X

The Sonim XP3: It can take a beating

We dunk it, throw it and used it as a hammer, but the Sonim XP3 Quest keeps on ticking.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
See full bio
Kent German
Watch this: Sonim XP3 Quest

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 the Sonim while it was taking a dip. Besides the aforementioned fall down the stairs, we also used it to hammer a nail, we tried to hammer a nail in its display, we dropped it onto a concrete floor, and we tried to stomp it into oblivion. We didn't run it over a car or freeze it in ice as other reviewers have, but it survived our torture tests without a scratch. This is one phone that's built to last.

Inside the XP3 isn't as exciting. Feature are pretty minimal--a 2-megapixel camera and GPS are the most notable offerings--and we don't like that it lacks multimedia messaging. Call quality is decent even if we didn't test the call quality while underwater.

For the full story, check out XP3 Review, our photo gallery, and video. As an unlocked phone it is expensive ($399), though it's available at Best Buy.