Australia’s Best Rugged Phones

Not dozens of mediocre phones, just the absolute best models

We are Australia’s #1 specialist website for rugged outdoor phones (Source: Amazon Alexa traffic rankings, June 2020). Whether its mining, building and construction, transport, farming, fishing, factory, hiking, cycling or just a love of the great outdoors, there’s a phone to match your lifestyle.

Blackview, Oukitel and AGM make better phones than other brands, and have better parts and maintenance support. The phones immediately below are all dual sim, IP68 waterproof (the T320 is IP67) and dustproof, US MIL-STD-810G drop-tested. Most importantly, they have complete Australian frequency coverage including rural 4G, and you can use these phones on any Australian network:

Best choice for tradies

If you are hard on your phone, you don’t want a cheap little Doogee or Ulefone that can’t be fixed if it breaks. The phones below are your best choice. The Blackview BV9500 is the toughest phone you can purchase – more advanced than a Cat S61 but only half the cost, and it comes with our exclusive 2-year first breakage screen warranty. All parts are available for full service and tech support. It is easy to fix. If you want the same FLIR thermal camera as the Cat S61, but in a much more advanced phone, choose the new BV9800 Pro. The new BV9700 Pro is the most powerful tradie phone. The AGM A9 is the same Snapdragon processor and graphics as a Samsung J8, but built in a tough case.

Best choice for executives

If you are more careful with your phone and want something rugged but powerful, these are the best choices. The AGM X3 range is the most powerful outdoor phone money can buy – driven by the same Snapdragon 845 that runs the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, but with more RAM and even higher performance than the Galaxy. The Blackview BV9700 Pro matches tradie brawn with the performance of a Galaxy S8, while the BV9600 Pro is a slimmer profile alternative to its stablemate.