Sonim XP1 Blog

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.

XP3 Enduro: "It is indestructible!"

RTBF, a radio and television company in Belgium, has reviewed the Sonim's waterproof XP3 Enduro:

Who has not dreamed of swinging his mobile phone on the second floor, to throw against the wall or to move to the sea without fear of drowning. It is now possible with the rugged Sonim XP3 Enduro,an unbreakable phone. 

At first glance, the Sonim xp3 resembles an ordinary mobile phone it has the bluetooth, a three megapixel camera, it is quad, has an interface compatible PC, a mini web browser Opera. So what is different from other phones on the market? It is indestructible!

Sonim Technologies has proved that its creation can withstand 2.0m falls onto concrete, is waterproof and can be crushed by a car and get out without a scratch. At the age of smartphones, Sonim Technologies put its sales on the strength of its product.

And Hi-Tech Italy (whose image of the XP3 Enduro we're using above) says this about the XP3 Enduro:

"During the recent Mobile World Congress 2009 companies have submitted rugged(ultra-reinforced), devices ... the Sonim XP3 Enduro stood out due to how its ruggedness was demonstrated by immersion in water.

The Sonim XP3 Enduro, we could see perfectly at home nestled in a container filled with liquid at the stand of Sagem Wireless, is available in two colors, gray and dark gray bicolor, yellow and gray. It is the only GSM phone that can be fully immersed in water and is resistant to water up to 1 meter in depth, thanks to its rugged construction.

IP-57 certified and MIL-SPEC 810F, the XP3 is resistant to impact from falling from 1.65 m onto concrete and exposure to vibration from 5 to 500 Hz, has a keypad tested to withstand 500,000 pushes.

The Sonim XP3 Enduro Rugged Handset is available in 16 different languages, including Italian, and offers  a 3-year no questions asked guarantee.

Australian IT: XP3 Enduro "A Surfers' Delight"

The below is snipped from a review of our new rugged, waterproof Sonim XP3 Enduro, you can read the full review here.

The Sonim XP3 is a plain vanilla GSM phone wrapped in a shell tough enough to take a 2m-drop on to concrete without ill-effect and waterproof enough to be submerged for 30 minutes at depths of up to 1m.

Those are the tough-enough-for-war-service claims that Sonim makes for the phone but we found you could push the macho-looking, yellow and black XP3 handset even further.

We doubled the drop on to concrete and the phone bounced a couple of times and then happily made a few calls.

It also survived being run over several times by the family Forester, a party trick the children took much delight in.

The phone is MIL-810f certified against fog and salt air as well as good to go in temperatures from -20C to 60C.

The waterproof keypad is claimed to be good for 500,000 presses.

When it comes to water torture the XP3 is a sadist's (or talkative surfer's) delight.

We left it submerged in the bath for an hour, made calls in the shower, left it under a hard-running tap for a few minutes and would have taken it for a surf if we weren't so afraid of sharks at Sydney beaches these days, although I'm sure the XP3 would have survived far better than I would in the jaws of a great white.

"Get a coffee, sit down and watch this…"

By popular demand, here's part 2 of Mobile Industry Review's torture-test of the Sonim XP3. Mobile Industry Review says: We popped over to the Sonim stand on the last day of Mobile World Congress and…. yes, we put Dan in charge of the interview. He has been fascinated with the Sonim indestructible handsets and couldn’t stop looking at the hammer on the desk whilst Christophe from Sonim was telling us about their new range. Annnd then we let Dan loose. With a hammer. And his HUGE boots. First, you’ll see him stepping and jumping on the Sonim XP3 packaging. Rumour has it, the material might even stop a bullet, although we didn’t get that verified. That in itself is worth a purchase. Then Dan couldn’t keep his hands off that hammer. WHACK. WHACK. WHACK. And then Dan spotted James walking along the corridor towards us. And promptly threw the phone at him. Then down the stairs. Then stamped on it and threw it down the stairs. And then engaged the bystanders (a bit of a crowd had formed) and asked them to stamp on it. And… (watch the video above to find out)

"Rambo would’ve been proud ... "

Bonus Stage, a tech program from Singapore's Straits Times Razor TV, has posted a video review of Sonim's newest rugged phone, the XP3 Enduro. Who wouldn't want to watch the lovely Eva 'Girl-Next-Door' Ellinghausen's cool review of the 'Toughest Phone in the World"? (Warning: depending on where you are in the world, the video feed can be a little wonky. click here for the direct feed. )

We discovered the video through a post on the excellent Singapore technology news site techgoondu.com, which had this to say about the XP3 Enduro:

Ruggedness has a new phone. This death-defying mobile is so tough; it tempts you to break it… if you can. Each XP3 is backed with an unconditional 3-year guarantee.

The XP3 can stay submerged in a metre depth of water for a full 30 minutes and still make calls. And it doesn’t matter whether you pick up a call in the Alps or the Sahara, this phone is sturdy enough to operate at both ends of the thermometer (-20 to 60 degrees Celsius). Rambo would’ve been proud.

Techgoondu's reporter Edvarcl appears in the Razor TV video too. Thanks, all, for a great review.

XP3 Enduro: A Smashing Phone

RegHardware ran a review on our new rugged, waterproof Sonim XP3 Enduro, which resulted in a great comment from reader Stu Reeves:

I take your girly, oh so cute touch screen phone and smash it with my Enduro....

Grrrr

Now I'm off to drink molten steel.

Grrrrrr

Thanks, Stu! We're still laughing over here in SonimLand.

The review was excellent too. Here's some snippets from the full article, which you can (and should) read here

Launched in November, but only just available in the UK, the Sonim Enduro is hard to kill - very hard. We know - we tried.

Stylistically, the handset has a sort-of 1980s cyberpunk feel: hi-tech, but built to outlast the owner. Assuming the user doesn't have tiny hands - and this is not the kind of handset people with diminutive digits use - then it fits well in the palm despite being larger than most modern handsets. In use, it feels solid as a rock - which is not an entirely inappropriate comparison.

We tried the usual throwing-the-phone-around-the-office tests, and then some slightly more challenging roll-down-the-stairs assays, before resorting to the tried and tested chucking-it-as-high-as-possible test and, when it survived that without a scratch, the throwing-out-of-buildings and jumping-on-it tests which were all we had left.

The boiling coffee pot was someone else's idea, and the phone had to remain there for half an hour while we waited for the coffee level to drop far enough to fish the still-working handset out, this was followed by a bout of vigorous stamping that saw a partial failure. But within ten minutes the phone was working again. Since then, it's been in the freezer and in the mud, and we even gave it to a three-year-old to play with, but nothing seems to phase the Enduro.