A rugged smartphone is a specific type of toughened

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

which is designed to be completely sealed within a durable housing to protect it against damage from water, shock, dust, and vibration. Rugged smartphones are designed to survive

extreme weather Extreme weather includes unexpected, unusual, severe weather, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Extreme events are based on a location's recorded weat ...

and temperatures,

accidental damage Accidental may refer to: * Accidental (music), a symbol which changes the pitch of a note * ''Accidental'' (album), by Fred Frith * Accidental (biology), a biological phenomenon more commonly known as vagrancy * ''The Accidental'', a 2005 novel b ...

, and rough handling; making them ideal for working outdoors, or in harsh environments, along with use during

extreme sport Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are physical activity, activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly speci ...

s, such as

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

, etc. Most rugged smartphones have been tested to tough

IP68 The IP code or International Protection code indicates how well a device is protected against water and dust. It is defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) under the international standard IEC 60529 which classifies ...

standards. However, not all

waterproof Waterproofing is the process of making an object, person or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resists the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet env ...

smartphones will be ruggedised.

Classification

There are three general types of rugged phone: *Outdoor sports *Military *Stylish

Functional requirements

The following

IP code The IP code or International Protection code indicates how well a device is protected against water and dust. It is defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) under the international standard IEC 60529 which classifies ...

ratings for ingress protection (IP), as defined by the

International Electrotechnical Commission The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC; ) is an international standards organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronics, electronic and related technologies. IEC standards cover a va ...

(IEC) standard 60529 (equivalent to European standard EN 60529), are typically used for certifying various toughened and ruggedised smartphones.

Primary standard

IP54 — Solid particle (dust) protection level 5 (protection from harmful dust) and liquid ingress (waterproof) protection level 4 (protection from splashing water from any direction

IP56 — Solid particle (dust) protection level 5 (protection from harmful dust) and liquid ingress (

) protection level 6 (protection from high pressure water jets).

Intermediate standard

IP57 — Solid particle (dust) protection level 5 (protection from harmful dust) and liquid ingress (waterproof) protection level 7 (protection from full immersion at depths between and ).

Advanced (professional) standards

IP67 — Solid particle (dust) protection level 6 (protection from all dust) and liquid ingress (waterproof) protection level 7 (protection from full immersion at depths between and ). IP68 — Solid particle (dust) protection level 6 (protection from all dust) and liquid ingress (waterproof) protection level 8 (protection from full immersion at depths determined by the manufacturer). IP Code#IP69K and IPx9, IP69K — In the IEC 60529 rating system for ingress protection (IP), IP6* refers to the product's ability to resist ingress of dust. The IP*9K refers to the product's ability to resist ingress of high temperature (steam) / high pressure water. If the device passes all these tests, then it can be considered as IP69K rated smartphone, and can be used in harsh environments with high pressure / steam cleaning.

Testing procedure per ISO 20653

#A spray nozzle that is fed with water at and a flow rate of . #The nozzle is held from the tested device at

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...

s of 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°, for 30 seconds each. #The test device places on a

turntable A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding phys ...

that rotates once every 12 seconds.

MIL-STD-810G

MIL-STD-810 MIL-STD-810, U.S. Department of Defense Test Method Standard, Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests, is a United States Military Standard that specifies environmental tests to determine whether equipment is suitably desig ...

G is a U.S. military standard that stipulates a level of durability for an item of equipment. Specifically, it means the equipment has been subjected to a series of twenty-nine (29) tests, including

shock test Shock may refer to: Common uses Healthcare * Acute stress reaction, also known as psychological or mental shock ** Shell shock, soldiers' reaction to battle trauma * Circulatory shock, a medical emergency ** Cardiogenic shock, resulting from ...

vibration test Vibration () is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. Vibration may be deterministic if the oscillations can be characterised precisely (e.g. the periodic motion of a pendulum), or random if the oscilla ...

s, and more. This means it should be field ready, or even '

combat ready Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...

' in principle. A lot of technology sold to the U.S. military must be MIL-STD-810G compliant.

List of rugged smartphones

References

{{Cat phone Smartphones Consumer electronics Information appliances