Best rugged phones in 2024

It’s no secret that inflation is significantly impacting the prices of modern smartphones. With some of the best Android phones now costing upwards of $1,500, protecting your investment is more important than ever. Purchasing a good phone case is a start, but choosing a phone capable of withstanding falls and other accidents is also wise, especially when spending a significant amount of money.

This is where rugged Android phones come into play. Not only are they designed to withstand rough handling, but many also offer additional layers of protection against the elements, dust, water, and other particles that could potentially damage your phone’s internal components. Moreover, as the devices listed below demonstrate, rugged phones don’t have to skimp on features. Some of them offer the same level of functionality as the top flagship smartphones.

Top rugged Android phones

The Galaxy XCover6 Pro is military-grade tested and approved with a focus on environmental conditions. The solid frame and reinforced edges provide better shock absorption and drop protection, while the Gorilla Glass display contains a rubber bumper to protect your screen from shattering.

The screen is also integrated with touch sensitivity technology, so you can use this phone with gloves on or in the rain. Dustproof and water-resistant ratings let the Galaxy XCover6 Pro thrive in any environment, from the factory floor to the field.

In addition to handling all the action, the Galaxy XCover6 Pro is ready to capture all the action. The 50MP main camera and 8MP ultra-wide camera have you covered from all angles, while the 13MP front camera covers you for any impromptu video meetings.

To track all of your actions, the XCover6 Pro has a handy virtual toolkit, including an accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and more. The Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro is compatible with GSM, WCDMA, and CDMA networks.

The AGM G2 Guardian is by far the most expensive option on this list, but it’s for good reason. On top of being extremely rugged, the G2 Guardian doesn’t make you compromise between performance and dependability thanks to its overall specs and features.

AGM built the G2 Guardian to survive anything you could throw at it. This device is waterproof, shock, and dust-proof thanks to its IP68 and IP69K ratings and MIL-STD-810H certification. It has a 108MP main camera, a 20MP infrared night vision camera, and a 2MP macro camera. It has a long-range autofocus thermal monocular with a range of 500 meters. This thermal camera is great for hunters, first responders, construction workers, and anyone who works at night.

Safety is a priority for AGM and it has equipped this device accordingly. It has a 109db loudspeaker and a 7,000mAh battery, ensuring you have juice in the tank for days and days. It comes with Guardian SOS that will automatically call emergency services if activated and can use the loudspeaker and pulse the camera flash to alert medical services to your location.

None of this matters if the performance isn’t up to the task and, thankfully, AGM delivered. Equipped with a Qualcomm QCM6490 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, the G2 Guardian has enough power to easily get you through your daily tasks. It also has a 6.58-inch 2408 x 1080 display with a 120Hz refresh rate for a crisp and fluid visual experience.

If you want an uncompromising smartphone that is rugged, durable, and capable, then the AGM G2 Guardian is the best of the best.

The Doogee S110 is an excellent low-cost rugged phone that can serve as a primary device for those looking to save some money or as a secondary phone for when life gets a little rougher. The S110 is also one of the most uniquely designed devices on this list.

The back has Kevlar accents flanking the sides, with a big, round camera assembly sitting prominently at the top. This camera system consists of a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, a 24MP f/1.8 night vision camera, and a 16MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera. Sitting directly in the middle of the camera assembly is a 1.09-inch rear display that can be used as a quick display, for music playback, incoming call reminders, or to just display the time.

The Doogee S110 has a large 10,800mAh battery that should easily get you four or five days of use while you’re out and about. You can also rest easy knowing that the S110 is waterproof, dust-proof, and drop-proof.

It also has a large 6.58-inch 2408 x 1080 IPS that offers a fluid viewing experience thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate. At 480 nits, its peak brightness is on the lower side. It also ships with a Helio G99 processor, which should be enough to keep you connected and performing your daily tasks, but don’t expect to do anything intensive on it.

The Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra is built like a tank, ensuring it will have little trouble keeping up with everything you do. It has an IP68/IP69K rating, and is MIL-STD-810H compliant, ensuring that it can go just about anywhere and in any environment. It can even take a fall onto direct concrete from up to 1.5m and survive with ease.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a small device by any stretch of the imagination. At 179 x 82 x 25.5mm and 609g, the Armor 26 Ultra is an enormous phone.

Where Ulefone excels is with its performance thanks to its Dimensity 8020 processor and 12GB of RAM. It also comes with ample space for all of your files thanks to its 512GB of storage. It has a large 6.78-inch IPS LCD display, a 2460 x 1080 resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate making it sharp and fluid. The LCD panel won’t provide the deep blacks of an AMOLED but should be serviceable for general use.

With a 200MP main camera, an 8MP telephoto camera with 3.2 optical zoom, a 40MP ultrawide camera, and a 64MP infrared night vision lens, the Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra ensures you can take a decent picture in any scenario, just don’t expect it to come close to the best camera phones on the market.

Rounding out the Armor 26 Ultra is its massive 15600mAh battery, giving you days away from the charger and its extremely loud 121dba speaker. Keep in mind that the speaker may be too loud for general use and can be heard from a good distance away.

For those unfamiliar with Unihertz phones, those it brands as “Tank” live up to that billing. The Tank 2 Pro is no exception, sporting an uber-robust design that can easily handle drops, moisture, or dust. Unihertz doesn’t embrace user choice, however, as the Tank 2 Pro comes in a one-size-fits-all model that has 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a gray and black color scheme.

Chinese-made phones can struggle to support US mobile frequencies, but the Tank 2 Pro will work with Verizon and T-Mobile. Sorry, AT&T.

This design impresses me because it packs a huge 23,800mAh battery, yet still manages to be under 700g. It’s enough capacity to get through several work days without a recharge, and with some power management, it could last even longer. This phone also has a DLP projector, a feature in the original Tank 2, but this hardware is brighter and now supports keystone correction.

The weaknesses of the Tank 2 Pro are the limitations of Unihertz’s software support, which isn’t up to what you might expect compared to a leading brand like Samsung. The default camera application also doesn’t make the most of the 100MP sensor, capturing images with a washed-out appearance.

Overall, the Unihertz Tank 2 Pro is a terrific phone with a modest asking price, provided you can live with some limitations.

Blackview makes some inexpensive, rugged phones, like the excellent BV9200, but it also makes some more expensive devices, like the BL9000 Pro, packed full of features. Not to be confused with the budget BV9000, the BL9000 Pro is a chunky powerhouse device built around the recent MediaTek Dimensity 8020 SoC. It has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard flash storage, a 50MP primary camera that can capture 2K video, and an FLIR thermal sensor.

What we most like about this design is that, at 412g, it is far from the heaviest rugged phone available, yet Blackview engineers managed to give it a Li-Po 8,800mAh battery that can extend the running time to days away from power. Considering how rugged this design is and how it can handle being 1.5M underwater for thirty minutes, is the BV9000 Pro the perfect companion for a long trek in the wilderness? Quite possibly.

The only downsides to the BL9000 Pro are that many alternatives offer 64MP or even higher resolution cameras at this price point, there is no audio jack, and, curiously, it doesn’t include a digital compass. But, overall, this is an impressive device that might be ideal for a long hike or camping adventure.

Oukitel makes some interesting rugged designs, and the Oukitel WP33 Pro is one of its mid-range devices aimed at those camping or working outdoors. Therefore, it checks all the IP68/69 boxes with water and dust proofing, enabling it to remain operational in harsh conditions.

It also sports a massive 22,000mAh battery that should be good for a week of use if the power is properly managed, making it ideal for wilderness adventures.

And, at the end of a long hiking day, the rear-mounted 8D Speaker should be powerful enough to entertain the local wildlife with whatever music you brought along.

To our minds, there are only two issues with the Oukitel WP33 Pro. The first is that it’s a relatively large and heavy phone at 557g. That’s not the heaviest, but it’s more than twice the weight of most phones, and if you’re hiking, your pack weight will increase markedly.

The other is Oukitel’s somewhat cavalier attitude to Android updates. This phone is using a security patch from 2023. Hopefully, it will see another update soon.

Overall, the Oukitel WP33 Pro offers plenty of phone for its cost and has enough positive aspects to be a daily driver.

The Doogee DK10 is a unique device on this list. In an effort to create a device that feels far more like a normal smartphone than most rugged devices, Doogee made some design decisions that buck the rugged design trends.

It all starts with Doogee’s decision to include a 5150mAh battery and forgoing a 15,000mAh or greater one. As a result, you can expect a solid day of battery use, but don’t expect it to last all weekend while backpacking in the mountains. It does charge quite fast thanks to its 120W wired charging or 50W wireless charging. It also has a USB-C port that supports reverse charging.

With a smaller battery, it does run smaller than many other devices on this list. At 181.7 x 83.1 x 12.7mm and weighing a modest 305g, the DK10 is far easier to carry with you on long trips than the industry norm. It retains an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and is a MIL-STD-810H complaint. It can even survive a drop directly onto concrete from a height of 1.8m

Thanks to a Mediatek Dimensity 8020 processor and 12GB of RAM, you can expect good overall performance. More importantly, its 6.67-inch AMOLED display is just a thing of beauty. With a 120Hz refresh rate and 2400 x 1080 resolution, everything is sharp and fluid; the AMOLED display ensures crisper blacks and punchier colors when enjoying your favorite content. With 512GB of onboard storage, you can download plenty of your favorite content to enjoy on the great looking display.

The Doogee DK10 comes with a quad camera that is a bit mediocre but can do the trick in a pinch. You get a 50MP f/2.0 primary camera, a 16MP f/2.5 telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom, a 50MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 64MP f/1.8 infrared camera.

The DK10 comes with Android 13, but don’t expect many software updates. Doogee doesn’t have the best track record in that department. If you want a rugged device but hate the idea of extra bulk, then the Doogee DK10 is a great option.

Get peace of mind with a rugged Android phone

One of the most terrifying moments in the information age is the few heartbeats between dropping your phone and the moment it impacts the ground. If you’ve spent thousands on one of the fragile flagships, you may experience a crushing wave of emotion in that split second: buyer’s remorse, regret that you didn’t immediately invest in a case, and the fleeting hope that maybe the screen won’t crack or shatter into a thousand costly splinters.

However, if you invested in one of the rugged phones from this list, you can instead spend those moments smirking and thinking about what you want for dinner, smug in the knowledge that your phone is built to survive all of our cruel world’s worst vicissitudes. Our top choice is a perfect example. Samsung’s XCover6 Pro is designed to survive drops and is dust and waterproof. It also has the features you expect from the market leader, like 5G compatibility and an elegant design.

For just a bit more, the AGM G2 Guardian is also an exceptional choice where ruggedness and performance are concerned, including its powerful speaker to crank out tunes at your next party or BBQ. On the other hand, if you want to save a few bucks but still want a phone designed to survive the inevitable apocalypse, consider the Power Armor 16 Pro, which is built to withstand all kinds of abuse and also packs one of the largest batteries in modern smartphones at a whopping 9600mAh capacity.