sonim

Sonim rolls out newest rugged phone

SAN FRANCISCO--In the world of rugged phones, you'd be hard-pressed to find a handset more indestructible than a Sonim model. Indeed, when we reviewed the Sonim XP3 Quest last year, it kept on ticking even after we submerged it in water, dropped it onto a concrete floor from 14.5 feet, and tried to drive a nail into its display. It wasn't the prettiest phone by any measure, but it was one occasion where looks don't matter.

At the fall CTIA show this week, Sonim was back again with its new XP1300 Core. With a chunky candy … Read more

Sonim XP2 has the rugged spirit

Editor's note: Our colleague over at ZDNET UK was able to break the phone.

BARCELONA, Spain--Sonim Technologies, which makes some of the most rugged--though not completely indestructible--phones around, used Mobile World Congress to unveil its latest handset. The XP2 Spirit falls in between the XP1 and the XP3 Quest (we were wondering what happened to No. 2), but like its predecessors it should withstand just about any blow.

You can submerge it in water for up to 30 minutes, drop it onto a concrete floor, press the keypad buttons up to 850,000 times before they give out, … Read more

Breaking the unbreakable phone

Leave it to the BBC to show us how it's done. At CES, BBC reporter Dan Simmons managed to break the display (click on the link for the video) on the seemingly indestructible Sonim XP3.2 Quest Pro. Simmons accomplished this feat after bashing the phone against the side of an aquarium in which it had previously taken a swim.

I have to hand it to Simmons. I've tested the previous Sonim XP3 Quest (we have our own video) and it survived whatever punishment we could throw at it. I dropped it 14.5 feet onto a concrete … Read more

Sonim unveils XP3.2 Quest Pro

Just when you thought that Sonim cell phones were the pinnacle of mobile durability, the company raised the bar just a bit at CES with the announcement of the Sonim XP3.2 Quest Pro. The handset is similar to the XP3 Quest that we reviewed last year--you can drop if off the roof, dunk it in water, and stick it in the freezer--but it offers a few upgrades over the current model.

New "Gorilla Glass" adds extra protection to the display. We'll be eager to try it to see exactly what that means; when we tried to … Read more

The Sonim XP3: It can take a beating

Testing a rugged phone like the Sonim XP3 Quest is always fun. It's not every day that you get to throw a handset down the stairs as part of the review. With most phones, a drop to the floor and even a few drops of water can render it useless. But with the XP3, it's all part of the fun.

As the successor to the XP1, the XP3 is also built like a tank, bit it goes a step further by being able to withstand a full dunking. We did just that, and even placed a call to … Read more

Go ahead, throw this phone

Last year we reviewed the Sonim XP1, one of the most durable cell phones we've ever had the pleasure of throwing to the floor. As it never made it to a U.S. carrier, the XP1 wasn't widely available in the United States. But thanks to Best Buy's welcome interest in unlocked phones, an XP1 descendant will live in a big box store.

You wouldn't call the Sonim XP3 Quest attractive--the yellow version is particularly ugly--but brawn before beauty is the whole point. Sonim claims the phone can withstand drops to a concrete floor, excessive shock … Read more

Sonim's all-weather phone can probably outlast you

How tough can a mobile phone be? Tougher than you if Sonim Technologies has anything to say about it. The company that brought us the "world's toughest phone"--the XP1--has introduced an even more rugged handset--the XP3.

Besides being able to withstand more physical abuse, the XP3 can be fully submerged into a depth of about 3 feet for up to 30 minutes. I can hold my breath underwater for about a minute plus, so I'm convinced the XP3 will still be working even after I've drowned.

The Sonim XP3 is currently available online for about $640. … Read more

Mechanical hammer attempts to destroy phone. Film at--right now!

The Sonim XP1 has been lauded as a "tough and strong" phone. CreativeFeed, a digital marketing agency, has decided to put it to the test.

It's launched a Web site that features "The Destroyer"--a machine-operated hammer that will pummel the phone 24 hours a day live over the Intertubes until it breaks.

Visitors to the Web site have a chance to win the Sonim XP1 handset if they can correctly guess how long it will take for the phone to break/crack/explode, and how many hits it will take before that happens. The … Read more

'World's toughest phone' asks to be tortured

The "world's toughest phone" will take on Europe, starting with Stockholm.

The new military-spec, Bluetooth, and push-to-talk GSM Sonim XP1 is engineered for outdoor sports enthusiasts and those who work in harsh environments, certified to withstand shock, water, wind, dust, dirt, and extreme temperatures, the U.S.-based mobile Sonim Technologies announced. And not that you'll need it, but there's also a three-year, unconditional warranty (PDF).

Yeah, we've heard all this before--how tough could it be? Well, the company is so confident that it's invited bloggers and journalists across Europe to "torture-test&… Read more