whats the most durable cell phone?

November 11, 2006 9:10 PM

I am looking to replace my cell phone. I use T-Mobile. The want list: camera, bluetooth headset, email & DURABLE! (broke two already) What phone do I really want?
posted by digital-dragonfly to Technology (15 answers total)

Might help to know what you've had, but I like the Razr.
posted by SpecialK at 9:23 PM on November 11, 2006

I use the Razr as well. I have found it to be pretty durable, in the not-breaking-when-I-drop-it-from-my-pocket sense, but if you're looking for something that you can drive a truck over, it might not do it. It does do Bluetooth and email fairly well, and if you get one of the European versions, photos and video work well. (I have a TMobile version and it will only do 2-3 s. of video, but my SO's, which she got from eBay, will record more than 30 s.)

Explaining what phones you've broken in the past might lead to better suggestions.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:03 PM on November 11, 2006

I managed not to mess up my p800, and I'm a drop it on the floor kind of guy. You might try the newer versions of that model, as the p800 takes crappy photos.
posted by Deathalicious at 10:42 PM on November 11, 2006

to offer a counterpoint: pretty much everyone I know who's had a razr/slvr has had to replace it 3-4 times. the motos I've had haven't been much better in that regard. I have the nokia 6101 and have had it for about a year with no issues (I tend to drop the phone though and chew on the antenna) - T-Mo offers newer versions of it now with bluetooth and better cameras. (I was looking at going to the 6133 myself - 1.3MP camera and Bluetooth.)
posted by mrg at 11:10 PM on November 11, 2006

I'll chime in. RAZRs feel flimsy and breakable to me, but the PEBL is pretty good, feels solid in your hand, and like a switchblade it loosens a little over time, but not in cheap way, in a "this-thing's-been-used" way instead. But it's still a flip-phone, so . . . I use a Nokia 6600. I carry it in my front pocket and have done since December 2004 with no issues, only surface scuffing but nothing damaged the screen or the keys or the nifty little joystick, and the camera, although exposed, isn't damaged either. Mind, I don't keep keys or a knife or loose change or anything except folded papers in the pocket with the phone. I like it a lot, and it does all you ask, and T-Mobile's my provider so I know it's compatible. I'd recommend it.
posted by cgc373 at 12:52 AM on November 12, 2006

I used to work for a Tmobile indirect dealer, (now I work down the hall at Cingular instead, but both companies use many similar or the same phones). Speaking as someone who deals with them every day, I'd recommend staying away from the RAZR, granted it's probably the most popular phone so that might be why so many problems, but I'd say 3 out of 5 customers with problems and complaints, it's with the RAZR.

Durability-wise, I second someone's mention of the Nokia flip phones, though their bar phones are even more durable. The 6101 (which is slightly older) and the 6103 may suit your purposes well.

Personally I use a 6682, which isn't a flip phone, the camera sucks on it (despite being 1.3 megapixels), but otherwise I love it and it's pretty solid seeming. Of course I've never dropped it so I can't tell for sure.
posted by haveanicesummer at 4:21 AM on November 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

concerning the nokia 6103-

this nokia meets all your criteria (not sure about email though), and it is a very feature-laden phone for its price range. i have a leather cover for it so it's protected from shock and elements, however the exposed pseudo-rubber stuff near the antenna has started to peel...no big deal, as it seems like a useless addition to begin with.

the two things that prevent me from recommending this phone to anybody are that:

(a) the interface on this thing is awfully slow. the phone has to pause before doing just about anything. seriously annoying when you need to do something really quick (a calculation, perhaps) and need to back out of a sixth-level submenu.

(b) due to the underpowered processor, the phone has no multitasking capability. you can't run an instant messager in the background, nor can you pause a game to accept a call and return to the game. strictly one function at a time.
posted by Ziggy Zaga at 10:00 AM on November 12, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks ALL for the input... I have broken the outer LCD on 2 nokia 6101s. The rest of the phone works well & the camera is what got me hooked on camera phones. (I use the camera mostly for "note" taking.) I have used a friend's Razr with my sim card and liked the results, though several of my coworkers have suggeated I avoid the Razr because it is "flimsy". Just was wondering if there was a bullet-proof phone out there yet. Thanks again
posted by digital-dragonfly at 10:47 AM on November 12, 2006

qtek makes the MDA and SDA. The SDA is a thick candybar form factor phone. It's been dropped by me a buncha times and survived. I am pretty hard on my tech gear, so I feel your pain, and this phone is serving me pretty well. It's got some UI weirdness because it's windows mobile, but the hardware is solid. Good batterylife. Wifi, too, along with your other requirements.
posted by zpousman at 12:21 PM on November 12, 2006

Check out the Nokia 5500 sport, it's a nice little phone and seems to be built to handle the rigors of 'sport', and is running the latest symbian smartphone OS...
posted by lovejones at 1:02 PM on November 12, 2006

digital-dragonfly- if you have trouble with breaking outer LCDs, I'd definitely recommend against the RAZR, a few that come in are broken in half, but more often than not the phone looks in near perfect condition but the outer LCD is dead.

That phone lovejones suggested looks like it might be a good bet, though. We sold a similar looking (rubber all around to absorb shock, bar phone) but without many features Nokia 3220, which I wouldn't recommend except for the fact that as a sales tactic, my manager used to throw it hard against the side of the case we kept the phones in. It always worked afterwards.
posted by haveanicesummer at 2:40 PM on November 12, 2006

(a) the interface on this thing is awfully slow. the phone has to pause before doing just about anything. seriously annoying when you need to do something really quick (a calculation, perhaps) and need to back out of a sixth-level submenu.


Yeah. everything else about the nokia is sweet. But wow, lag time on scrolling through menus! Bah.
posted by lalochezia at 2:58 PM on November 12, 2006

Best answer: Well, it might be out of your price range, but the palm Treo line has a hardshell aluminum case available that my last company used for our maintenance people (the kinda guys that spend a lot of their time banging around elevator shafts/in ceilings). Even having the cases mounted on a belt attachment, the phones survived with no perceptable damage to the actual pda. Bluetooth compatible, can pick up email/internet (including exchange email if your company adds one line to their configuration), full pda functions, a massive library of available shareware, and very decent sound with a headset (sound from the speaker is good too, just slightly inconveniently placed).

You can probably Ebay one of the 650 line for $100-150. Oh, and the battery life is very survivable too, for a full color display. Maybe 5 days to a charge with reasonable cell phone use per day, longer if you tend to rely on email more than voice.
posted by neolith22 at 5:11 PM on November 12, 2006

Also try the impossibly awesome Phonescoop Phone Finder.
posted by intermod at 8:00 PM on November 12, 2006

Response by poster: gotta do a little research & hands on, but the treo looks like it...
I already carry a Palm ... ( and oh yea... I am the maintenance guy here... killed the last phone lcd crawling under desks running a new network line) Thanks neolith22...
and the rest of the hive mind.
posted by digital-dragonfly at 9:30 PM on November 12, 2006