The Best Rugged Smartphones In 2024

We’ll be judging the phones on value, battery life, cameras, performance, and how suited they are for everyday usage they are, and there’s even an award for how compact a phone might be (yes, there’s an actual compact rugged phone).

When you think of a rugged phone and the criteria to meet that label, you think of handsets designed with toughness and durability in mind instead of being sleek and light like the Galaxy S24. Instead, you want displays with higher levels of protection, a battery that doesn’t quit, and features such as an infrared camera, perhaps an extremely loud speaker, or even the ability to be used as a power bank.

This is on top of using it as a normal handset with enough grunt under the hood to get the occasional game session in, and cameras that can produce imagery good enough for social media. No one phone does everything perfectly, but the list of rugged handsets we’ve curated below does a good job of straddling both worlds with varying degrees of compromise.

The List

Best Overall – Samsung Galaxy XCover 7

Unusually for a rugged handset, the Galaxy XCover 7 doesn’t look like a tank, instead, it’s relatively normal to look at. We wish it had more built-in storage but you can always fix this issue with the addition of a MicroSD memory card.

Offering modest performance and battery life, the XCover 7 features IP68 water and dust resistance, along with military-grade drop protection and perhaps most importantly, a removable rear panel and battery. The 50MP main camera should be good enough for basic social media purposes but don’t expect Galaxy S24 quality from it.

Best Performance – Doogee V30Pro

Doogee is a smartphone brand with a history of making rugged phones with huge batteries and designs that scream durability. Its latest model is the V30Pro which packs in a mid-range processor with a good amount of RAM and storage and should even be good for the odd gaming session.

There’s the new-fangled IP69 protection rating present, and it’s still drop-resistant to a military-grade certification. The Night Vision camera will be great for checking terrain in low-light conditions, and when you do want to take a decent photo of the scenery around you, the 200MP sensor should stand you in good stead.

Doogee’s V30Pro costs around $650 but offers a lot more for your money than the Galaxy XCover 7 in just about every category apart from screen size and software support.

Best Battery – Unihertz Tank 2

Another brand making a name for itself in quirky niches is Unihertz with phones such as the Titan boasting a physical, BlackBerry-esque keyboard, the tiny Jelly Star phone, and, the Tank 2 which falls into this article’s sphere of interest. Much like the Doogee, the Tank 2 packs a big battery with 15,500mAh capacity and a night vision camera, but unusually it also features a built-in laser projector.

It’s an unusual blend of hardware which, thanks to its Helio G99 chipset, only supports 4G/LTE networking but it does have IP68 certification and is capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -55° to as high as 70° Celsius. It also boasts a shockproof design which befits its Tank 2 moniker. Unless 5G is a dealbreaker, the Tank 2 offers some interesting features while also managing to behave like a regular smartphone. Usually priced around $599, Unihertz has discounted it as low as $399 in recent months.

Best For Everyday – Nokia XR21

The Nokia XR21 offers a different take on the rugged phone segment by appearing like a regular smartphone, albeit perhaps a mid-ranger. But don’t mistake its calm exterior as a front for being delicate, the Nokia XR21 is waterproof, dust-proof, and drop-proof to IP69K and MIL-STD-810H standards. The rear flash also serves as a high-luminosity light that can perform as an SOS signal in times of need.

Specifications are relatively modest with the Snapdragon 695 5G processor providing just enough grunt. As is common in this segment, there’s a Full HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate with 6.49-inches of viewing area. There’s a normal-sized 4,800mAh battery which helps to make the size of the Nokia XR21 less like a tank (sorry Unihertz) and more like a regular handset. Unusually for a rugged phone, the Nokia XR21 will get 3 years of OS upgrades plus 4 years of monthly security patches.

Best Budget – AGM H6

At the budget end of the spectrum is AGM’s H6 which boasts IP69K certification on top of IP68 and military-grade drop protection. The H6 concentrates on the essentials and offers a 50MP main camera, isn’t particularly heavy at 240g, and has enough performance to carry out normal smartphone functions. Don’t expect to play Genshin Impact in high detail, though.

There’s dual-SIM networking, a 3.5mm audio port, and MicroSD card support plus its design is relatively handsome when you consider its purpose. At $250, the AGM H6 covers the basics of what you would want from a rugged handset without blowing the budget and you can sometimes pick it up for as low as $220.

Best Camera – Blackview BV8100

Blackview’s BV8100 is another affordable rugged phone that manages to pack in a whole lot of features including a pair of super-bright LED flashlights on the top edge of the phone with 170LM and 18m maximum shining distance. There’s also a big 8,800mAh battery on tap (with 45W charging) which is said to be good for up to 35.5hrs of flashlight usage.

The Helio G99 chip is paired with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and benefits from MicroSD support. With Glove Mode 2.0, the ability to operate in temperatures ranging from -20° to 60° Celsius, the BV8100 is ready for anything that is thrown at it. Plus, it’s one of the few rugged phones available with Android 14 out of the box.

You can pick up the Blackview BV8100 for $329 directly from Blackview’s online store.

Best Compact – Doogee Smini

In the market for a rugged handset that doesn’t bust your pockets? Doogee has you covered with its Smini model which packs a compact 4.5-inch QHD+ display (yes, QHD+) and weighs in at a svelte 155g. Powered by MediaTek’s Helio G99 chipset with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of expandable storage, the Smini also features a 3,000mAh battery with 18W charging. There’s even a handy display on the rear panel that shows battery level and other information so you don’t need to unlock the main display.

In terms of protection, the Smini might be small in stature but it’s still as rugged as its larger rivals thanks to IP68 water and dust resistance and MIL-STD-810H drop protection. Other notable features include NFC and a dual rear camera setup. You can order the Doogee Smini for $210/$270 depending on if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber.