RG730, Unlocked Rugged Smartphone, Waterproof and Dustproof IP68, Shock Proof - 4G LTE Android (LTE in USA, Latin & Caribbean Bands)

RUGGEAR 730. It looks rugged but it's fit only for the garbage disposal unit! - I was so pleased when I first received it. It looked rugged and exactly what I'd wanted. After a few uses, the on/off button started to play-up. After regular use, I had to press so hard that it left an indentation on my thumb.and on my finger. Finally, it gave out and I had to send it back to RUGGEAR as I couldn't turn it on even. Well, then began the next saga. I was working abroad so I had to package and send it to Germany, which I did. They wanted the model number on a rather odd form you have to complete and attach, which I couldn't give as the brick wouldn't turn on. A month passed and I not no acknowledgement. Many phone calls later, I found RUGGEAR Europe/Germany had changed address and contact details. ... More emails and eventually it was returned by the postal service to Dubai. I resent it. More costs. They this time fixed it and returned to to me. I was again, foolishly, pleased. I must have got a lemon, I figured. Another few months and my alarm didn't go off. I was back to a brick. It won't turn on and it won't charge. I've tried 5 separate chargers (with long connectors) and nothing, nada zilch. So, I again emailed RUGGEAR suggesting this time they might at least pay the postage to Germany from Dubai, as I'd already had to mail it twice. No answer! Maybe they've changed address again, I can't help feeling. Guess what? I hate this phone now. I think my experience may be true of others who have ben tempted by these Chinese made and Europe-labeled phones.They look good and the specs are great. Sadly, they're lousy quality and unreliable. My tip is not to buy from suppliers who appear first world manufacturers but are really putting their badge on low quality goods. Please, Amazon, take them off sale.

The media could not be loaded. This is a rugged phone. I mean really rugged. I love to hike, often way off trails. I like to have my phone with me just in case I need GPS or to call for help. The problem with that is that most phones don't deal well with getting bumped around and dropped in the woods or getting wet which can happen easily on a hike. (Rain comes out of nowhere. Slip when crossing a stream. Stuff like that.) For that reason I usually keep my phone in a waterproof bag inside my pack, but that's hardly convenient. This RugGear phone easily survives that kind of punishment while just being in my front pocket. And I put it through punishment to see what it could take.Here's a look at the basics of it as a phone❖ This does not work on LTE networks in the United States. The listing clearly says it doesn't, but you need to understand this. This model is a European model that will probably work fine on European LTE networks if you take it to Europe and put a European SIM card in. But in the US it's a 3G, or HSPA speed phone. It works very well on 3G networks in the United States. For me, using this while hiking, LTE speeds are a non issue as there usually isn't LTE coverage in the middle of nowhere anyway. But there is 3G coverage nearly everywhere. How important this is depends on your use.❖ The screen is really good. It'd be cool if it was full 1920 x 1080 but it still looks great at 1280 x 720. The color depth is vibrant. It's clear. And it's bright. (Ideal for outdoors) See the images below for a screen shot of the screen specs collected with an app that analyzes internal phone components.❖ The processor is fast. It could handle everything I threw at it. Even graphically intensive games are smooth and lag free.❖ The GPS gets a super fast lock. The first time I turned location services on the GPS test app I installed showed a 19 satellite lock in about 1 second. I have tested a lot of phones, and that's the best GPS performance I've ever seen.❖ The camera is strong. It's not the insanely good camera that you get on the iPhone 6, but it's really good. Again, see screenshots below of the analysis of the camera hardware.❖ The UI is the standard Google Android Lollipop 5.1 interface. It's not a cluttered up version of Android like TouchWiz (from Samsung) or Sense (from HTC). I like the pure Android. This phone has it. I know the product specs above say it ships with Android 5.0 but it's 5.1. See screenshots below again for confirmation.❖ It has expandable storage. This is a deal killer for me on a phone. I like being able to remove the SD card and transfer my app data and photos and what not to another device in seconds. I also like knowing the data is stored on a removable chip in case the phone completely dies beyond repair. It comforts me to be able to take the chip out and know my data is intact.❖ The battery life is REALLY good. Even if I push it hard and use it a lot it's easy got 'all day battery life'. With normal use it's 2 days plus.❖ The battery is not removable or easily replaceable. A cell phone battery has a life of about 500 charge cycles. I tend to keep my phones for 2 years as daily users, then I keep my old phones for a variety of other purposes around the house. (My old HTC Sensation is hooked up to my stereo for use as a nice wifi streaming media player with a touchscreen UI, for example) I eventually have a need to replace batteries because I wear them out. That can't be done on this phone. But, having a removable battery would probably compromise the ability to waterproof the phone. So while I normally call a non removable battery a problem on a smartphone, for this particular phone I'll call it a tradeoff.Here are some thoughts on the rugged design and waterproofing...❖ The video shows it under the running water without batting an eyelash. (The screen acts as it I'm touching it because water is conductive and it's confusing the the touch panel. But the panel doesn't break. It's designed to survive being immersed in water, not be used while immersed in water) This video is just one way I tested the waterproofing. I've also had it caked in mud and rinsed it off in a stream and it didn't flinch.❖ The SIM and SD card access panel on the back is waterproofed with a rubber seal. And it's not just snapped in where it could pop out. It's screwed down and locked in place. You literally need a screwdriver to open it. That means it takes 10 seconds to get to the SIM and SD cards instead of 2. But it's well protecting that opening.❖ I've dropped it and bumped it in my pocket several times. There are no signs of damage. I typically keep my phone in my pocket with the back facing out, so it I bump something the back of the phone gets hit instead of the glass screen. I'm sure if I smashed the screen against a rock or something I could break it, but I don't plan on doing that. Normal impacts on the back and drops on the side don't seem to hurt it at all.My bottom line thoughts on this phone....When the American 4G model becomes available it's obviously going to be the better choice than this European model. In the United States, the lack of LTE (4G) connectivity makes this a 4 star phone. If you travel to Europe and need a rugged phone, this becomes a 5 star device quickly. But for use inside the United States, it can't be a 5 star device without LTE access. This is the only weakness of this phone. If the American model becomes available with LTE coverage I'd have no issues calling it a 5 star device. (Assuming the rest of the phone matches what I've seen and tested out on the European model)For rugged toughness, it's the toughest phone I've ever used.I was sent this product for the purpose of reviewing it. (Please note. It randomly shows up some days as being a Verified Purchase. It was not. This is some kind of glitch with Amazon and I can't turn it off)

I have been using rugged phones for years and this phone is THE BEST PHONE I have ever had.