Whether camping, on trekking tours or during outdoor activities in the wilderness, anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors will appreciate a robust, dustproof and waterproof cell phone with a long battery life. We have therefore compared the best outdoor smartphones with each other and tell you here which ones perform well in our comparison, offer really good performance and what you should look out for when buying an outdoor phone.
The most important things first
- Outdoor cell phones are specially designed for use outdoors and under extreme conditions.
- An outdoor cell phone can withstand many environmental influences and is very durable and robust.
- When buying, you should definitely pay attention to a few important criteria, such as the IP class, battery performance and storage space.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- The most important things first
- Functional & robust: The editors’ recommendation
- Good & affordable: The price-performance winner
- What is an outdoor cell phone and who is it suitable for?
- You should pay attention to this when buying
- Outdoor cell phones for special requirements
- We compared these outdoor cell phones
- Frequently asked questions about the outdoor cell phone
Don’t want to scroll? Click here to go directly to the outdoor cell phone comparison.
Functional & robust: The editors’ recommendation
- 💾【𝟐𝐆𝐁+𝟐𝐆𝐁 𝐑𝐀𝐌, 𝟑𝟐𝐆𝐁 𝐑𝐎𝐌，𝟏𝐓𝐁…
- 🔨【𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲, 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭…
Its impressive features include a long battery life, a scratch- and shock-resistant HD display and a compass.
Good & affordable: The price-performance winner
- 8000 mAh Akku ＆ Global 4G LTE: Der Akku des outdoor Smartphones WP5 ist 8000 mAh. Das OUKITEL WP5…
- Android 11.0 Handy ＆ 4GB(7GB) RAM + 64GB ROM: Oukitel WP5 outdoor handy mit 4x Cortex-A7…
Scores with a battery life of up to 600 hours in standby mode, fingerprint sensor, facial recognition and worldwide frequency coverage.
What is an outdoor cell phone and who is it suitable for?
Today’s smartphones are often waterproof and advertise longer battery life. But in the cold or heat, or when exposed to a lot of dust or shocks, they quickly wear out. And who doesn’t know the moment of shock when your cell phone falls out of your pocket?
This is where outdoor cell phones come into play: they are particularly robust and can withstand almost all circumstances in which a normal smartphone would fail. As reliable companions on the water, in the forest or in the mountains, they are suitable for anyone who likes to spend a lot of time outdoors doing various outdoor activities. No matter what the weather is like or how dusty the environment is – the robust all-rounder smartphones ensure that you are always available wherever you are
What an outdoor smartphone can do
Outdoor cell phones are no longer clunky, heavy phones that can only be used to make calls and send text messages. Nowadays, many manufacturers such as Samsung or CAT combine a robust outer shell with a modern Android operating system. Many outdoor cell phones now also have a decent camera that can take good photos and videos.
Here is an overview of the advantages of an outdoor smartphone:
- They defy all weathers: whether in the Sahara or at the North Pole, outdoor cell phones are not sensitive to heat or cold and work in all weather conditions.
- They offer protection against and foreign objects: outdoor cell phones are waterproof, dustproof and protected against foreign objects. They are therefore also suitable as construction site cell phones and are also good companions when fishing.
- They are tough: A fall from your jacket pocket? No problem for outdoor cell phones. They usually have a particularly impact-resistant rubber or plastic casing and are therefore much more shock- and drop-resistant and robust than normal smartphones.
- They enable recognition at first glance: Most outdoor cell phones have a scratch-free, matt display that does not reflect and is easy to read even outdoors. They can also often be operated with gloves.
- They offer powerful battery performance: Your battery dies after a few hours? Not with an outdoor cell phone. These have a more powerful battery and therefore a longer battery life than everyday smartphones and often allow standby mode for several weeks.
You should pay attention to this when buying
Nowadays, outdoor cell phones are available in many different variants. To find the right model for you, you should pay particular attention to a few criteria.
The IP protection class
Outdoor cell phones are designed for use in extreme conditions. They are therefore certified according to specific IP criteria. “IP” stands for “International Protection” and is an internationally recognized certification that classifies resistance to foreign bodies and water. The IP class therefore indicates how waterproof and dustproof your outdoor cell phone is.
The first number describes the protection against dust. The dust density is divided into 6 levels. A cell phone with an “IP0X” rating is not protected against dust at all, while a cell phone with an “IP6X” rating is completely dustproof.
The second figure assesses the water density. The scale ranges from 0 to 9: A cell phone with an “IPX5” rating is protected against splashing water under high pressure, a cell phone with an “IPX8” rating is even protected against permanent immersion in water at a depth of 1 meter, and a cell phone with an “IPX9k” rating can even withstand water under high pressure. However, you should always pay attention to the manufacturer’s exact specifications. This is because the IP protection classes only define a minimum standard. To find out how long an outdoor smartphone can really be submerged and to what depth, you should refer to the operating instructions for the respective phone. Attention: The IP class does not apply to salt water!
As a general rule of thumb, the higher the IP class, the better. So if you spend a lot of time outdoors, you should choose an outdoor smartphone with at least IP67, even better with IP68.
The battery life
A powerful battery is particularly important for an outdoor smartphone. Especially if you often use your cell phone for navigation, the battery power should be strong enough. This can be specified both in milliampere hours (mAh) and in watt hours (Wh). The higher this value is, the more powerful the battery is.
For normal smartphones, 3000 to a maximum of 4000 mAh is common. Many outdoor cell phones offer considerably more power. From 5000mAh you are really well equipped, but even from 4000 mAh the battery has some power. With some outdoor smartphones, the battery life can also be doubled again with an attachable battery pack. This is particularly practical for long tent tours away from civilization.
The storage space
Storage space is also an important consideration when buying an outdoor cell phone. Especially if you are traveling in remote areas without a network, it is mainly maps for navigation that cannot be called up online and must be saved in the smartphone’s internal memory beforehand.
A distinction is made here between internal and expandable memory. The internal memory is often somewhat smaller. Many outdoor smartphones only have an internal memory of 64 gigabytes (GB), which is less than normal smartphones. It is therefore almost always worth expanding the memory. This can be easily expanded using an exchangeable micro SD card. This allows you to distribute photos, videos or even navigation maps to different memory cards, which you can then insert into your cell phone when you are out and about, depending on the region.
However, you should note that not all applications can also be stored in the external memory. You should therefore check that everything works before using it and ideally make sure that the internal storage space is large enough for your needs when you buy it.
The camera
If you travel a lot in impressive landscapes, you will certainly want to capture these beautiful impressions in photos. Of course, you can also take photos underwater with outdoor smartphones.
These photos should then also have a correspondingly good resolution. Fortunately, many outdoor smartphones are already equipped with excellent cameras. The resolution of the camera is specified in megapixels (MP) and can vary between indoor and outdoor cameras. From 8 MP you can already take excellent photos. The exact MP number then depends on your personal requirements.
The second SIM card
Who doesn’t know it? Especially if you often travel far away from civilization, you will quickly notice that the wireless network is not available everywhere, both in Germany and worldwide. That’s why a dual SIM slot has many advantages in an outdoor cell phone. This means you can use SIM cards from two different networks at the same time at any time to remain easily reachable. Clever combined use of the SIM cards can also save costs.
The operating system
Currently, only outdoor cell phones with the Android operating system from Google are available. However, not all models are available with the latest version of the operating system. Therefore, make sure that you buy a smartphone with the latest possible version.
The display size
Many outdoor smartphones have displays that are somewhat smaller than the displays of normal smartphones. If a large display is particularly important to you, you should pay particular attention to this when buying and compare the outdoor phone with your everyday phone to find the right display size for you.
The extras
Outdoor smartphones often offer practical extras such as an integrated LED light, microphones with noise suppression and high-quality speakers, built-in barometers/thermometers or a thermal imaging camera. Many models can also be used as a radio or walkie-talkie.
They can therefore become true multifunctional tools. It’s best to think about whether and if so, which additional functions could be useful for you before you buy.
The cover
Many manufacturers now also offer outdoor phone cases that either protect your outdoor phone even better or make your normal everyday smartphone suitable for outdoor use. These covers are also very sturdy and waterproof and dustproof.
Outdoor cell phones for special requirements
High camera resolution, lots of memory or extreme impact resistance: certain outdoor smartphones come into question depending on which features are particularly important to you. We present some of the top models here.
Which outdoor cell phone has the best camera?
If you attach particular importance to an outdoor smartphone with a really good camera, then the Blackview BL9000 is the right choice for you. It not only impresses with a 50 MP front and rear camera, but also with a powerful battery and processor, 5G technology and a whole host of additional features.
- 【Blackview 2024 Neues 5G Outdoor Smartphone】 Das BL9000 verfügt über die neueste…
- 【24GB RAM+512GB ROM】 Mit dem 5G 6-Nanometer-Octa-Core-Prozessor MediaTek Dimensity 8020…
Which outdoor cell phone has the largest memory?
If you are looking for a model with a large internal memory, the DOOGEE Smini outdoor cell phone is a good choice. It has 256 GB of internal memory (expandable to 2 TB) and is also characterized by its compact format.
Which outdoor cell phone is the most robust?
Does your outdoor cell phone need to be able to withstand a lot? Then you should choose a model with the highest IP protection class, such as the HAMMER Construction outdoor cell phone with protection class IP69.
- 【Staub- und wasserfeste Konstruktion】- Das neue HAMMER ist ein optimales Werkzeug bei schweren…
- 【Verstärktes einwandfreies Display!】- Das 6-Zoll-Display von HAMMER wird durch das Gorilla…
We compared these outdoor cell phones
Frequently asked questions about the outdoor cell phone
What is an outdoor cell phone?
Outdoor cell phones are specially designed for use outdoors and under extreme conditions. They can withstand many environmental influences and are particularly robust, dustproof and waterproof.
What features are particularly important in an outdoor cell phone?
An outdoor cell phone should have an IP rating of at least IP67, even better is IP68. A battery capacity of at least 3000 mAh, expandable storage space and a good camera of at least 8 MP are also important.
How much does an outdoor cell phone cost?
You can get very inexpensive outdoor cell phones from around EUR 70. However, these often do not offer sufficient quality or all the features of a good outdoor smartphone. You can spend up to 700 EUR for really good outdoor cell phones. These often have additional functions such as a thermal imaging camera or a barometer. If you want a solid model for your activities such as hiking or camping that has all the features of a good outdoor cell phone and no fancy extras, then you are looking at a price of between 150 and 300 EUR.
Cover picture: © borjomi88 / Depositphotos
Letzte Aktualisierung der Preise am 2025-09-17 / Affiliate Links / Bilder von der Amazon Product Advertising API
