These are the best rugged phones you can buy right now

Smartphones are more refined than ever, with glass builds, tiny bezels, and large displays. They’re great for life in an office, but most of the best phones come up short in harsh environments. For example, if you work in construction, you’re probably looking for a phone you can use as a trusty, durable tool. You need to be able to give it hell without risking it getting destroyed. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the best rugged phones you can buy.

You won’t find all-glass designs on this list, but you will find plenty of durable MIL-STD and IP ratings to go around. Some of our picks even have unique features like thermal cameras and walkie-talkie features to help you through your shift. Let’s get to it.

Buying the right rugged phone for your needs

There are plenty of rugged phones on the market right now, which can make choosing the right one a challenge. However, it’s not that much different from buying an everyday phone. You’ll have to decide which features to want most, and it’s essential to see what extras are available.

Here are just a few of the questions to ask while you research:

• How large is the battery? You probably don’t want to spend much time attached to a charger if you’re working a long shift. Some of our picks offer huge batteries, while others let you swap the battery for an instant charge.
• Does the phone offer durability ratings? Rugged conditions often require a phone that can withstand water and dust. It’s essential to check if your phone carries the latest IP68/IP69K ratings, though IP67 may also be enough. If you’re worried about dropping your rugged phone, you’ll also want to find a device with a MIL-STD 810H certification. Learn all about IP and MIL-STD ratings in our dedicated posts. If all you care for is having water protection, we have a list of the best waterproof phones.
• Is the camera any good? What about extra features? While none of these rugged phones are bound to end up among our best camera phones, it’s crucial to have a relatively capable shooter. Accuracy is critical if you have to document anything at work, and a few of our picks offer underwater capabilities or even thermal cameras.
• What is the phone made of? Glass-bodied phones may look and feel good, but you might want metal, plastic, and rubber for your rugged phone. That way, you can feel a bit safer if it takes a tumble. It may come at the cost of wireless charging, but more rigid materials should last through even the longest shifts.

Cat S62 Pro: The best rugged phone you can buy

If you’ve spent any time on a construction site, you’ve undoubtedly seen one of Caterpillar’s yellow vehicles. They’re a mainstay for their power and durability, and now Cat is in on the rugged phone market as well. The Cat S62 Pro is the best of the bunch and is currently our pick for the best rugged phone.

One of Cat’s standout features is the FLIR Lepton 3.5 sensor, which allows for thermal imaging on top of the 12MP Sony camera. That means you can check the temperature of a tool or machine before you use it. Unfortunately, the thermal system does replace the laser-assisted measurement feature from the Cat S61, so you’ll have to weigh which element you need more.

As for durability, Cat crafted its S62 Pro with an aluminum frame and a TPU back panel. It comes ready with IP68 and IP69 ratings and a MIL-STD 810H rating to handle dust, water, and drops up to 1.8 meters. The Cat S62 Pro even features a crisp 5.7-inch Full HD+ display made of Gorilla Glass 6. It packs 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is solid for a rugged phone. Under the hood, you’ll find a Snapdragon 660 SoC powering all of Cat’s tough features.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Cat S62 Pro.

Other products worth considering

The best rugged phones:

• Nokia XR21: Nokia found a way to mix strength and style on the XR21. It looks like a phone you can use daily and offers good future update support.
• DOOGEE V Max: DOOGEE specializes in making rugged devices at very low prices, and this is no disappointment. It can handle its own with fair specs, a rugged body, super-fast charging, and a humongous battery.
• Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro: Don’t want to stray too far from large brands? Samsung has a rugged option for you.
• Kyocera Duraforce Pro 3: If you want the fastest Verizon speeds, the Duraforce Pro 3 is the way to go. It has pretty good specs and is powered by the Verizon network. Not to mention it has mmWave 5G support.
• Unihertz Tank: A massive battery, integrated flashlight, and super rugged construction make this one of the best adventure options.
• Ulefone Armor 21: Are you looking for something a bit more capable and cool-looking? Here’s a great option, and it also has a pretty large battery.
• Cat S22 Flip: Those looking for a rugged Android device with a unique design will love this one. It’s a flip phone!
• Motorola ThinkPhone: This is your best bet if you want true performance on a rugged device.

Nokia XR21: Rugged but stylish

Nokia’s brick may have been the original rugged phone, but the XR21 brings the OEM into the modern era as one of the best rugged phones. The XR21 is one of the most stylish options on this list, with slimmer bezels and an eye-catching design that won’t look out of place anywhere.

The Nokia XR21 is not a bad phone, either. Specs include a Snapdragon 695 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a pretty large 4,800mAh battery. The 6.49-inch display is pretty nice, too, offering a 120Hz refresh rate and Full HD resolution.

Of course, Nokia got some nice certifications to ensure users this phone won’t go breaking so easily. It is IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810H compliant. And it’s $499.99 MSRP is pretty good for what you get.

DOOGEE V Max: The best budget rugged phone

DOOGEE may not have the name recognition of either Nokia or Cat, but it knows how to make durable devices. The DOOGEE V Max is one of the latest offerings. It’s large and in charge with a hefty construction that comes in three colors — black, gold, and silver. All three are mostly black, though.

You shouldn’t find yourself hurting for power at any point with the V Max, thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset and huge 22,000mAh battery. That battery charges at 33W. This should still take a while to charge such a large battery, but the company claims it should last six to 10 days on a single charge. It’s easily one of the phones with the best battery life.

The phone is IP68 and IP69K certified, as well as MIL-STD-810H approved. It can handle its own. It also has reverse charging, which makes it a capable power bank to charge other devices. It’s not too expensive either. And you get plenty of performance and usability out of it.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover6 Pro: Samsung’s most durable device

Samsung offers some of the best rugged smartphones, and the Samsung Galaxy Xcover6 Pro was a true winner in 2022. For starters, this is one of the very few phones that still offer removable batteries, which means you can switch out the 4,050mAh capacity in seconds. It also runs on a Snapdragon 778G processor to offer mid-range performance and keep the price in check.

There’s only one version of the Galaxy Xcover6 Pro to pick up, and it comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage onboard. You get the benefit of Samsung’s generous update policy, too, as the Galaxy Xcover6 Pro is already running Android 12 with Samsung’s OneUI 4.1. It also has Gorilla Glass Victus Plus and the latest and greatest MIL-STD-810H rating.

Kyocera Duraforce Pro 3: The toughest Verizon phone

Most of our rugged phones rely on 4G LTE for the bulk of their service, but the Kyocera Duraforce Ultra is the way to go if you need top speeds. It’s the only entry to support Verizon’s mmWave 5G network, even if it does come at a cost. This device is pretty expensive at $899.99 MSRP.

At least the specs are OK. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, 6GB of RAM, a 5.38-inch Full HD screen, and a 4,370mAh battery. The thing is, you can find plenty of much more powerful handsets at this price point, making the price less enticing.

If you can look past the price, though, this is definitely one of the best rugged phones you can find. The one downside is that this is a Verizon exclusive.

Unihertz Tank: A rugged phone with an insane battery for true adventurers

Unihertz is known for being pretty bold with its new devices. Some are tiny, some have a physical keyboard, and most are rugged. The Unihertz Tank is definitely one of the most interesting of the bunch, though. Its most unique feature is the massive 22,000mAh battery, which awards it its unique name. It can charge at up to 66W, and comes with an integrated flashlight, making it one of the best rugged phones for adventurers.

It’s also built like a tank, though, featuring both IP68 and MIL-STD-810H certifications. And unlike most other rugged phones, this one comes with pretty capable specs. These include an octa-core processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 6.81-inch Full HD+ display, a 108MP primary camera, and even a 20MP night vision shooter.

The price is also pretty enticing! This is likely one of Unihertz’s best releases yet.

Ulefone Armor 21: Likely the most cool-looking rugged phone

Ulefone is known for being a bold manufacturer and taking risks others wouldn’t. The Ulefone Armor 21 is proof of this. Just look at it! This is one of the best rugged phones because of its unique looks, but also its set of unique features.

That light ring changes colors and can alert you of different types of notifications. It also surrounds a huge 3.5W speaker that can output 122 decibels of volume. Other interesting features include a night vision camera, an IR blaster, a uSmart Expansion Connector, and an available charging dock.

The specs aren’t half bad, either. You get a MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and a 6.59-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The battery is huge at 9,600mAh, and it can charge at 33W.

Cat S22 Flip: It’s a flip phone!

It’s a flip phone! Need we say more? And it actually runs Android 11, but it’s the Go Edition. The only real downside is that it’s exclusive to T-Mobile in the USA, but it’s a good option if you happen to be a Magenta customer.

The phone features IP68 and MIL-STD-810H certifications. Otherwise, it’s a pretty basic phone focusing mainly on design. Specs include a Snapdragon 215 chipset, 2GB of RAM, and a small 2,000mAh battery. The display is also tiny at 2.8 inches.

Motorola ThinkPhone: A high-end experience on a rugged phone

The Motorola ThinkPhone is special. It comes with much more modern high-end specs when compared to other devices on this list, but it is mighty expensive, and we don’t think it offers as much value as it costs. At least, that should be the case for most users. It’s not really made to be a rugged device, anyways. It just has rugged capabilities.

It’s made to be more of a business phone, as opposed to a rugged handset. You can definitely tell this by the look of the phone. It highly resembles Lenovo’s ThinkPad look. It’s pretty slim at just 8.2mm of thickness, and it doesn’t look like an indestructible beast. That said, it was granted the MIL-STD-810H and IP68 ratings. Theoretically, it should handle torture as much as the best on this list. Looking at it, though, we’re just unsure if it actually can in practice. We’re sure the fancy aramid fiber, Gorilla Glass Victus, and aircraft-grade aluminum help.

The performance should be excellent, though. The device comes with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, 8-12GB of RAM, a pretty nice 6.6-inch P-OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, a triple-camera system, and a large 5,000mAh battery.

You may not be happy with what the best rugged phones offer in terms of performance, features, and specs. These can be underpowered and have an overall lacking experience in comparison. The best way to get the best of both worlds is to find one of the best Android phones available and throw one of the best rugged cases on it.