There is something supremely satisfying about owning a smartphone that can take a beating. It’s one less thing to worry about, especially if you’re putting yourself in situations that may require a bit more attention than normal. After all, your phone is the last thing you should think about when rock climbing or on a job site. That’s why rugged smartphones are useful.

Most of today’s rugged smartphones come with a beefy exterior, large batteries, and sometimes the occasional quirky extra that is tailor-made for a specific activity. For example, some rugged smartphones come with FLIR thermal imaging cameras. Whatever the reason, we think we can help you find a good rugged smartphone.

Best rugged smartphones: Our top choices

The Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro 5G is about your best bet for a rugged smartphone. It comes with reasonably good specs, modern connectivity, and an attractive look. It also brings back some old favorites, like the removable battery if you want to swap it out for a new one. Even the cameras are pretty solid, which is nice to see in a smartphone under $1,000.

There isn’t much wrong with the XCover6 Pro. The biggest drawback we found was that it’s not quite as durable as other rugged smartphones. Plus, the battery door may pop off when you drop it, which can be a hassle if you’re somewhere where dropping things is bad. Plus, there are some phones on this list with a battery that exceeds 10,000mAh. By comparison, the XCover6’s 4,050mAh feels a bit small.

The Doogee V Max 5G is a seriously good smartphone for its price. You get rugged things like a durable chassis along with MIL-STD-810H and IP69K, which is almost completely dustproof with excellent water resistance. It also comes with three cameras, specs powerful enough to run at least some modern smartphone games, and a 120Hz FHD panel, which is a rarity for rugged smartphones.

For its price, there isn’t much wrong with it. Even the 22,000mAh battery, which isn’t a typo, is above and beyond what you’ll find in similar smartphones. The internal specs aren’t as good as flagship phones, but for a phone that costs less than $600, it’s hard to complain about this one.

The Nokia XR21 is ready to go on an adventure. It doesn’t have the thicker chassis of some other rugged smartphones, but it does include IP69K, which you can’t even find with flagship smartphones. That means it’s dustproof and waterproof up to 1.8 meters. The 9K part means you can blast it with a power washer and water still won’t get in.

In terms of specs, it’s a pretty run-of-the-mill mid-range phone. It’s powerful enough to run apps, browse the web, and scroll through social media. However, the phone will start to struggle with higher-end mobile games if you’re into those. The cameras are also just okay. Other than that, it’s a very reasonable phone for its price, and Nokia’s warranty and OS update promise are cherries on top of the sundae.

Blackview has some confusing naming schemes. For example, the BV9900 was released in 2020 while the BV9200 was launched in 2023. Confusion aside, the BV9200 is a competent smartphone for its sub-$400 price tag. It includes a CPU package that can play most modern mobile games on lower settings. The 120Hz screen adds a modern touch and the phone comes with 66W fast charging and 30W fast wireless charging.

The real story, though, is the waterproofing. It boasts IP69K dust and water resistance. Blackview leans into this by offering an underwater mode for its camera that you don’t see on other smartphones. For its price, there simply isn’t much to complain about. Blackview made a competent smartphone.

The Ulefone Armor 16 Pro is an inexpensive smartphone. It costs around $200 if you buy it from the official website and around $160 if you buy it from AliExpress. What you get is a phone with a large battery, IP69K water and dust resistance, and a MIL-STD-810G rating. In terms of specs, it’s underpowered, but that’s expected at this price point. It’ll scroll through social media and browse the web, making it a decent pick if you need something simple.

There are some surprises when it comes to the Armor 16 Pro. For example, there is an optional endoscope attachment that you can get for an additional $70. You can also buy it with some case, dock, and earbuds packages on the official website. We would’ve liked to have seen a bundle with the endoscope, though, because that’s so cool and useful for many cases a rugged phone user may need.

The Unihertz Tank 3 is aptly named. It’s a big, heavy smartphone with plenty of protection for whatever adventure you intend to go on. Part of the bulk is the absurd 23,800mAh battery that has a standby time of 1,800 hours, according to Unihertz. Other than that, you get a solid set of mid-range specs that should run apps and play many mobile games without problems. It also comes with five cameras, although the performance on those is mediocre.

In addition to decent specs and a massive build, the Tank 3 also comes with an integrated camp light. It’s customizable for warm or cool light and is easily bright enough to be used as a flashlight. The 120W wired charging is also excessive, but we feel it’s necessary to top up the massive battery quickly. This is a great phone to take with you on multi-day excursions like camping or hiking.

The Doogee S100 Pro is a direct competitor to the Unihertz Tank 3. It also has a thick chassis with a massive battery that can last for days between charges. It keeps costs down by using the MediaTek Helio G99, which is good enough for day-to-day tasks as well as some light mobile gaming. It also comes with three cameras, an IP68 rating, and a 120Hz screen.

Unfortunately, the phone doesn’t support 5G, and it runs Android 12, so despite its relatively recent release date, it’s still missing out on some modern tech. That said, the lack of 5G will definitely help the already large battery last even longer as 4G doesn’t use as much battery these days. Overall, we think the Doogee V Max is the better phone, but this one is less expensive and has many of the same features.

Alternatively, you can buy a rugged case to put on a regular smartphone

Another potential option is to buy a bulky case to put on your existing smartphone. After all, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro Max already has an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, excellent specs, the latest Corning Gorilla Glass to resist scratches, and modern features like 5G. The only thing any modern smartphone is really missing is drop protection. You can buy drop protection.

Most of today’s phones have plenty of bulky case options, such as the Otterbox Defender, where it’ll add a thick protective layer. From there, you have it all, including high-end specs, great cameras, IP68, and a phone that can handle the occasional tumble. Check out some of Pocket-lint’s phone case collections to find our rugged case picks, for iPhone 15 Pro Max, Galaxy S23 models, and Google Pixel 8.

The bottom line: What is the best rugged smartphone?

For the money, you’ll get the most mileage out of the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro, the Unihertz Tank 3, and the Doogee V Max 5G. They offer the best mix of price, performance, and ruggedness. The Blackview BV9200, Doogee S100 Pro, and the Nokia XR21 are also competent options that include some extra tech you might find useful. The Ulefone Armor 16 Pro brings up the rear of our recommendations for being very inexpensive.

However, at the end of the day, your best bet is to buy a modern smartphone like a Pixel, Galaxy, or iPhone, and slap a thick case on it. You get modern features, software updates, better cameras, and more powerful hardware with the drop protection and IP rating of rugged smartphones. That’s what we would recommend first.

How did we choose the best rugged phones?

The first step was identifying enough modern rugged smartphones to build a list with. Many lists on the Internet feature phones from upwards of four or five years ago, and we felt that those phones were too old to be useful today. Once we chose the phones, it was a matter of running them with our wonderful Pocket-lint editorial staff, watching and reading reviews, and then writing the article.

Are rugged smartphones worth the investment?

It’s mostly subjective. Rugged smartphones often have features that mainstream phones avoid having for various reasons. For example, on the list above, we have phones with 20,000mAh batteries, removable battery covers, underwater cameras, camping lights, and endoscopes. For folks with niche use cases, such a phone could be much more useful than a modern flagship phone.

However, most rugged smartphones are mid-range in terms of specs and features. Some of the above phones don’t even have 5G. So, if your biggest concern is having the most powerful possible phone with great cameras, then you’ll want to go the route where you buy a modern flagship and then get a thick case.