Sonim XP1 review: Toughest of phones

Gsmarena have posted their review of the Sonim XP1. Here are the key features, main disadvantages and final conclusion.

Key features:
Shock, water and dust resistant (after all, we're talking the closest a phone has ever got to a weapon)
Scratch resistant display
Philips Nexperia 6120 platform
Push-to-Talk
Bluetooth v1.2 (Object Push and Headset profiles only)
Tri-band GSM/GPRS phone
1000 SMS storage
MP3 and WAV ringtones
Very loud speakerphone
10 MB flash memory
2.5 mm audio jack
Nice battery performance thanks to the Li-Ion 1100 mAh battery
No-questions-asked 3 year warranty

Main disadvantages:
Featurewise on-par with the cheapest phones out there
No EDGE, UMTS or HSDPA
Chubby and unsightly, though that may as well be a benefit
Poor screen resolution, basic user interface
Compatible with only a slim number Bluetooth headsets
Quite expensive at nearly 300 EUR
FM radio could have been a nice add-on
No extra features such as a compass or a flashlight

The Sonim XP1 is an unassuming no-nonsense handset with the sole purpose of providing you with a communication tool in all conditions (no matter how harsh). It hasn't got much stuff on board, but hey, in a ruggedized handset every fancy feature missing is simply one thing less to worry about when you drop it.

Still, we think the manufacturer could have done better - from basic stuff such as the lack of wired headset and the lack of flashlight functionality to some more advanced features that we consider missing - such as a larger screen font and a FM radio.

Nevertheless, the Sonim XP1 is a real survivor but we doubt that it would do it any good with that hefty price tag. 300 euro for the ultimate heavy-duty phone may not sound as a rip-off, but you should remember that for that kind of money you could easily get yourself a good half a dozen other handsets with the same feature set. They may not be as tough as our champion here, but they simply win by numbers. After all, with a fleet of six cellphones you can easily have five sledgehammered and you'd still have one to talk on.

So as always, it's a matter of priorities, but we think that Sonim should either return to the drawing board and add some power to this baby, or they should seriously reconsider their pricing - anything above 150 euro seems way beyond what it's worth.