Fall from grace
Though it’s undoubtedly a hardier beast than the thoroughbred likes of the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S II, the Solid Immerse’s robustness credentials aren’t necessarily outstanding. After the key scratches, dropping it from a height of about 3m didn’t damage it, but the back popped off, which wasn’t very reassuring. It withstood the dunk test however, resting under the water for a good two minutes with no ill effects.
Alarmingly, the cover came away when subjected to a drop test
Call quality was generally okay, voices sounding clear and well-rounded though it would have been nice to have the volume capable of cranking up a bit louder in case of noisy environments. Samsung promises standby of 610 hours and talk time of up to 870 minutes and while I can’t guarantee it will last this long, it still had over a bar of battery left after four days of moderate use.
Fairly, robust but not without some frailties
Verdict
If you’re out in the wilds, or even working on a building site, it’s good to know your phone can take a few knocks or a drop in water. Just don’t push it too hard as the Samsung Solid Immerse appears tougher than tests suggest it actually is, but you can't knock the battery life. ®
More Rugged Phone Reviews... |
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XP3300 Force |
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B2700 Bound |
Samsung Solid Immerse rugged phone
COMMENTS
Washing machine
"whether it would survive a bout with washing machine is another matter"
Shame on you! You should have tried it out!
(Can't think why it wouldn't. 40C isn't too hot. G-force of spin isn't high compared to dropping it on a hard floor. Water pressure is only a few inches. Comes down to whether it can resist soapy water compared to dirty water. Would be unimpressed if it failed).
Thank God for the Defy
I think Motorola makes you compromise a lot less to be rugged and waterproof.
I bought a Defy for my wife after her last phone ran full of water while in her pocket during a Taifoon...
However, its Battery life can't compete with this one.
Flashlight and compass is great though... and the Defy beats my iPhone. smaller case, less weight, bigger screen :)
I think it's a great phone!
I have this and the nexus one.. For usual "office / home" life the nexus is my first choice, but if I'm going away for the weekend or doing something outdoorsy then my SIM goes into the Samsung and I'm happy it can take a bashing and I don't have to care about getting wet, battery life etc etc. It can read email at a stretch, but it's nice to get away from those things every now and then.
In fact... this last weekend I had this phone for "outdoors" and in the backpack the moto xoom and it was a winning combo ... I wonder if that kind of "hardy" phone + more tech tablet combo may catch on ?
But for the camera
This looks aok, pretty much just what I need, except that it has only a 2mp camera. Are there any decent camera'd rugged phones around other than the Motorola Defy, which is a tad too smartphone for my needs?
I think I'll be getting a Defy
As an outdoorsy, horsey, walking-and-riding-around-on-Northumberland-hills-and-beaches, sort of bloke, I've had nearly a decade's service from my once-immortal Nokia 1100, which is now starting to lose call clarity. However, if I was to trade up from it, I'd need to... well... trade up, you know? This is a bit like an expensive Nokia 1100 with a colour screen and an embarrassment of a camera?
No, I think Mr Motorola is going to be getting my money.
