Sonim XP1 Blog

Review Roundup Part 2

Engadget's Chris Ziegler updated his readers on the planned XP3.20's US release, slated for this summer:

The launch date for a US version of Sonim's mighty XP3 toughphone has been a bit of a moving target for a while now, but it looks like we might finally have a firm date. According to Sonim's CEO, the XP3.20 -- a tweaked version of the original XP3 that features better talk time, better survivability, and 850MHz GSM for North American use -- will be launching this summer on rural US carriers, even conveniently coming packaged in a crush- and water-resistant box that you'll want to keep for... you know, things you want to keep dry and uncrushed.

It likely won't be cheap, but if you're looking for something that meets the mega-rugged IP67 standard -- as opposed to the IP57 seal usually displayed by these kinds of phones -- this is your ticket to ride. No guarantees, but it might be available in an unlocked version, too, so start saving your dirty, wet, partially destroyed dollar bills.

Gaj-it has this to say in their "Future Record Holder" post about the XP3 Enduro:

"... its been assigned a military spec rating of 810F against salt, fog humidity, transport and thermal shock. Nothing has been overlooked here and even the keypad is tested over a half a million times to make sure it’s up to the job at hand; Sonim is so confident in its product that they even offer an unconditional 3 year warranty, no matter how you broke it.

Of course, given the tasks this rambo-phone was designed for, it wouldn’t be much use if it stopped working after an hour; thankfully it comes with a reported battery life of 9 days on standby or 5.5 hours talk time. Not too shabby indeed."

And PhonesLimited answers the one question the folks at Gaj-it had -- when can we buy the XP3 in the UK? -- with this post:

A new and improved Sonim touch phone has now been given a confirmed SIM Free release date in the UK, the XP3 is a direct upgrade to the previous Sonim XP1 and adds new features and software with some interesting design tweaks.

The Sonim XP3 is a waterproof, shock proof, dust proof handset that can handle the harshest of environments ... (it's) drop resistant as well as operational from -20 degrees C to +60 degrees C. the scratch resistant screen and high powered speakers combine to make this the most durable phone ever created.

We have now received a release date for the Sonim XP3 as a SIM Free and unlocked mobile phone, this superb new Sonim model will be available from 15th May with no network ties, this means that the customer can use their own pay as you go or contract SIMcard and continue using their existing mobile number as well as retaining their ’saved-to-SIM’ contacts list.

The Sonim XP3 is by far the most incredibly rugged mobile phone which has ever been designed to work in the most challenging of environments. So confident are Sonim with the XP3, that it comes with an industry leading 3 year, no quibble warranty.

The Sonim XP3 is built for anyone who requires equipment they can depend on, ideal for construction workers, lorry drivers, farmers and foremen. Equally, the XP3 is perfect for anyone with an active lifestyle who requires a mobile phone that can take a few knocks.

"A Rugged Phone with Features!"

Over at Mobile Phone News, reporter TechnicalMarkus has this to say about the forthcoming Sonim-branded Land Rover premium rugged phone:

"A lot of people swear by the (Sonim-made) JCB Tough Phone (unless they drop it on their toe, then they swear at it), but its makers, Sonim, haven’t been sitting on their hands since it came out. They’ve already followed it up with the Sonim XP3, an even tougher phone, that’s fully waterproof.

It doesn’t even stop there, though, because we’ve now got pics of their next, and as reported way back when, on this very blog, it’s a Land Rover badged-phone.

Disappointingly, though, it’s not British Racing Green…

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that it looks pretty much the same as the XP3. In fact, from the front, it looks so much like the XP3, that one would immediately say, “Ooh, look an XP3.”

The fun stuff is happening round the back (and I realise how dodgy that sentence sounds, even as I’m typing it), because unlike its predecessors, the Land Rover S1 has actually got a camera. And they’ve gone from no camera, straight up to 2 megapixel camera in the space of one phone. Granted, it’s not even going to come close to competing with something like the Sony Ericsson Idou, but it’s a start, and for a phone you can repeatedly hit with a brick hammer, anything’s a bonus!

It’s also got Bluetooth, and the Opera Mini browser pre-installed, so unbelievably, it’s a super-ruggedized hardcase phone, that actually does stuff! No word on release date or price, yet, but rest assured, our tireless team of research monkeys (well, me) are on the case…"

Help Sascha Destroy The Sonim XP3.20

Sascha Segan, a reporter with PCMag, would like suggestions on how best to try to destroy our newest Sonim ultra-rugged phone, the XP3.20.

Many have tried, but our tough phones really hate to be defeated. But if you've been harboring an hunch on how best to kill a Sonim phone, let Sascha know.

Sascha also updated PCMag readers on US availability of the XP3.20

"Great news for skiers, blue-collar workers and anyone who tends to drop their phone in the sink: Sonim's XP3.20, the world's toughest phone, is arriving in the U.S. early this summer thanks to a group of rural mobile phone carriers. That means the phone is coming sooner than we heard in February.

The XP3.20 may also be available unlocked directly through some retailers for use on AT&T's and T-Mobile's networks, Sonim chief executive Bob Plaschke said Friday.

I got some hands-on time with the XP3.20 today, and Plaschke explained what makes it far more rugged than 'semi-rugged' phones like the Samsung Rugby.

For instance, the XP3.20 has a rubber ridge around the screen and a few extra millimeters of space between the screen glass and the actual LCD display. That makes the display much harder to crack.

The XP3 can survive 100 9-foot drops to concrete (or more than 20 G-forces) and is certified to the IP67 standard, which is tougher than the usual IP57 standard you hear about. It's waterproof, dustproof, super-loud, and you can use it wearing gloves thanks to raised, ridged keys.

The phone's specs have been tweaked a bit from what we heard last October.  The 'new' XP3 has a 1900 mAh battery for 15 hours of GSM/EDGE talk time, along with an unusually rich color LCD screen and a 2-megapixel camera. The phone's GPS is designed not primarily for driving directions - it's designed so rescuers or employers can find the folks carrying the phones. The XP3 will also come with PC syncing software so you can move your contacts over from your PC.

Even the XP3's box (shown at left) is tough. It's waterproof and so strong you can stand on it; it makes a great bait box, toolbox or lunch box.

Tough And Waterproof

Reporters from PC Magazine's Australian edition torture tested our new, waterproof XP3 Enduro and reported:

"The Sonim XP3 Enduro is a ruggedised GSM mobile phone that is tough and waterproof. If you live or work in conditions where accidental drops are common, this is a phone that will come in handy.

The Sonim XP3 Enduro feels very solid and capable of taking some punishment. Sonim says that the mobile phone can be repeatedly dropped onto hard surfaces from up to two metres, and we tested this claim on a variety of surfaces.

When dropped on concrete, tiles, dirt and wood, the phone usually stayed on.

When we dropped it at an angle that focused the force of the fall on a single corner, however, the Sonim XP3 Enduro switched off and the SIM card disconnected. This meant that we had to unscrew the back plate and remove the battery before reassembling the phone. Both the phone and the SIM card were completely undamaged.

The Sonim XP3 boasts an IP-57 protection rating (strong dust and water resistance) and MIL-STD-810F certification.

Sonim says that the phone can be kept at a depth of up to 1 metre for 30min, and during our tests we were able to operate the phone underwater. Although the one metre limit means that scuba divers won't be text messaging anytime soon, accidentally dropping the phone into a bucket of water or a pool shouldn't cause long term damage."

You can read the full review here

"Its Still Working!"

Pay no attention to the title of the video above -- the XP3 wasn't destroyed. Not quite sure why the video title states otherwise, but this clip was too cool to keep to ourseleves.

The real deal, as Gaj-it Lab reports:

"At The Gadget Show Live ... there were several work benches set up around the Sonim stand with hammers on them so that the passing public could physically hit the phones to check out their indestructible qualities.

 Little did we know that while we were recording, a passer by had a go bashing the hammer and seemingly broke the phone.

Sonim’s claims that their phones are “indestructible” ring true as in the video it first looks like the man has actually been able to break the phone and let me tell you, those hammers were very real hammers capable of breaking most things.

However, apart from a crack in the screen and the temporary cut-off, the phone is still in working condition and he even phones me to check! So if you're on the look out for an indestructible mobile phone i.e. if your working in a very heavy labor job then i’d say get your hands on one of these, because they are as close to indestructible as phones can possibly be."

You can see more videos of our waterproof, submersible Sonim XP3 Enduro at our website.

Crash Test!

Can any phone, even the most rugged, withstand being boiled in a pasta pot? (along with the pasta).

And what happens when that same phone is thrown off the roof, tossed into the wash cycle, driven over by a car, and bashed with a metal bat? I could tell you, but you'll have much more fun if you watch the video above, in which a reviewer from Chip.de torture tests the Sonim XP3.

And remember, all Sonim Technologies phones are covered by a three-year, no hassle, guarantee. You break them (even in some bizarre fashion), and we'll replace them.

Bnet's Tony Sklar vs Sonim XP3

This video was shot at this year's Mobile Conference in Barcelona. Bnet TV's Tony Sklar just loves trying to break our rugged phones. Here he whacks the phone with a mallet. Watch the video to see whether Tony has finally managed to kill a Sonim phone, and also to get the inside scoop on how our latest phone, the ultra rugged Sonim XP3, was designed and is engineered as well as some info about our forthcoming Land Rover premium rugged phone.

Sonim XP3: "It cannot be killed"

The U.K's Daily Mail newspaper has this to say about our newly released, ultra rugged Sonim XP3:

The Sonim XP3 is the Terminator of mobile phones. It cannot be killed. You can throw an XP3 into three feet of water for half an hour and it will still work. Tested to military specifications, it can be frozen to -20 degrees C and baked to 60 degrees C and shrugs off salt, fog, impacts and dust with equal ease. Whether you can actually get a signal under water is another matter.

Thanks to its rubber casing, the phone can withstand a fall onto concrete from 7ft. It's larger than a standard mobile so the buttons are easily pressed while wearing gloves.

The three-year warranty is completely unconditional. 'It doesn't matter how you break it,' says the CEO. Sounds like a challenge to us...

Benefits of Rugged Technology

Sonim employee Jeffery Pon was in a nasty car accident last week. Thankfully Jeff is ok. And he told us an interesting story about his experience that points up the value of having a rugged phone even if your work conditions and/or lifestyle doesn't fit the 'extreme' profile of the typical Sonim customer.

"It happens in an instant, but it’s an instant that somehow seems to last a lifetime. Tires screech, glass breaks, metal twists and there you sit, very aware that you are an object that must obey Newton's Laws of motion. Then it all comes to an abrupt halt and despite the dozens of cars and hundreds of eyes upon you, you realize that you have never felt more alone in your life.

At least that’s how I felt a week ago, after a truck tire suddenly bounced out of the pickup right in front of me on the bridge during my commute home. It all happened so fast and, unsure whether I should "take the hit" and hope for the best or to try and swerve to avoid the 70 pound object that was barreling towards me, I chose the latter option.

Swerving to avoid the tire and the other cars that had reacted similarly, I lost control of my car and slammed into the outer guardrail (which thankfully held up so I didn’t go sailing off the bridge) only to pinball back to the center divide and slam into the concrete barrier there.

When I finally came to a stop in my now badly mutilated vehicle the first thought I had was that I was lucky to have survived, the second was to call 911. But after a quick glance around the interior wreckage of the car, I noted that my personal cell phone had flown out of the cup holder during the accident and lay shattered into four pieces on the floor. But right beside it, amidst the broken glass and shredded metal, lay my brightly colored yellow Sonim XP1 - completely unscathed.  I reached for it and dialed 911 for emergency assistance. Help was on its way.

 I am not the kind of person who you’d expect would own a Sonim rugged phone. I don't work or play in extreme conditions, the most exhilarating thing I've ever done in my life is a skydiving adventure I embarked upon a couple of years ago. I probably wouldn’t have had an XP1 if I didn’t work for Sonim. That said, I will not leave home again without my Sonim because when I needed it most, and my life depended on it, my Sonim XP1 was there, ready to help me reach out for emergency assistance.

My boss at Sonim, Bob Plaschke, talks a lot about how safety – personal safety, the ability to call for help when you need it no matter what situation you’re in -- is the most important aspect of our rugged phones. I understood the importance of this intellectually before, but now I really get the value of having a phone that you can depend on."

Work in construction? Tell us your Sonim story!

Do you own both a Sonim phone and a construction firm? Or are you a Sonim phone owner and are also a construction site foreman? If so, we'd really like to talk with you.

We're working on a series of stories that describe how our customers use their phones, and we need to talk to some people who work in the construction industry. It's a painless procedure -- we email you some questions, you email us your replies. If you're interested in participating, please drop us a line by clicking here. Thanks!