rugged phone or good case - on a budget

[hallthor]

Hi!
I work in agriculture and need a new phone. I have an AGM A8 right now and performance wise this is enough phone for me. Unfortunately the speakers and microphone collect dirt - especially metal dust which I cannot get out anymore and I pretty much can't hear a thing. So now I'm looking for a new solution, requirements are:
- screen size between 4.7 and 5.2
- needs to survive longer than my AGM and not have less performance
- I hope to stay under/around $300
- since I work often in noisy environment, sound quality and loudness is important, as well as loud enough speakers for the ring signal
- gps should quickly connect at least outdoors/inside a vehicle
- buttons on the side that stick out are a no go - my boss has a Cat S30 and his pocket calls about three people a day...
- battery life. I hate to recharge daily...or a wireless solution...

According to my coworkers the lifeproof cases do well, otterbox is a step back. I'm not too sure about the chinese rugged phones - most of them also have screens that are just too big to carry around.

Any recommendations you can give out? How would used S7 or iphones 6s do nowadays? Are batteries an issue in them?

 

[SpookDroid]

Probably any of the older Samsung Active phones would do. Otherwise you'd have to get a rugged case and the good ones can run upwards of 50 bucks, so that leaves pretty much 250 or less for a phone, and not a lot would meet your cirteria at that price range.

 

[Rukbat]

collect dirt - especially metal dust

- needs to survive longer than my AGM and not have less performance

I used to have a customer who owned a hi-rise construction company - drilling holes in I-beams, lots or powdered iron. He rented two-way radios from me (in the days before cellphones).

One of the things we had to do about 3 times a week - ro each and every radio - was "sweep" the speaker of magnetized powdered iron. It would get more and more muffled until even with your ear against it, you couldn't hear anything.

Cellphones aren't air-tight. They don't make cellphone cases that are air-tight. About the best I can suggest to you is a plastic bag over the phone, air squeezed out, then sealed. Put that one into a second bag, opening first, squeeze the air out of the second bag, and seal it.

It will make the phone last longer.

(Nextel used to make phones for construction - sealed, but accessible - speakers. But they're not in business any more.

- gps should quickly connect at least outdoors/inside a vehicle

If you've connected in about the last hour, connect time should be about 3 seconds.

- battery life. I hate to recharge daily...or a wireless solution...

Phones that last from 80% charge to 40|% charge for 8 hours? they don't make them. Does the cat have an accessory socket? Keep it plugged in.

According to my coworkers the lifeproof cases do well

Yes - at about $80/pop.

otterbox is a step back.

Not air-proof. (I'm very familiar with them - I don't buy a phone that Otterbox doesn't make a case for.)

I'm not too sure about the chinese rugged phones

I am - if you really want to burn your money, I'll send you my mailing address.

Any recommendations you can give out? How would used S7 or iphones 6s do nowadays? Are batteries an issue in them?

Aside from not lasting all day on one charge? In a lifeproof case, you shouldn't have much of a problem. But for $220 for the phone? Maybe an iPhone 4?

Or a 2 way radio designed for dust and dirt, and a base station with a phone connection. (We did that at the "vertical mall" in NYC.)

 

[hallthor]

One of the things we had to do about 3 times a week - ro each and every radio - was "sweep" the speaker of magnetized powdered iron. It would get more and more muffled until even with your ear against it, you couldn't hear anything.

How did you try to sweep the metal dust out from the speakers? That is exactly the symptoms I have. Weird enough though, the Nokia 5140 had no issue with that for about 8 years.

Yes - at about $80/pop. Not air-proof. (I'm very familiar with them - I don't buy a phone that Otterbox doesn't make a case for.)

That's the reason I was looking at the S7 and iphone 6. You can get them used for around $180-$270 here - so with the case I would stay around the budget. But I suspect even new ones have worse battery life than my AGM right now...