We had some electricians in our office last week, rewiring some benches in the PC Labs. One of them had an old Casio flip phone attached to his belt. Why don't you have a smartphone? I asked. Because he hasn't been able to find one that can stand to be banged against HVAC pipes all day, he said. The Editors' Choice Sonim XP7 is the phone he needs. It isn't just rugged; it comes with a three-year, no-questions-asked manufacturer's warranty. That sets Sonim phones apart from competitors like the Kyocera Brigadier, our top pick for rugged smartphones on Verizon Wireless.

The Sonim XP7 was just launched in the U.S., unlocked for $579 via Indiegogo in a package that includes a waterproof Bluetooth headset and a $19 prepaid SIM card. (Don't worry, it's not crowdfunded; Sonim is just using Indiegogo as an e-commerce platform.) It's also currently available from two of Canada's national providers, Bell and Telus, at $199 with a two-year contract; it will be coming to major U.S. carriers early next year.

The unlocked model will work best on AT&T or compatible networks, such as Straight Talk's AT&T SIM. It will also work, with slightly less coverage (it's missing one 3G band) on T-Mobile.

Physical Features and Ruggedization

The Sonim XP7 is the size of most other competing phones in a ruggedized case. Here, the case is just built in. At 5.4 by 2.8 by 0.78 inches (HWD) and an amazing 10.2 ounces, with an extra stub that looks like an antenna, but holds the speakerphone, this is not pocket friendly. This phone is designed to be kept in a coat pocket or on a belt clip.

The XP7's whole body is clad in surprisingly bouncy rubber—drop it on a corner and it can bounce at least six inches into the air. The back has a bunch of little triangular cutouts that can be pried out to reveal external antenna ports. On the front, a 5-inch, 1,280-by-720 LCD has three large, physical action buttons below it. The screen is clad in Gorilla Glass 2. The headphone jack is covered by a rubber door; the SIM card slot is actually screwed shut, and you'll need a screwdriver to open it. There are dedicated camera, push-to-talk, and alarm buttons on the sides. The charging port is a proprietary, magnetic charger; Sonim ships a special USB cable with the phone. There is no microSD memory card slot.

Sonim advertises that the XP7 is IP68 and IP-69 rated. It's sealed against dust and dirt, completely submersible and pressure-washable, can withstand a metric ton of pressure, does not strip its coatings in solvents, and can handle six-foot drops onto concrete from any angle. That's pretty intense.

To test at least some of these claims, we ran the phone under a faucet for thirty seconds, shook it 20 times in a box of dirt and pebbles that Kyocera provided us a while ago, banged it into a metal pipe five times, tried to scratch it with keys, and dropped it ten times from a four-foot height onto concrete. By the end of the ordeal, the phone showed some scuffs, but nothing a good power-washing wouldn't cure. Most importantly, the screen didn't break when dropped face-down onto concrete, which is a guaranteed killer for most phones.