[6thElement]

I've had a Galaxy S6 Active since ~2015. It's a phone, it's waterproof and it has extra built in protection to the phone body to help with getting banged about. It's not bulky and I can just stick it in a pocket for riding and not care about it getting covered in sweat etc.
Wife has had her newer model Galaxy S7 Active since ~2016 - but hers has been bounced a few too many times and is showing its age from the wear and tear.

Samsung/AT&T don't seem to have "active" versions of the Galaxy phones anymore and while it sounds like the normal Galaxies are waterproof, the delicate phone/glass won't cope with the occasional bounce test my wife likes to give her phone.

Is there a good alternative modern phone that's waterproof which won't die after being dropped?
Or is the only solution a modern Galaxy with a fat aftermarket case on it?

 

[canadmos]

I have an S8 with a Mous case, which protects the curved edge glass.

Have seen people crack the glass on the S8 here at work.

I've had mine for two years now and it's been okay in my pocket, sweat on and carried in my hydration pack. Have dropped it a few times, but not onto rock or anything.

 

[jonKranked]

all phones suck in some way. get something at least a year old and don't spend a ton.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
Or is the only solution a modern Galaxy with a fat aftermarket case on it?

I believe this may be the only realistic option. I've got an S8 and the glass is a fucking disaster, both back AND front. At least if you drop it... or press it against a granite block.

It's a good thing that my phone is up for "upgrade" in late November this year...

ETA: I would recommend NOT getting the stupid "Edge" model with the curved glass. A case is going to make that curved glass basically inaccessible, anyways...

 

[StiHacka]

I have an S8 as well and it has 1/2" long crack in the middle of the screen without having been dropped or apparently abused. I think that's the planned obsolescence showing up.
For larger trips to chunk, DH or skiing, I have a second inexpensive rugged phone that fits in my pocket. SIM card swapping sucks but I only do it once a few weeks anyway.

 

[JustMtnB44]

I think just about any phone that isn't factory "ruggedized" needs a case.

I've had a Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact for about a year now. It's waterproof, fast, has, good battery life, and not obnoxiously large so it's easy to pocket when riding. The Gorilla glass screen has no scratches on it. I have a case for it that gives it good drop protection. You can buy it unlocked so it works with most major carriers.

 

[slyfink]

My brother has an S8 for work, and a Pixel 3 for personal use. He dropped both of them on tiles this summer, from a similar distance. The S8 cracked despite being in an Otter Box, while the Pixel 3 didnt. He has a Spigen rubberized case on the pixel, much less burly than the Otter Box.

His theory is that the newer generation Gorilla Glass (5) on the Pixel is indeed more impact resistant than the previous gen (4) on the S8.

Maybe look for something with Gorilla Glass 5?

 

[4xBoy]

I have a pixel 2 xl and a iPhone xs max.

I like the pixel will Upgrayedd to a pixel 4 soon.

 

[Westy]

Just get the insurance and fuggetaboutit.

 

[stoney]

I have a Pixel 2 on Google Fi and it works pretty damn well for me.

 

[slyfink]

I have an S8 with a Mous case, which protects the curved edge glass.

Have seen people crack the glass on the S8 here at work.

I've had mine for two years now and it's been okay in my pocket, sweat on and carried in my hydration pack. Have dropped it a few times, but not onto rock or anything.

I had never heard of the Mous case until I perused this thread. And then lo and behold, Google shows me an ad for it on Youtube... creepy.

That said, looks like D3O for your phone... any comments on it?

 

[6thElement]

Pixel 3a sounded tempting, until the review stated it's not water/dust proof.
Pixel 3 doesn't have a headphone jack but is IP68 rated...

 

[canadmos]

I had never heard of the Mous case until I perused this thread. And then lo and behold, Google shows me an ad for it on Youtube... creepy.

That said, looks like D3O for your phone... any comments on it?

Well it wasn't cheap, but its protected my phone so far and isn't too bulky. Came with a screen protector which was nice.

 

[stevew]

ive said this multiple times but both my note 8 and note5 have survived falls from a moving car safely esconced in a otterbox defender....no cracked screens ever....

if someone develeped a app for how many times a phone is dropped....i would break the app....

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I have the S9, which replaced my S5 Active, and I hate the new phone. Slippery as an eel, carrying the display, especially the keyboard, to the edge is stupid as fuck. I loved the S5, eventually managed to crack the screen.

 

[Jm_]

Just get an obesity phone.

 

[Randomshot]

Nokia tank phone?

 

[HardtailHack]

Nokia tank phone?

I have a Nokia 8 Sirocco, if you crack the screen you have to buy a new phone.
It is also a shit phone, Samsung's Samsungised version of Android is much better than the "Pure Android" on my Nokia.
2X lens is good for part number macros at work but for some reason you can't use manual mode with the 2x lens/sensor and the camera picks one tiny shiny patch on something to set the exposure.

I'll be looking at a CAT phone as my next one, thermal cam will be very handy at work and they are a Mil spec rugged phone.

 

[canadmos]

I'll be looking at a CAT phone as my next one, thermal cam will be very handy at work and they are a Mil spec rugged phone.

 

[HardtailHack]

Oh, the fairphone 3 is coming out pretty soon, it seems to be the least shit for the eart and for the workers that make the phones. You can also repair the phone at home and just replace the bit you broke.

Fairphone Shop | Fairphone

Long-lasting smartphones and accessories that benefit the planet

shop.fairphone.com

 

[HardtailHack]

Has laser disto and a supposedly questionable air quality sensor too.

Cat® S61 Smartphone | Cat phones United Kingdom

www.catphones.com

 

[canadmos]

Has laser disto and a supposedly questionable air quality sensor too.

Cat® S61 Smartphone | Cat phones United Kingdom

www.catphones.com

Yeah they look nice. I looked at them for use in our manufacturing facility but ultimately decided on the Sonim something or other.

 

[Montana rider]

Late adopter here who typically buys last year model phones but I've had good luck with my Motorola G series in our house.

We have 4 models of varying ages still in use -- my g3 is almost 4 years old -- but I use a bulky OtterBox, and don't do much besides surf, email/text and the occasional hot spot (i.e no real CPU work.)

Looks like you'd want the x4 if waterproof-ish is a primary driver.

compare Android smartphones | motorola US

Compare the newest smartphones from motorola. Full specs comparison covers processor, battery, camera, carrier support. Find the best Android smartphone for you.

www.motorola.com

 

[jonKranked]

Pixel 3a sounded tempting, until the review stated it's not water/dust proof.
Pixel 3 doesn't have a headphone jack but is IP68 rated...

see my prior post re: all phones suck in some way. I've made the jump to bluetooth headphones, probably not going back. i have an OG pixel and i can't remember the last time i used the headphone jack.

 

[jonKranked]

@6thElement given your priority of waterproof, you're not gonna do better than IP68. i think that's a pretty obvious choice.

 

[Sandwich]

jitterbug?

Lively Cell Phones & PERS Devices for Seniors

Check out the new Lively cell phones and Lively Mobile+ medical alert devices. Be safe and connected wherever you go with a Lively device!

www.jitterbugdirect.com

 

[6thElement]

see my prior post re: all phones suck in some way. I've made the jump to bluetooth headphones, probably not going back. i have an OG pixel and i can't remember the last time i used the headphone jack.

Wife and I work from home and spend a lot of time on the phone using wired headphones.

She uses BT headphones for working out, but dealing with them all day every day and charging would be a PITA.

The waterproof comes mainly from wanting to be able to just stick the phone in the back of a jersey pocket and not worry about it getting covered in sweat while riding.

 

[Sandwich]

light phone?

The Light Phone

Light is a radically different technology company. We design beautiful tools that respect and empower our users and our first product is The Light Phone.

www.thelightphone.com

 

[Sandwich]

in reality, I'd go with an S10e or iPhone SE. The s10e was on sale at best buy for 350- it's an excellent phone with a flat, not round screen, expandable SD memory and headphone port. Hi res screen, all the goodies, much lower cost. I will probably get this one when it drops back to this price. Plus it's waterproof

The iphone SE was basically an iphone 5 with updated internals. Cheap and good.

 

[jonKranked]

wired headphones

a what?

 

[jonKranked]

my company did away with regular phones altogether. we have wireless headsets that bluetooth to our laptops and get regular calls via a cisco app.

 

[HardtailHack]

a what?

Things that sound good for less money and don't go flat, miss a proper headphone jack, my USB C port won't hold a headphone adaptor now.
I bought Sennheiser Momentum Free headphones thinking if I spent four times what I would on a pair of X-Ears wired IEMs they should be at least as good, wrong!
Next phone will have a headphone jack or I'll use a wireless DAC that does.

 

[6thElement]

We bought an LG V40 ThinQ for $290 yesterday, the prior year LG flagship phone at a very decent price compared to other options. Hopefully it works for her for a couple of years at least. I'm interested to see what it's like when it turns up.

 

[Sandwich]

Where from? That's a nice price. Getting tired of my cracked note but there are no good prices on s10s....

 

[rideit]

We bought an LG V40 ThinQ for $290 yesterday, the prior year LG flagship phone at a very decent price compared to other options. Hopefully it works for her for a couple of years at least. I'm interested to see what it's like when it turns up.

still LOVE my V30+. Good choice.

 

[6thElement]

Where from? That's a nice price. Getting tired of my cracked note but there are no good prices on s10s....

Taking a gamble on eBay.
Looked hard at Galaxy S9+'s for $400, but it sounds like it's tough to get good case coverage with the edge screens. S10e were a chunk more change again.

New in Box LG V40 ThinQ V405US 64/128GB AT&T Verizon Sprint Unlocked Smartphone | eBay

<li> </li> <li>Buy with Confidence:</li> <li> </li>.

www.ebay.com

 

[Jm_]

My I6 has a curved screen and works just fine. Mostly because I fell on it while bouldering.

 

[HardtailHack]

We bought an LG V40 ThinQ for $290 yesterday, the prior year LG flagship phone at a very decent price compared to other options. Hopefully it works for her for a couple of years at least. I'm interested to see what it's like when it turns up.

Just out of curiosity, are the made in Korea? As a weirdo I like to spend my money with people that manufacture in house and only recently realised that they make loads of stuff in SK. Bought a LG cordless vacuum and it is a winner, the stand fits and charges a second battery so you just swap it out and go again.
Was going to go a Bosch but they manufacture in China and I am trying to reduce the amount of money I spend on Chinese stuff, they took errrr jobs and whatnot.
Fuck I derail threads, did I mention I run bladed spokes?

 

[Nick]

@6thElement ... I've got one for you.

 

[6thElement]

LG V40 phone arrived yesterday, 2 week shipping time is annoying in this day and age but the ebay listing did say it would take that long.

It was brand new in a sealed box, Sprint version of the phone. But not locked and works fine with her AT&T SIM. All of the crappy bloat was able to be uninstalled.

Only thing which annoys me is the seller dropped the price another $20 since I bought it. For now wife is thrilled with her new phone.