Best rugged smartphones - at a glance

 

1. Ulefone Armor 9 FLIR rugged smartphone
2. Blackview BV9900 Pro rugged smartphone
3. Doogee S95 Pro rugged smartphone
4. Ulefone Armor 10 rugged smartphone
5. Unihertz Atom XL rugged smartphone
6. Cat S62 Pro rugged smartphone
7. Oukitel WP8 Pro rugged smartphone
8. Doogee S90 rugged smartphone
9. Blackview BV9500 Pro rugged smartphone

Best rugged smartphones

1. Ulefone Armor 9 FLIR rugged smartphone

An essential tool

OS: Android 10

Screen size: 6.3-inch

Resolution: 2340 x 1080 pixels

CPU: Helio P90

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 6,600mAh

Rear camera: 64MP + 5MP + 2MP

Front camera: 8MP

+Great price+Endoscope and FLIR cameras

-No VOC sensor-Only 128GB storage

The Ulefone Armor 9 FLIR is the best ruggedized smartphone you can find right now, boasting a few top tools you'll struggle finding on its rivals.

The phone comes with both an endoscope and FLIR camera, giving you a versatility for a range of tasks, as well as a big battery to ensure the handset lasts longer and enough processing power for most tasks.

Best of all, the Ulefone Armor 9 FLIR doesn't cost too much, so its tricks aren't exclusive to those who can afford it. If you need something hardy and long-lasting, this is our pick for the best rugged phone right now.

2. Blackview BV9900 Pro rugged smartphone

Lost its crown, but still great

OS: Android 10

Screen size: 5.84-inch

Resolution: 2280 x 1080 pixels

CPU: Helio P90

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 4,380mAh

Rear camera: 48MP + 16MP + 2MP

Front camera: 16MP

-No 5G-Smaller battery capacity

The Blackview BV9900 Pro used to have the title of our favorite rugged smartphone, and while it's been beaten to the post, it's still a worthy buy.

The Blackview BV9900 Pro has a FLIR thermal imaging camera, a rarity on rugged smartphones despite how useful it can be. This joins an array of 'standard' cameras lead by a 48MP one which is useful for a range of photography needs.

The phone performances well with its MediaTek Helio G90 chipset, which is paired with 8GB RAM, and takes on many tasks with ease. It's also pretty well protected for a rugged phone.

Sure, the phone is a bit behind in a few ways - its battery could be better and we would have liked to see 5G connectivity, it's still the best rugged smartphone you can get right now.

3. Doogee S95 Pro rugged smartphone

A performance powerhouse

OS: Android 9.0 (Pie)

Screen size: 6.3-inch

Resolution: 2160 x 1080 pixels

CPU: Helio P90

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 5150mAh

Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 8MP

Front camera: 8MP

+Two SIM trays+Good performance

The Doogee S95 Pro might not be the best rugged smartphone on this list but it's certainly not far from that position, with the handset boasting enough features that could see it high on a list of non-rugged devices.

The handset is incredibly well protected with a metal and rubber frame that'll protect it from lots of what nature (or people) can throw at it. It also has features like an SOS button, fingerprint sensor, and  three rear cameras.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Doogee S95 Pro's performance. It packs the best Mediatek chipset (as of writing) as well as 8GB RAM, which is more than some of the other best rugged phones on this list. If you need a decent amount of processing power, maybe this is the rugged phone for you.Armor 10 (Image credit: Future)

4. Ulefone Armor 10 rugged smartphone

The first 5G rugged phone

OS: Android 10

Screen size: 6.6-inch

Resolution: 2400 x 1080 pixels

CPU: Dimensity 800

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 5,800mAh

Rear camera: 64MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP

Front camera: 16MP

+Great cameras+Excellent build quality

-5G costly-Camera bump protrudes

The Ulefone Armor 10 5G is the first 5G-compatible rugged smartphone, and though it may not be the best protected handset we've tested, it's still got features which make it competitive with its rivals.

You won't find wireless charging in many ruggedized smartphones, nor will you get cameras this good or indeed 5G compatibility, so if those features sound important to you, this may be a great pick.

Sure, it's a little bigger than many could want in a rugged phone, and the storage may be too low for some, but you may not mind these shortcomings.

5. Unihertz Atom XL rugged smartphone

A well-rounded bargain for a rugged smartphone

OS: Android 10

Screen size: 4-inch

Resolution: 1136 x 640 pixels

CPU: Helio P60

RAM: 6GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 4300mAh

Rear camera: 48MP

Front camera: 8MP

+Oleophobic screen+48MP main camera

-Old CPU-No cover for ports

Unihertz is a company that constantly has at least one device in our list of the best rugged phones, and currently the Atom XL is the best phone from the company we've tested.

The Atom phones are pretty small, and even this extra-large version is still pretty tiny with a 4-inch screen. It's impressive, then, that such specs are packed in as a 4,300mAh battery, 48MP camera and 6GB RAM, most of which are specs you'd find on a 6.something-inch non-rugged smartphone.

Some drawbacks we found with the phone are the processor, which is a little on the old side (Mediatek has a Helio P90 in some phones right now), and it had a protection flaw that the USB and headphone jack had no cover.

6. Cat S62 Pro rugged smartphone

A solid rugged smartphone that builds on its predecessor

OS: Android 10

Screen size: 5.6-inch

Resolution: 2160 x 1080 pixels

CPU: Snapdragon 660

RAM: 6GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 4000mAh

Rear camera: 12MP

Front camera: 8MP

+Built to last+Android 10

-12MP rear camera-No wireless charging

The Cat S62 Pro is a great rugged smartphone from one of the most popular companies in the field, Cat, which builds on its predecessors in a few major departments. In fact, this is the best rugged smartphone with Cat naming you can buy right now.

If you buy the Cat S62 Pro rugged smartphone you're getting specs that would look good on a standard smartphone like the Snapdragon 660 chipset, a FHD screen and 128GB storage, and it runs Android 10 too which isn't something you can say about many rugged smartphones.

Then there are features that are useful in a rugged capacity like a FLIR sensor, a hardy build and a programmable extra button on the side.

We had issue with the low-resolution single rear camera, and also the phone doesn't have wireless charging like lots of its competitors, but if you can look past these issues it's a rugged smartphone worth considering.

7. Oukitel WP8 Pro rugged smartphone

A rugged phablet

OS: Android 10

Screen size: 6.49-inch

Resolution: 1560 x 720 pixels

CPU: Helio P22

RAM: 4GB

Storage: 64GB

Battery: 5,000mAh

Rear camera: 16MP + 2MP + 2MP

Front camera: 8MP

+Elegant design+Oleophobic screen

-MicroUSB port-Sub-par performance

The Oukitel WP8 Pro is a low-end rugged smartphone that offers a hardy design and new software for a low price, with a few corners cut to keep the price low.

The corners here are the presence of a microUSB port, resulting in slower charging than the current standard USB-C, a low-end processor for limited performance power, and a lower-resolution screen than many rivals.

If you can look past these issues, and are on the market for an entry-level or low-end ruggedized handset, this could be a good choice. 

8. Doogee S90 rugged smartphone

An ambitious rugged smartphone

OS: Android 8.1

Screen size: 6.18-inch

Resolution: 2246 x 1080 pixels

CPU: MT6771 (P60) 4*Cortex-A73 2.0GHz + 4*Cortex-A53 2.0Ghz

RAM: 6GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 5050mAh

Rear camera: 16+8MP

Front camera: 8MP

+Good value for money+Impressive performance

-Screen has a notch-Bulky design

We were promised that the Doogee S90 would be unlike any other rugged smartphone on the market, and to be fair, that's what we got, with a modular design that lets you build a handset that best suits your needs. This modular approach means the Doogee S90 is bulkier than many of its competitors, so bear that in mind.

However, in tests the Doogee S90 performed brilliantly, racking up some of the best numbers we’ve seen in our benchmarks.  Doogee confirmed that the price of the S90 after Kickstarter will be $369.99 (£285). The gamepad and the wireless charger will cost $29.99 (£23) each while the battery will be available for $39.99 (£31), the intercom for $49.99 (£39) and the night vision camera for $59.99 (£46).  

Sure, the Doogee S90 has been succeeded by a bigger sibling which sits higher up this list, but that just means you can pick it up for cheaper.

• If you're interested you can buy the Doogee S90 from its Kickstarter

9. Blackview BV9500 Pro rugged smartphone

Once topped this list, but is still impressive

OS: Android 8.1

Screen size: 5.7-inch

Resolution: 2160 x 1080 pixels

CPU: MT6763T Octa Core

RAM: 6GB

Storage: 128GB

Battery: 10000mAh

Rear camera: 13MP

Front camera: 16MP

+Very long battery life+Fast and wireless charging

-Heavy and bulky-Not brilliant sound quality

Blackview has a range of rugged IP68 certified Android phones available and they tend to be both tough and affordable, if a little light on features. This model, however, comes in at a considerably higher price point and it has all the bells and whistles including PTT (push-to-talk) for walkie-talkie style communication. 

In fact, you'd be hard pushed to find another rugged smartphone that offers anywhere near the amount of features – and battery life – that the Blackview BV9500 Pro does. It's solidly built, which does mean it's a heck of a bulky device, but what really makes the Blackview BV9500 Pro stand out above the rest of the rugged set is its comprehensive list of features that make it ideal for outdoor use.