Sonim XP5s Review of Pros And Cons

SONIM XP5S / Click to add to compare list.

- Analysis by KJ David

The Sonim XP5s, which is a beefed-up version of the 2015 XP5 suited to 2018 standards, suffers from a cumbersome physique -- a drawback that comes as no surprise to us here at Phonerated, seeing that it's rather common among the best rugged phones around. It measures 23mm thick and weighs 260 grams , whereas some of its rugged rivals measure only around 15mm thick and weigh in at less than 200 grams.

While its 2.64-inch 432 x 320 262K TFT display is obviously a con in and of itself, it winds up as a pro when compared to its predecessor's smaller and lower-resolution 2.4-inch 240p screen. It also comes with a damage-resistant Gorilla Glass 1 cover glass , which we think complements its overall gritty specs profile.

Don't Buy The Sonim XP5s Before You Check:

The samsung galaxy s20 fe 5g is the current best item in this list.

Best NFC phones April, 2024

The Huawei Mate 9 is the current best item in this list.

Current General Top 10 Smartphones

By gritty, we mean that the XP5s's pros and cons are housed inside what Sonim calls an ultra-rugged exterior, which boasts an IP68 certification for dust- and waterproofing as well as a MIL-STD-810G rating for protection from salt fogs, random mechanical vibrations, and accidental drops. Moreover, it is classified as Non-Incendive (Class I, II & III, Div 2) , making it safe for use within extreme environments, such as chemical plants or construction sites.

Its rugged shell is complemented by a 3180mAh battery that sounds benevolent by basic phone standards, at least as of this technical review. Also on board are a one-touch Push-To-Talk feature , mainly to facilitate direct communication between headquarters and field workers, as well as a dedicated SOS Red Alert key . It comes with a rarely-seen (among bar-type rugged phones) three-microphone solution alongside dual front-firing speakers, the latter promising a combined audio output of at least 100dB.

Under the hood, the XP5s runs on a 1.4GHz quad-core processor that sounds reasonable, given the pros and cons that it offers. It also comes with a 16GB memory expandable by up to 128GB and 2GB's worth of RAM , both huge upgrades over the XP5's 4GB storage memory and 1GB RAM correspondingly. 4G LTE joins the mix as well (Explore the newest 4G phones here), which we would say is a must-have spec for any outdoorsy rugged phone.

Also joining in is a respectable -- as far as non-smart rugged phones are concerned -- 5-megapixel fixed-focus rear-facing camera , dual nano SIM card slots, and Sonim's 3-year comprehensive warranty .