It’s 2024 and if you go out to buy yourself a new, high-end phone, chances are it’s going to be pretty f*cking good. It doesn’t matter if you are buying an Android or Apple, you’ll be going home with a phone that has an incredible screen, an even more impressive camera, and can handily do everything we expect a phone to do.
But if you’re a professional out on the tools every day, you’re going to need a sturdier device than most people. You’re going to need a phone that is going to be pretty rough and tumble.
Enter Samsung and its new “Rugged” line of phones and tablets. Built from the ground up for the modern tradie, the Galaxy XCover7 phone and the Galaxy Tab Active5 tablet promise to be equal parts handsome and hard as hell to handle anything the worksite throws at it.
What happens if you drop it in the toilet?
When Samsung told us about the phones, there was an immediate thought: Toilet drops. And we’re not just talking about the usual incidents of people dropping their phones in the toilet. After all, about 88 per cent of people use their phone on the toilet (and while we don’t have research to back this up, we know that a further 12 per cent are liars). With that many people tweeting and doom-scrolling TikTok while on the bog, statistically, a certain number of phones are going to end up in the bowl.
Also, you should stop doing that. Using the phone on the loo can give you haemorrhoids. It’s true.
But we’re not talking about regular toilet drops. A lot of Build-it readers work as plumbers and they are always getting their phones out for work around toilets, sewers, and other bodies of water. It’s pretty easy for accidents to happen while filming around toilets. Just ask this champion we reported on back in February:
So, how do these Samsung phones hold up if dropped into water (or worse liquids)?
Samsung tells us that the phone is certified to work once submerged in “1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes.” Users are advised to rinse any residue off the phone and dry it afterwards. Oh, and the phones are not advised for beach or pool use.
And 1.5m is alright, but you can compare that to four year-old iPhone’s which also have that same 30 minute time limit, but can withstand up to 6m of water (as per their rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529).
But, real talk – how often are you going to drop it 6m deep in water? These Rugged phones will keep on working for you regardless of whether you’re out in just a bit of drizzle, or a proper tropical storm. And it’ll still work if it lands in a bog.
What happens if you drop it while on the roof of a house?
Maybe you’re on a ladder and you’re taking a photo to show a job has been done. You need to know when you get your phone out that if you drop it, you’re going to have some protection for your phone.
The Samsung Rugged phones have MIL-STD-810G certification, which is a standardised form of testing designed by the US Military to accurately assess device limitations. Samsung report that it passed every test, with methods including a drop test on a plywood impact surface over concrete from a height of 1.2 meters.
And look, you could buy a phone case with MIL-STD-810G certification, but it’s better to know that your phone can hold up to some pretty knocks on its own.
Want to know what will make the boss happy?
Quietly, you and I know that you’re not to be trusted. It’s only going to take a few days until you start doing something dodgy with the company phone.
What your boss will be happy to know is that these Rugged phones are built with enterprise customers in mind. They’ll hold up to whatever unfortunate drops and earlier than desired wear and tear frontline workers throw at them, but they can also be used for more unique aspects in the workplace – think scanners, PC connectivity, augmented reality, and remote app management.
The boss will be happy with the productivity tools and you will be happy you can avoid awkward conversations about how you dropped and busted yet another phone.
What is the best thing about the phone?
There are actually a bunch of nifty functions that the phone can do – programmable shortcut keys, increased volume, increased brightness, access to Samsung Knox Vault (it keeps all your passwords and PIN codes safe), and more. But there’s one thing that we all used to have with mobile phones that this gives us back. And we’re THRILLED…
Removable and replaceable batteries. Your battery runs out? No problem – pop it out of your phone, put it in the charger, and just slide in your replacement battery. There’s no waiting around for a phone to charge and there’s no playing around with charger cables and portable battery chargers (they’re annoying and can be a danger on a worksite). It just works.
