These are the best rugged, most durable smartphones in 2023

As we all know, smartphones are delicate and fragile devices, which you should treat with care. One accidental drop could lead to a cracked screen and even make your device unusable. This is why many people use cases and screen protectors.

Most of us will be fine with a rugged case to protect our phones. However, the protection provided by such a case may not be sufficient for some people — possibly due to their work environment or extreme hobbies.

While many phone manufacturers avoid the niche of "professional smartphones," a few excel in this area, offering specialized models with useful new features. Here are the best rugged phones around, designed to withstand serious shock and to resist the elements!

The announcement of the Samsung XCover 6 Pro came as a surprise, as we didn't expect Samsung to re-enter the rugged phone market. Despite that, it's great to see the series make a return. The XCover 6 Pro boasts impressive specifications, especially for a rugged phone, which are typically not equipped with a high-powered processor, camera, or high refresh rate screen. Yet, the XCover 6 Pro features a 120 Hz display, a 50 MP main camera, and a Snapdragon 778G processor. Although not top-of-the-line, these specs are certainly respectable.

This phone is ideal for those seeking a rugged phone from a well-established brand with all the perks of Samsung's software.

The AGM Glory G1S is a phone built for professionals, with extreme durability and best-in-class thermal imaging camera on board. It also adds 5G connectivity, with bands supported by US carriers.

The Glory G1S is a smartphone that is built to withstand extreme temperatures and is the successor of the original Glory model. If you frequently travel to areas with extreme cold weather, the Glory G1S may be the perfect phone for you as it is designed to last a full day at -27°C (-16.6 °F) and up to 10 hours at -30 °C (-22 °F).

Even at -40 °C (-40 °F), the Glory G1S can still function for an hour, making it a reliable device for those who work or live in extremely cold climates.

Apart from its impressive temperature resistance, the Glory G1S has the biggest speaker on a smartphone, making it a great option for those who enjoy listening to music or watching videos on their phone.

The phone is sold in a few tiers, with the top model sporting an IR night vision camera and a thermal imaging camera with great resolution.

The Motorola Defy is your typical Moto midranger, but in a rugged housing. You can expect all the things that make Moto phones beloved — pure Android, gestures, and timely software updates. The body is IP68 certified for dust- and water-resistance and the screen is protected by a Gorilla Glass Victus panel. There's a lanyard loop on the side for some of the more extreme cases you might find yourself in with this phone.

Samsung finally decided to release a new rugged phone and the Galaxy XCover Pro is the most modern-looking phone in its class. It has a hole-punch display as the trend this year requires and its protective shell isn't too big to the point of being ugly. Despite that, the XCover Pro is compliant with a bunch of military standards for durability, so you can be confident in its ability to withstand abuse. 

The specs aren't too shabby either, an octa-core Exynos chip paired with a 4/64 RAM-storage combo and a decent battery. Sure, compared to other phones at that price it's not great, but rugged phones aren't known for their high-end specs. Compared to the rest of the devices here, that's still a pretty good deal.

CAT hasn't given up on rugged phones and keeps releasing new models of its ultra-durable phones. The CAT S62 Pro is more than a regular phone in a tough protective shell. It also has some extra features like a thermal camera, which some people will find very useful while on the job. But even if you don't have a need for one, it's still a pretty neat feature to have. Unfortunately, the S62 drops a couple of features the S61 had like the laser measurement sensor and the air-quality sensor. 

Unlike most phones on this list, the CAT S62 Pro comes with Android 10 and will even get Android 11 at some point. If you care about software features and not only extreme durability, this is the phone to get.

Blackview BL6000 Pro

- high-res camera, barometer, air pressure

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Another new entry with 5G connectivity. Blackview has been specializing in rugged smartphones since its inception, and the BL6000 Pro is the latest iteration of its aimed-towards-professionals line.

Blackview is known for emphasizing on camera sensors. The main camera on the BL6000 Pro has a 48 MP Sony sensor with underwater mode for photos and videos. The phone is also equipped with barometer and air pressure sensors for useful readings out in the wild. It only has a single speaker, but Blackview says it emphasized on low frequency response and loudness to create depth.

Doogee S96 Pro

- real night vision camera

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The Doogee S96 Pro has an interesting selling point. Aside from being ultra-protected for the most testing of environments, it sports a 20 MP night vision camera. No, this is not some normal camera with over-the-top exposure. It actually uses infrared projectors and a 20 MP ultra-light sensor to capture images with an up to 20 meter range in complete darkness. Aside from that, the phone's main sensor is a 48 MP Samsung-made unit.

The phone comes with a 6,350 mAh battery and even supports 10 W wireless charging.

If you want a durable phone with pretty decent performance then the Doogee S96 GT is a great phone to shortlist. It comes with an impact-proof screen and IP68 and MIL-STD-810G certifications. This means that the Doogee S96 GT is pretty durable and can withstand water submersion and some serious accidental drops.

Packed with 8GB of RAM,  256GB of storage, and a Helio G95 chipset, the phone should be able to deal with day-to-day tasks without issues. In addition to that, the phone packs a 48MP main camera, 20MP night vision shooter, and 32MP front snapper. Furthermore, the phone supports 24W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, and is powered by a large 6350mAh battery that offers up to 2 days of battery life

Doogee S96 GT

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Unihertz Atom XL

- compact, walkie-talkie feature

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We know Unihertz from making extra-small feature phones for the modern minimalist. But it also has a few rugged phones on hand. The Atom XL is still fairly compact, despite its name, and comes with a detachable antenna for a DMR walkie-talkie feature. So, even when out of range of cell phone towers, you can still stay in touch with the team.

It's not really a performer, but its 4,300 mAh battery will make sure you don't run out of juice anytime soon.

The Sonim XP8 is one tough phone. In fact, its maker is so confident in the reliability of the XP8 that it is offering it with a 3-year warranty. The phone's 5-inch display is puncture-resistant, while the thick, ruggedized body can withstand serious drops. As one of the very few phones with IP69 certification, the Sonim XP8 can withstand not only immersion in water but also being sprayed with high-temperature water jets. It has a battery that will last you for days, but there's one glaring problem with it. It's a very old model. Ancient chip and Android version aren't a recipe for great performance. The only reason we have it on our list is that it's one of the few rugged phones that you can get from a major carrier.

If the high-end CAT phones are too expensive for you, you can get one just as tough for about half the price. Of course, there are some drawbacks, like the 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but there are always compromises with cheaper phones. At least when it comes to durability, you can be sure you're getting one of the toughest phones out there. What's even better, you can actually get it from the US Amazon, unlike its more expensive cousin. 

Ulefone Power Armor 16 Pro

If you are looking for a budget-rugged phone and don't need massive performance from your smartphone, the Ulefone Power Armor 16 Pro also deserves to make your shortlist. The phone is certified with IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810G, which allows it to withstand water up to 1.5 meters deep, high pressure, dust, drops, impacts, and extreme temperatures ranging from -20°C to 55°C. Also, the Ulefone Power Armor 16 Pro comes with a huge speaker.

In terms of hardware specs, the phone comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. The handset is also powered by a huge 9600mAh battery, which supports 18W charging.

UleFone Power Armor 16 Pro

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AGM Glory Pro

If you have money to spend, you should definitely consider getting an AGM Glory Pro. Yes, the phone isn't exactly budget-friendly, but it should have good enough performance. The phone comes with a Snapdragon 480 chipset on board, 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage space, with expandable storage of up to 512GB via microSD card.

In addition to that, the phone is extremely durable and packs a massive 33mm 3.5W 110dB speaker on its back, a big 6200mAh battery, and a thermal imaging camera. That's right, this is a phone that Batman himself would want to buy if he didn't have a thermal vision feature in his cowl, of course.

AGM Glory Pro

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