Toughest Smart Phone? Help please.

Soldato
Joined
18 Aug 2005
Posts
13,170
Location
Shropshire
I'm looking to get a new phone. I've got a Nokia 6500 Slide on a £10.21 a month sim-only contract with o2. I've been looking at 'Smart Phones' which I know virtually nothing about, The iphone is too gimicky and from what I've searched so far is on par with the Samsung Galaxy S2.

The major thing here is my line of work, I'm a farmer/farm worker. So I've got slightly mucky hands and a phone in my pocket most the time which might take the odd knock. Is the Galaxy S2 the toughest of the phones out there? I love the way it looks, but I need to know it won't snap in half in my pocket!

I know the HTC One X & S are the best of the bunch right now. But they're far too big!

Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks :) (sorry for the rushed post, typed it out far too quick before rushing back to work!)
 
Associate
Joined
14 Dec 2007
Posts
1,607
Motorola Defy Plus - in the same trade as OP. Stands minor 'wet' accidents quite well and even swilled off under tap. It is outdated really though does the job ........ mostly :rolleyes: Some, mine included, have a reboot issue. Totally random really. Can go days without a reboot then do it a few times in the same day. Very occasional reboot mid call which is tedious to say the least. Mine not done that for some time. Has a gorilla glass screen though still recommend much caution as most glass will break or scratch. Your mentioned HTC One S and X not going to like to much abuse and best pad your pocket out with cotton wool :D

Despite the Defy+ drawbacks mentioned it's served fairly well. Not really much else in the smart phone line going to like the agricultural environment though I've seen plenty of iPhones come out of farmer pockets! Defy is compact and sits well in pocket. All I have on mine is a Martin Fields screen protector. £184 plus vat is less painful should the worse happen than a £400 + HTC :eek: Should you take the plunge I see the JCB edition is only a £1 dearer so would be the one to go for.

I wish someone would come up with a bit more competition in the tough smart phone market though there maybe isn't the demand or the will by the manufacturers to make a phone that will last?
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
18 Aug 2005
Posts
13,170
Location
Shropshire
Thanks for those, was really hoping the Samsung Galaxy S2 would be good enough..

But in truth I'm just going to ruin it eventually right? :(
 
Associate
Joined
14 Dec 2007
Posts
1,607
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXOezJKpOsg

Pretty damn durable to be honest :p

Not sure how it would hold up to wet/mud though.

Certainly looks so from the vid. I used to have an HTC Desire and dropped it out my pocket onto concrete. A fall of of perhaps a short meter and screen cracked and rendered phone useless. Had to fork out thick end of £90 to have it repaired :( I suppose it's how they hit the deck?

When I was rambling on about about the Defy I forgot to mention Motorola Support .... basically in UK there isn't any worth a damn :o
 
Associate
Joined
14 Jan 2007
Posts
744
Certainly looks so from the vid. I used to have an HTC Desire and dropped it out my pocket onto concrete. A fall of of perhaps a short meter and screen cracked and rendered phone useless. Had to fork out thick end of £90 to have it repaired :( I suppose it's how they hit the deck?

Entirely so, I've dropped my desire countless times, including on roads etc and it still works. Gotta love the thing!
 
Associate
Joined
2 Nov 2004
Posts
2,084
Location
Watford, Herts
I have an S2 with a CaseMate ToughCase which is a double skin. Silicone skin for dust/spills, and a hard plastic shell wrap around it. It recesses the camera lens and the screen so if you drop it there is less chance of the screen coming into contact with the ground, especially flat surfaces.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
10 Sep 2007
Posts
5,387
Location
Sheffield
I've got a Lumia 800 and it's been through a fair few Mountain Biking.. "Incidents" with me. It's not in any case, no screen protector and it still looks like new.

Guess that can be classed as durable? :p
 
Soldato
Joined
4 Aug 2009
Posts
5,310
Location
London
Just get the best phone for your other needs and then toughen it up by putting it in a decent case. Don't compromise in the tech for durability that can be made up by just having a case.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Oct 2009
Posts
13,823
Location
Spalding, Lincs
My dad used to have a HTC, not sure what model, it's a couple of years old now, the one that was angled at the bottom with a track ball, but that was dropped and thrown about all the time but never broke, very tough phone.

Never dropped my Blackberry 9900 yet, but I don't think it would hold up very well.

If you want a tough phone, then you need an old Nokia :D
 
Associate
Joined
24 Dec 2011
Posts
990
My HTC HD7 has suffered so many drops it's unbelievable - slight mostly un-noticable damage.

HTC definitely have great build quality, so the One may be a good choice!
 
Back
Top Bottom