Still frustrated looking for a new phone

I'm still finding looking for a phone to be an exercise in frustration.

The trend is toward thin, narrow (but tall) phones, with funky camera/fingerprint setups that make it hard to build a sturdy case for. But that's the exact opposite of what I want; I'd like a beefy, rugged phone with lots of screen real estate and an Otterbox Defender type case. It doesn't even need a fingerprint (or face) sensor; I plan to continue to use a password to unlock it. Replaceable battery would be a big plus, since I want to keep it 5 years. I'm currently on Sprint but would be more than happy to change. It doesn't need to fit in a pocket; I will put it in a belt holster. My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, not a bad phone but Android 4.4 is a bit dated. Even if Samsung gets it right, I don't want a folder; I'm entirely too rough on my gear.

One of the very few phones that appears to come anywhere close to what I want size-wise is the Huawei Mate 20X. Its aspect ratio isn't completely absurd, and its '7.2"' screen works out to decently over 3" wide. But that's very problematic for the US.

Ideal, if it exists, might be a 7" tablet with voice and SMS capability -- in other words, can be used as a phone without needing data. They usually have bigger batteries than conventional phones/phablets too. But there doesn't seem to be such. Are there really no other people out there who really want a big phone?

Am I completely chasing a unicorn, or is there, somewhere out in the wilds of phonedom, such a device?

 

7" for some reason seems to be a dead zone in tablets and phablets.

 

The problem is that 7" does not mean much of anything any more.

When everything had the same aspect ratio -- usually 4:3 in the CRT days, although 5:4 in the case of 1280x1024 -- the diagonal measurement was meaningful. It's useful for TVs, which these days are universally 16:9, and it was useful for phones when they were basically all the same aspect ratio. But now the phones are becoming very tall and narrow, such that the diagonal measurement tells nothing useful about the width or surface area.

6.4" sounds a lot bigger than 5.5", right? My Galaxy Note 2 is 5.5" diagonal with 16:10 aspect ratio, which works out to 2.7x4.8". The Galaxy Note 9 is 6.4", but the aspect ratio is 18.5:9 (aka 37:18), which is 2.8x5.75". That's certainly a lot longer, but barely any wider (about 4%). The Mate 20X is 3.15" wide, significantly (but not overwhelmingly) wider at 3.15", about 17" wider. A hypothetical 16:10 phone with 7.2" diagonal would be 3.8" wide -- which really is usefully wider -- and even at 16:9 it would be 3.5" wide.

 

Just buy the mate 20x that works with your network. Huawei is no worse than any other company. Only the orange twit and his minions would make you believe that. The 20x is a great phone.

 

I feel ya on the tall thing, hate the trend and hope it ends soon. much less usable screen that way and you still gotta two hand it if you're doing much of anything. But they get to post a bigger number for a screen that feels and works smaller in use, good enough to fool the same people who giving rich people massive tax breaks will somehow make their own lives better.

 

Given that Huawei has now lost access to any Android updates and all -- the politics of the issue not withstanding -- it's certainly for the best (for me, at any rate) that I didn't pull the trigger on it. Eventually I'm going to have to fish or cut bait, obviously.

Meanwhile, I sure wish somebody would cater to even the small market segment that doesn't care about cool and sleek, just wants functional and robust. Which to me, at any rate, means a very big phone in an Otterbox Defender type case.

 

The Xiaomi Mi Max 3 has a 18:9, 6.9" display and a 5500 mAh battery. I wouldn't call it rugged though, and I'm not sure how easy it is to find a rugged case for it either. You may also find the list of supported cellular bands problematic for your area.

 

It looks potentially interesting. Keep in mind that I'm in the US, where there tends to be less flexibility with phones than in, say, the EU.

I'd really like a phone with no biometric sensor at all, but I suppose these days I'm really tilting at windmills. For me it's just a waste since I'm not going to use it (I'm going to use a good, old-fashioned password, one reason I want a wide screen so a keyboard is easier to use).

 

That and without a warrant they can't ask for a password but they can have you apply your hand for some reason, unless that changed last time I read into that stuff.

 

You set a password to use and then the fingerprint. If the Gestapo is knocking at the door turn the phone off; they can not then get in it without a court order because it wont start up without the password. The reason for that is you cannot be compelled to give up your password but those privacy laws were written long ago and don't apply to bio-metrics

 

Quite honestly, having to enter a password just isn't that big of a deal to me. I'd rather have one less hole in the case.

 

Yeah that bit just kind of irked me the wrong way when I read about it some time ago. Airports can be a scary place beyond the fact that flying is not something I enjoy lol

 

There are indeed a large market of ruggedized phones, but you usually need to give up current tech even when getting the newest of the ruggedized models, I haven't checked for a while which are the "best", but here is a good looking list to start from, check out the latest models for each brand - the research for this article is 5+ months old now.

The best rugged smartphones of 2019
Brace for impact: The best rugged phones can endure anything you throw at them
By Mark Jansen — Posted on January 30, 2019 5:30AM PST
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-rugged-smartphones/

This list is a bit newer, with an update at end of April 2019:

The Best Rugged Smartphones of 2019
MARK B, APRIL 29, 2019
https://www.mbreviews.com/toughest-smartphones/

Amazon has a Rugged Smartphone category as well:
https://www.amazon.com/slp/rugged-smartphone/tpsgqzkg8qdk9he

CAT is a brand of ruggedized phones, and their store front on Amazon has a link to all their phones:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/16126011011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=CAT PHONES

They can be pricey, with some having far more sensors and features than most people need, this one is pretty cool

CAT PHONES S61 Rugged Waterproof Smartphone with integrated FLIR camera.

• Camera: thermal - flir lepton thermal imaging Camera; Main - 16MP Autofocus with PDAF, Dual LED flash; front - 8MP fixed focus
• Indoor air quality sensor: capable of measuring temperature, humidity and volatile organic compounds
• IP68, IP69, and mil-spec 810G rugged credentials: certified waterproof up to 3 meters (9.8ft) for 60 minutes, vibration, sand, Salt mist and pressure resistant.
• Laser assisted distance measurement
• Google Android oreo (with upgrade to TPU) with Qualcomm sd630 octacore 2.2GHz processor

https://www.amazon.com/CAT-PHONES-Waterproof-Smartphone-integrated/dp/B07DT7LBSK

This one is a 1/4 of the price, and is a good rugged phone:

CAT PHONES S31 Unlocked Rugged Waterproof Smartphone, Network Certified (GSM), U.S. Optimized (Single Sim) with 2-year Warranty Including 2 Year Screen Replacement

• Powerful 4000 mAh non-removable Lithium Ion battery provides up to 38 days standby time and 15 hours of 3G Talk time
• IP68 certified waterproof up to 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) for 35 mins; military standard 810G shock and drop proof up to 1.8 meters (6 feet); scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass 3 screen
• Super bright 4.7” HD 720 x 1280 display can be read in direct sunlight and used when wet or with gloved hands
• 8MP Autofocus rear Camera and 2MP fixed focus front Camera, with 720P video capture at 30fps
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4G), sim type: Nano sim, dual and single SIM variants. 16GB Internal storage, expandable with Micro SD up to 128GB (not included).Maximum Downlink Data Rate:150Mbps

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/FD87142F-DF0A-44AA-BE21-5DDE6A389823

There are ruggedized tablets too:

Best rugged tablets of 2019: the best drop-proof tablets you can buy
Rugged tablets for extra protection
By Matt Hanson February 24, 2019 Tablets
https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-rugged-tablets

Best Android Rugged Tablets For Outdoor Use in 2019
by TDG on May 4, 2019
https://thedroidguy.com/2019/05/best-android-rugged-tablets-for-outdoor-use-in-2019-1057625

BRITISH PRODUCER of RUGGED TABLETS
Smartphones & Barcode Scanners
https://www.weareconker.com/

 

I've never heard of Doogee. That S90 is smaller than I'd ideally like, but that's one badass phone. Question is what US networks it works on. We're currently on Sprint, but more than happy to switch.

 

@rlk I use a 6.4" Xiaomi Mi Max 1 with a non-rugged case and glass screen protector as my daily driver. It has fallen numerous times and then been thrown some, still gets LineageOS and other custom ROM updates, makes decent photos with recent version of Google HDR+ Camera port, and performs well CPU-wise. 3GB RAM is somewhat disappointing given that I have literally numerous tabs opened across two browsers - should have gotten a 6GB version back in the day - but otherwise it's still a great phone.

Bottom line, I'd advice to cross-reference your carrier's LTE & 3G bands with 7" Xiaomi Mi Max 3, and get one with a bunch of glass screen protectors and rugged cases if you find the bands satisfactory. It definitely beats noname Chinese rugged phones. Oh, and add silicone protectors for 3.5mm jack and USB port if they're not incorporated in the protective case design.

... Or maybe wait for Xiaomi Mi Max 4, should be announced this month.

 

Hey starlight, Think lineageOS will run on a note sgh-i747?

 

opps....its the sgh-i717 not 747

 

@kojack no, too ancient. There is a build for 747 but not 717. 717 doesn't have any active ROM development, and didn't receive security updates in ages - not secure to use.

 

Ok, cool. I was hoping to breath some new life into the old thing. ha ha.

 

If you have good performance on a particular carrier, it's often tough to move to another carrier without good performance / coverage in your area, so do some research and find out which is the best performing for your needs - you can even get "loaner" phones from most brand retail locations that are eager to have "switchers" move to their network.

Tell them the need, locations, and what kind of services you need, and they can look it up - and then if it looks good on paper ask for a loaner device to test performance.

It's kinda tough to recommend an off brand phone without knowing more about the company and if they have service in the US for your phone. It may be a great phone, but if something goes wrong, unless you can afford to keep a spare around - or the company will cross ship a working unit in trade for your bad unit, you may be down for days or weeks without a phone.

Maybe one of the local carriers, even Sprint, might offer some rugged models too, it's worth checking via phone or an in store visit at a main brand location. Also there are some times off menu items supplied by 3rd parties locally that might be available by referral from the local brand office.

There are lots of construction people that need rugged phones too, so check with local construction / hardware supply and ask the manager if his team knows of any ruggedized phone vendors locally.

Please come back and let us know what you ended up deciding to get.

 

I have no love for Sprint. Sprint has a phone whitelist. We live in the immediate Boston area, so should have decent coverage.

Of course, if we go with Sprint, I have my existing phone...