While we are seeing water and dust resistance becoming a feature in flagship devices such as Apple"s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and Samsung"s ruggedized Galaxy S7 active smartphones, they still command a rather hefty price tag. However, you don"t need to break the bank in order to get your hands on an IP67 or IP68 certified device that can put up with a bit of punishment.
Perhaps of some interest to those looking for rugged phones is NOMU, a Chinese phone manufacturer with just under a decade of manufacturing experience under their belt. With the company"s three smartphones, the NOMU S10, S20, and S30, each IP68 certified and waterproof at up to 1.2 meters for 30 minutes. In addition, the devices are shockproof and can also continue to work in extreme temperatures.
However, in a demonstration of the device"s resilience, NOMU has put its S30 to the test in a washing machine.
Having been subjected to a washing cycle by itself for a total of 15 minutes, the S30 managed to survive, even managing to record video from within the washing machine (which is initiated about 2m50s into the above video).
For a device that can be had for around $250, the NOMU S30 also boasts some notable specs, which include:
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 5.5" 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 4
- MediaTek MTK6755 64-bit 2GHz octa-core SoC
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB storage with microSD expansion
- 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
- Dual micro SIM, dual standby capability
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n @ 2.4/5GHz
- Bluetooth 4.0 / NFC / GPS
- 5,000mAh battery
- MediaTek Pump Express 3.0 fast charging
- 162 x 83 x 13.35mm, 260g
If the NOMU S30 phablet does pique your interest, stay tuned for Neowin"s forthcoming review and verdict on the device in the near future.