RugGear RG650

The RugGear RG650 is a robust smartphone that, unlike many other rugged phones, also looks modern. This is partly due to the stretched screen with an 18:9 ratio. RugGear itself calls this "edge-to-edge", altho we still detect some screen bezels. Exactly what violence this RG650 is up to is something we will find out here.

Play outside

We often see that so-called rugged phones, phones that can take a beating, are coarse, not very refined and with little eye for detail. RugGear seems to want to break that trend with this RG650. It is equipped with a 5.5 inch screen with a modern ratio of 18 to 9. Many modern phones also have that ratio, which makes it look contemporary. The HD resolution is nice and sharp and the brightness of 520 nits is high enough to be read outdoors in sunlight. And that's what the RugGear RG650 is meant for; to be outdoors.

Military MIL-STD 810G standard

To keep out the evil outside world, the housing is water and dust resistant. The IP68 rating makes it waterproof up to 1.2 metres for 30 minutes and drop resistant up to 1.5 metres. The RG650 also features the MIL-STD 810G standard, which makes it shockproof, resistant to large temperature fluctuations and does not care about high humidity. All this protection hasn't been at the expense of looks, because with its sleek lines and yellow racing stripes it can still be called stylish and elegant. What also certainly helps is its not excessive thickness. With 12.5 millimetres it is of course not super slim but you can certainly not call it overly thick.

Main RugGear RG650 specifications

• Dustproof, waterproof and robust housing (IP68 and MIL-STD 810G)
• Large 5.5 inch HD screen with modern aspect ratio and high brightness
• Fast web browsing on the go thanks to 4G support
• 8 Mpixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front
• 16GB of built-in storage with room for another 128GB via memory card
• Insert multiple SIM cards thanks to Dual SIM support (nano SIM type)
• Quadcore MediaTek MT6739 processor at 1,5 GHz with 2 GB RAM RAM memory

Long battery life and Dual SIM

As well as being robust, the RugGear RG650 will also last a long time. That has everything to do with the thick 4200 mAh battery inside. So expect to be able to do a day without recharging. The device also uses Android 8.1 Oreo and has room for a double SIM card (nanoSIM type). On the back is an 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and on the front is a 2 megapixel camera for video calling or for simple selfies. On the left side is a yellow button that you can set up yourself. Use it for example to turn the flashlight on and off. The RG650 is powered by a MediaTek MTK6739WW processor consisting of four cores at up to 1.5 GHz. It is not very powerful so gaming will not go. But as a builder or nature lover, you don't have time for that either.

Pro and cons RugGear RG650

• Affordable and stylishly designed rugged phone
• Spacious screen with modern ratio
• Sturdy and waterproof
• Long battery life

• Not suitable for gaming