It still surprises people that, despite my intense nerd-love for top-end smartphones, one of my favourite phone genres is ‘the tough phone’. You know, phones like the Sonim XP3, that you can pelt rocks at and douse in water, and they won’t die. However, what people occasionally forget is that Nokia doing this kind of thing goes waaaaaaaaaaaaay back to 2002, in the shape of the 5210, although it wasn’t brilliant. It had the rubberised shell, but wasn’t particularly waterproof or shock-proof.
Well, according to their own press release, Nokia are back in the tough phone game, with the 3720 Classic. And this time, they’ve actually bothered to build it to IP standards, like the Sonim.
Now, granted, it is only rated at IP54, as compared to the XP3’s IP67 (the first number in each case tells you the level of dust proofing, and is out of six, the second’s for water-proofing/resistance, and is out of 8), but the other phone with an IP54 rating was the phone that I decided to rename the whole tough phone genre after, the JCB Tough Phone. And look how that turned out (ie/ virtually unkillable). So, there’s absolutely no doubt that the Sonim is the bigger hardcase of the two.
The Nokia 3720 Classic does have one thing it can completely cane the opposition on. Its looks. Seriously, let’s compare the Nokia 3720 Classic and the Sonim XP3.
See what I mean? The Nokia 3720 Classic is all svelte and lovely, where the XP3’s all rugged and hard-nosed. Now, don’t get me wrong, I actually love the XP3’s looks, it’s completely uncompromising, and it’s 100% functional looking. But come on, that black one is a phone that’s gonna give kids nightmares. It’s got a head like a Doctor Who monster (albeit a Who monster that isn’t made of Liquorice Allsorts)!
This is actually a good thing, and probably the reason why I like the XP3’s looks so much. Oh, and I have to say, Nokia’s choice of colours for the 3720 Classic had me giggling, since they’ve given it exactly, exactly the same two colours as the Sonim.
So, in conclusion, if you want the ultimate in no-compromise, hardcase mobile technology, in a phone that you could brain a mammoth with, get the Sonim XP3. If you want a phone that is tough, but doesn’t look as though, at any moment, it will try to eat your face, get the Nokia 3720 Classic. Just don’t expect it to be as powerful as something like the Nokia N97. But then, you can’t pelt the N97 with rocks…
XP3 or 3720? Which would YOU buy? Leave us a comment and have your say!
October 18th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I love the unintentional retro look of the sonim and its tech is just enough not to be left out in the race. The way technology spirals out of ones comprehension, atleast sonim attempts to keep it simple and spartan
Nokia can never make a ‘ugly is beautiful’ genre of phones. Its beyond their creativity 