Samsung Rugby Smart Review: The Rugged All-Weather Smartphone

"> 0by Stacy Bruce
tagged AT&T, Rugby Smart, rugged, Samsung, Water-Resistant, waterproof

We recently got our hands on a review unit of the Samsung Rugby Smart, a smartphone designed for rough conditions. We immediately filmed an unboxing video and initial review but I figured I would spend a little more time with the phone to complete a proper review. While I intend to put it through the ringer, testing its dust/water/shock proof abilities, I will also be reviewing it’s ability to be a worthy daily driver. It seems that lately we have been focusing a lot of attention on high-end devices and the Rugby Smart is a nice departure from that norm. My initial instincts are that this is a device for those who don’t need the best specs and who are looking for an Android phone that won’t break the bank, or is easily broken for that matter. I spent almost a week using the phone and over the next few sections of this review I will break down its performance, durability and usability. The good and the bad..

The Rugby Smart is Samsung’s newest smartphone and is currently being offered through AT&T for $99 on contract. The phone is touted as a device capable of the toughest environments and has a mil-spec rating of MIL-STD-810f. Not only is the device capable of withstanding dust, water, and shock, it can also endure through climates ranging from sub-zero Antarctic winters to the hottest of Arizona summers. It can even withstand 30 minutes under 1 meter (3.3 feet) of water (see video below). With a sealed body and it’s rubberized accents, the Rugby smart isn’t going to be the tech-guru’s cup of tea, rather one for those who lead an active lifestyle or who work in relatively harsh conditions.

Design

The design of the Rugby Smart is pretty similar to the other rugged handsets you can find on the market and you can tell the device is solid just by holding it in your hand. It has rubberized edges that not only allow for awesome grip, it will protect the device from drops and/or shock. One thing I like about this rugged phone is that it’s not embellished with a bunch of protruding rubberized accents and it maintains the appearance of a regular (smaller) smartphone. Like most smartphones, the display is recessed a bit to protect it from unwanted scratches and the back has four little feet to help to avoid scratching the battery door. There really isn’t much going on design wise with the Rugby Smart – it doesn’t have any outlandish or snazzy cosmetics or features, but this is by far the best looking all-weather handset available in my opinion.

Hardware

The thick plastic battery door is held on with a latch that requires a coin or something similar to remove it. The door also has a plastic ridge that surrounds the battery profile that locks into a rubber groove when closed, sealing the battery from moisture. When the battery door is securely locked in place, it shouldn’t have any problems keeping all elements from entering inside the phone. Not only is the battery and inner working of the device protected, all open ports are sealed by a rubberized flap as well. The micro USB and audio jack are sealed so tight with these flaps that I found it hard to open them when I actually needed to. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad. The micro USB is located on the bottom edge of the phone and the audio jack is on the top.

Although an affordable device, the 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen looks pretty amazing, which is also partially because of its 252ppi. You can view the screen very easily at all angles and it’s even super bright when outdoors in sunlight. The screen is a huge plus in my book, it may be small but it is of super nice quality. You outdoorsy types will love its ability to been seen well in the sun and the phone is super pocketable given its dimensions which are 122.4 x 65.9 x 12.2mm, and weighs in at 119 grams.

Below the screen you will find the typical Samsung 4 button layout, but unlike the Galaxy line of phones these are physical buttons. Because they are actual moving parts, Samsung even rubberized these to prevent liquid or sand from damaging the phone. This make plenty of sense especially because capacitive buttons don’t work very well when they get any form of moisture on them. This moisture problem can be noticed on the screen when trying to swipe around homescreens fresh after a dunk in water. The power and volume buttons are found in the usual Samsung places as well. Power is on the upper most right edge and is flanked on the opposite edge by the volume rocker. Just like the rest of the build quality of the Rugby Smart, the buttons are also rubberized and protected from the elements.

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Battery

As I mentioned earlier the battery is held in place by a super watertight seal, and when in place, covers up the SIM card (no hot-swapping). The capacity of the battery is 1650mAH and survived a full day of moderate use on a full charge with nearly 25% remaining. When I say full day, you can expect to get about 12-16 hours with moderate web browsing, texting, phone calls and a few pictures and video. Anything beyond that and you are going to peeter out around 8-11 hours. The super AMOLED screen is mostly to blame for this so if you can afford to turn down the brightness you could potentially extend the battery life greatly. If it’s only phone calls your worried about, the Rugby Smart can get on average 7 hours of continuous talk time in comparison to its 5 hours of continuous web browsing. If you are a heavy user, you may want to invest in a spare battery or one of those portable charging get-ups. As far as standby time goes, AT&T claims the phone can remain on standby for up to two weeks.

Performance

Although the Rugby Smart may not have the most up to date chipset, it keeps up damn well with the functions it is intended on doing. The little 1400 MHz single-core chip was surprisingly speedy and I didn’t notice any lag when swiping between homescreens and opening apps was snappy as well. I realize benchmarking apps are more for show (as long as your device ranks near the top ), but for you firm believers in test results, I figured I’d give AnTuTu a visit.  While the phone doesn’t rate up there with the Galaxy Nexus or the Transformer Prime, it does provide a solid user experience. The way in which I chose to rate a device’s performance.

What really sets this device apart from the rest is it’s military specification rating. As I mentioned earlier it is rated MIL-STD-810f, in which Wikipedia describes like this:

The military standard MIL-STD-810 test series addresses a broad range of environmental conditions that include: low pressure for altitude testing; exposure to high and low temperatures plus temperature shock (both operating and in storage); rain (including wind blown and freezing rain); humidity, fungus, salt fog for rust testing; sand and dust exposure; explosive atmosphere; leakage; acceleration; shock and transport shock (i.e., triangle/sine/square wave shocks); gunfire vibration; and random vibration.

I mean how cool is it to know that your smartphone can survive all that? Just the though of submitting any other smartphone to those conditions makes me cringe a little. This is most definitely the phone’s strongest selling feature and reason enough for many to consider taking the plunge (pun intended).

Water resistance test

Software

The Rugby Smart comes out of the box rocking Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread and of course there is Samsung’s Touchwiz UI overlay as well. If you have ever experienced using a Samsung smartphone before, then you basically know what there is to be expected. You get the normal array of Android and Samsung widgets, with the option to customize up to 7 homescreens. One neat thing about this device unlike other Samsung phones is the lockscreen. Upon power-on you are presented with the usual slide-to-unlock lockscreen but if you also have the ability to slide to waiting notifications if there are any available. If you have a text message for example and you power on the device, you can slide to the red notification bubble and enter directly into the waiting message within the messaging app. No more navigating to the notification panel after unlocking. Speaking of notification panel, it and the power widgets have received a slight cosmetic makeover from previous build of Samsung’s Gingerbread, but nothing major.

 

As far as apps go, you get the usual Android apps along with a few Samsung and AT&T ones as well. A couple of the AT&T apps can actually be removed like AT&T Code Scanner, My AT&T and Family Map but the AT&T Navigator must stay unless you are rooted. You will also find Amazon Kindle, Mini Diary, Photo Editor, Quick Office and Yellow pages. The apps that Samsung have included are Featured Apps, Kies Air, Live TV and Social hub. I did however find myself replacing the launcher after initial testing only because I am not a fan of the Touchwiz launcher, I like the ability to customize what goes in the dock. Other than that I have no complaints and the added screenshot feature is a bonus too.

Camera

The Samsung Rugby Smart comes equipped with a 5MP rear camera with LED flash that captures a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1920 pixels and is capable of recording 720p video. The camera app is slightly different from others I have seen and has a menu bar on the left hand side that allows up to four customized settings. Along the right hand side you will find the usual camera/video switch, shutter button and gallery preview. Pictures actually turned out fairly descent for a $99 phone. Color representation was clean, details fairly sharp, and distortion was to a minimum even when zoomed in. You can check out some sample shots below.

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As far as video quality goes, again not too bad given the price point. As with most smartphone cameras, any bright light or sunlight will cause the image to get a bit grainy but other than that video playback is solid. I must admit that the microphone is much more responsive then that of the Galaxy Nexus. Truly a surprise indeed.

Indoor test video

One thing I really dig that I think should be incorporated on all smartphone cameras it the ability to use the camera flash as a flashlight. I know some devices have the ability and there are also plenty of apps that can do this, but Samsung did it on the Rugby Smart in an really ingenious way. You simply hold the volume up button and the flash will turn on and remains on until you press the button again. Pretty sweet.

 

Closing

Well, to sum it up I am simply impressed with this phone given how little it costs. It’s not a surprise coming from Samsung and it’s nice to see that they are paying attention to detail in their affordable line of handsets. Sure it has the somewhat annoying Touchwiz UI overlay, but that is easily remedied with a free app from Google Play. The mil spec rating is most definitely a strong feature but even if you don’t plan on being tough on your phone, I still wouldn’t shy away. The smaller form factor is super easy to slip in your pocket and the Super AMOLED display is absolutely beautiful. If you are looking for an affordable Android smartphone, or want to find a phone that can survive an active lifestyle, the Samsung Rugby Smart should be a top contender on your list.

 

» See more articles by Stacy Bruce

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Samsung releases sleek, yet rugged SD and MicroSD cards

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SD and MicroSD cards are the least of our concerns when it comes to aesthetics and ruggedness. But Samsung is known for manufacturing good-looking products, and boy do these brushed metal cards look good! Samsung is also boasting their rugged build, making these memory cards able to withstand water, pressure and magnet damage. We usually don’t post about such products, but we thought these were definitely worth sharing. If you are looking for a new SD or MicroSD cards, you probably should give Samsung’s latest cards a look.

The new memory cards will spend most of their time hidden inside of your devices, so the odds you care much about durability or looks is slim to none. Knowing your SD card can hold its own against most things thrown its ways always reduces a bit of stress, though, especially for those that remove it often. And at least you would know that if your device gets roughed up, that data will probably be safe and sound.

Samsung’s cards are able to handle water submersion for up to 24 hours, magnetic fields as strong as medical magnets, and being run over by a 3,200 pound vehicle. But their looks and durability are not all there is to it, and these cards offer great performance as well.

There are two types available; the High Speed Series and the Plus Extreme Speed Series. Looks and durability don’t come cheap, though: if you are planning on getting one of these metal beauties, they will cost you a bit more green than the competition.

The High Speed Series has options ranging from 2-32 GB (class 4-10), with the most expensive one going for $89.99. While the Plus Extreme Speed Series has 2 options for each size; 8 and 16 GB, class 10. These go for $24.99 and $54.99, relatively. Cards with the same specs cost the same, regardless of whether they are SD or MicroSD. Hit the press release for a table with exact details and prices.

So there ya go, guys! Rugged, good-looking memory cards with great performance. For many of us, the price might not be worth it. I have never been in a situation where my SD or microSD card is in any form of danger. But what do you guys think? Would any of you find a good use to these? Or would you get them just to feel more secure?

Let us know what you think! And if you want to purchase these cards, simply head to the link below and find the right one for you.

Link: Samsung Brushed Metal Cards

If you want a specific card listed in the press release, simply search for the model name.

Show Press ReleaseRIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, announced today that it is now shipping a new line of advanced SD and microSD cards that are ideal for digital imaging and mobile devices. The seven new models of SD and microSD cards are now available as part of either the High Speed Series or the Plus Extreme Speed Series, both of which deliver up to 24MB/sec read speeds on cards with a capacity of 4GB or higher.

Styled with a brushed metal design, Samsung’s beautiful new line of SD and microSD cards are built with “Best-in-Class” performance. Able to meet the growing demand for high speed and high capacity memory in modern devices, the new cards are ideal for today’s digital cameras, camcorders, smartphones and tablets. With (up to) 24MB/sec OR (max) read speeds, users can transfer 1GB of images in as little as 42 seconds. In order to ensure their reliability, Samsung has designed both lines of memory products to be waterproof, shockproof, and magnet proof, allowing them to withstand some of the harshest conditions. All models are guaranteed to survive up to 24 hours in water, withstand the force of a 1.6 ton vehicle (3,200 lbs), and resist up to 10,000 gauss (slightly less than the power of a medical imaging magnet).

“It is our goal at Samsung to deliver superior performance, reliability and a stylish design across all of our product lines, including our memory line,” explained Reid Sullivan, Senior Vice President, Samsung Electronics America. “Utilizing our 19 years of experience in memory manufacturing, we’ve built both lines of SD and microSD cards for performance. With read speeds of up to 24 MB/sec and max write speeds of 13 MB/sec (High Speed Line) and 21 MB/sec (Plus Extreme Speed Line), as well as meeting our ‘3-proof’ reliability standard, these cards represent the ultimate in digital imaging and mobile computing storage. As the #1 memory supplier in the world and manufacturer of so many high performance portable devices, we are committed to ensuring consumers realize the best possible experience with those devices.”

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, digital consumer electronics and home appliance products, including HDTVs, home theater systems, MP3 players, digital imaging products, refrigerators and washing machines. A recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology, Samsung is the HDTV market leader in the U.S. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information. Via: The Verge

Source: Business Wire

Hello, I am Edgar Cervantes. I am an avid Android fan, and keeping myself updated on the topic is part of my daily life. I will always work hard to give the best of me to our community of Android enthusiasts, and I am very honored to be part of this ship. Hopefully we can all enjoy sharing our knowledge and opinions! Tagged#Accessories#microSD cards#Samsung#SD cards#storage .nrelate .nr_sponsored{ left:0px !important; }.nrelate .nr_sponsored{ left:0px !important; } 18 Comments Join the discussion!Sort by DateRating 74honourbound68 02/17/12 4:06 PM Thumb upThumb down +2

hmmm i think i can use these on my kodak playsport in case of water seal failure :)

Reply 96spazby 02/17/12 7:59 PM Thumb upThumb down 0

great idea… i am picking up 1 of these…

Reply 82LukeT32 02/17/12 11:21 PM Thumb upThumb down +10

WOOOOOW!!!!!!! This would so soooo good in my GNex.

O wait… Bamboozled by Sammy. :’(

Reply 95Bryan Stoner 02/17/12 4:09 PM Thumb upThumb down 0

Dang that’s actually really cool. Like little mobile tanks.

Reply 62T1392 02/17/12 4:19 PM Thumb upThumb down +1

I like em but can’t use a sd card on my GNex so maybe with my Samsung Android player?

Reply slurms mckenzieGuest 02/17/12 4:42 PM Thumb upThumb down 0

looks really nice but i already have 16 gigs on board and a 32 gb sd card enough space for me

Reply 71Jorge Vieira 02/17/12 4:57 PM Thumb upThumb down 0

I want one!

Reply 74desean 02/17/12 5:25 PM Thumb upThumb down 0

I have used it for a month and it has been working great on my SGS2. It only cost me almost half the listed retail price for the 32GB class 10 as I imported directly from Korea :-)

Reply 77sylar 02/17/12 5:39 PM Thumb upThumb down 0

Looks and sounds nice but I have enough storage space and I’m not sure I would shell that much out for a memory card but i might if i thought it needed to be that rugged.

Reply ashclepdiaGuest 02/17/12 6:02 PM Thumb upThumb down +6

soo
what happens after 25hrs submerged in water? do they melt? why only 24hrs? I wanna store mine in a cup of water in the freezer and then hit the ice block with a hammer to get it out ….

Reply 94pekosROB 1 day ago Thumb upThumb down 0

Make sure the hammer actually hits the microSD card, you know, to test its other rugged features at the same time! (kidding, kidding)

Reply 96Nathan D. 02/17/12 11:47 PM Thumb upThumb down 0

These are nice but I don’t need some thing as good as that since I don’t take out my card that much anyways.

Reply 35MoSDeeb 02/17/12 11:58 PM Thumb upThumb down +2

These are actually pretty nice, I wouldn’t have thought SD cards could look appealing

Reply 60Jorge Branco 02/18/12 7:54 AM Thumb upThumb down 0

Nice but not for the price

Reply 5Schmidty850 1 day ago Thumb upThumb down -1

Very sleek, Yes. Very expensive, also Yes.
Not worth it, sorry Samsung, good try though. I’ll stick with my PNY

Reply 94pekosROB 1 day ago Thumb upThumb down +1

I actually have the class 10 32 GB Samsung card in my Transformer Prime. I bought it off Amazon for around $50 I think. Looks great and is rugged as hell.

Why does this matter? Because my old roommate’s dog chewed up an 8GB microSD card a few months ago. Luckily I didn’t have anything important on it but it was completely messed up. At least this one will hold its own for a little while longer, if that scenario happens again!

Reply 91ArticulateFool 1 day ago Thumb upThumb down +1

I will be picking one of these up for sure!

They look great. I am always a fan of ruggedized data storage, you never know when you will truly need it.

Reply 58WlfHart 18 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

Ah, finally a card immune to my fat fingering and dropping the microSD into my drink… and forgetting it there for an hour… It almost makes me want to try it!

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