With the advent of the so-called "Fashion-Phone", mobile phones have exchanged durability for looks and there has been a lack of devices that are made to last more than two years.
With the Tough Phone from Sonim, there has finally been a role-reversal of sorts. Launched in the UK market with the widely-recognised JCB branding, you can be sure that this will be a product that can take a whole lot of punishment.
A recent 'road-test' of the XP-1 (Sonim's product code) over Europe was made to demonstrate the handsets durability, and the results were astonishing. Amongst other things, the XP-1 was exposed to both beer & water, neither of which had any noticeable affects other than proving its capabilities in wet conditions and wasting a decent pint..
The piece de resistance was the ultimate torture test; to prove the XP-1's invincibility it was run over by a Volkswagen hatchback and surprise surprise, there was no sign that a test had even been performed.
For a product this durable you wouldn't expect much in the looks department and this certainly proves to be the case in this instance. With a yellow main-body and black-rubber outline, the XP-1 is certainly no looker and in fact, it's downright ugly. Strangely though I found this oddly comforting, in a device which is meant to be a tool, good looks aren't required. This is most definitely a MAN'S phone.
As the Tough Phone is meant to live up to its adopted name, features are going come up short. No camera, music functions or memory card slot is available, but if you want phone for just calls and text, the XP-1 fulfils these requirements admirably. The inclusion of dual loud-speakers makes a real difference when using the phone in noisy environments on both ends of the conversation.
Although the initial claims about the durability of the appropriately titled Tough Phone seemed ludicrous when the device was first announced, Sonim have boldly backed this up with hard evidence. Though it is by no means a feature-packed product and possesses looks that only a mother could love, the Tough Phone is completely unique and deserving of its billing.
The is currently available on on a variety of .
