOne Commando is allegedly indestructible, but I'm not sure if the overall price/quality holds up to what you can get with a regular smartphone and a rugged case. Nokia has had a good reputation in durability ever since they started making mobile phones AFAIK - they have some decent entry-level offerings too.

[Fury]

My Nokia Lumia 920 handles everything I throw at it, including fieldwork.

I suggest you look up Samsung Xcover, the phone is IP 67 certified unlike most smartphones including all of Lumia range, and that is the spec Joshua is looking for based on his description. Looking at Samsung's offerings more, looks like Samsung S4 Active is successor to the Xcover range, as it too has IP 67 certification. Don't mistake the S4 Active for its standard little brother though. Search the net for other IP 67 certified phones, there are plenty from Sony, Lenovo and Motorola to name a few.

All that said, I'm plenty happy with my own Lumia 920, even if it is not IP 67 certified. Don't know about other Lumia phones, but it seems like Lumia 620 has an IP 57 (that's not a typo) cover available for it.

[AdmiralRalwood]

I use a Samsung Rugby Smart; not only is it IP67 certified, it's also MIL-STD-810F certified: "salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock resistant". It's a bit outdated now, though; it's been superceded by the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro, which is apparently MIL-STD-810G certified (and also a much more powerful phone all around).

[Black Wolf]

My Nokia Lumia 920 handles everything I throw at it, including fieldwork. If durability is more of an issue than pocket size or aesthetics though, I'd suggest  making a decision based on prices/specs alone, and then buying an Otter case for it. They're bulky and ugly, but rubberized, splash proof and tough as nails.

Only other recommendation I'd make is to stay well away from Apple if durability matters. Iphone screens break seemingly at the slightest provocation. I'd say 2/3rds plus of the ones I see up at work are cracked or entirely shattered.

Off topic aside: What kind of field work did you do? I used to do geology (but I was kicked off my study last year).

Hmm. Looking at the Otterbox cases - can those phones actually be used solidly when you have a case over it? I don't want to fiddle with those things too much.

I do exploration geology, base metals at the moment. A lot of maping and sample collection and general bush work/reconnaissance, plus a couple of weeks of RC drilling.

As for the Otterbox, I found mine very easy to use, though again, that is with a 920, and Nokia made a big deal about how sensitive the screen is, so YMMV on other phones.