Summer has come and this means a lot of fun in the sun for all of us, and where there is no reception there’s bound to be a lot of dust and water. As attractive as life in the great outdoors may seem, I’m quite sure that most of you aren’t looking forward to destroying your beloved smart-phones.
Considering that technology is constantly evolving right before our eyes, it was a matter of time until smartphone developers would come up with a brand new feature: waterproof phones.
These nifty gadgets will save you from the constant fear of having your mobile destroyed. Let’s take a look at the top three contenders in terms of phone specifications and performance.
1. Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
If you are off to sail the uncharted waters of the Caribbean or simply looking forward to the next pool party, you should definitely consider purchasing you very own Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. This baby is a monster! Equipped with a Quad-Core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 CPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Chipset and 2GB of RAM, the latest model by Samsung will definitely disappoint.
Although the developers have swapped the 13MP camera for a 8MP one, the reason behind this change is a good one. According to the happy owners of this superb device, say that it can take underwater HD footages, and it has also received special tweaks for better image focus.
In terms of memory, you can literally carry everything you need around with you, because the 16GB built-in storage is more than enough for any user. Advanced connectivity and other exclusive features have also been added to the smart-phone.
Furthermore, the 5’’ 16M-color 1080 TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass 3 is less likely to suffer from water damage or dust. Last but not least, Samsung Galaxy S4 has passed the IP67 certification, which means that it can survive 30 minutes below water. All in all this model is a successful one. Its main competitor is the Sony Xperia Z which we will discuss next.
2. Sony Xperia Z
The Sony Xperia Z is one of the most beautiful smart-phones I’ve seen by far. I actually own one at the moment and I couldn’t be more content. This phone has it all: looks, power, features, and most of all, waterproof capabilities. Sony’s Android flagship high-end smartphone was released on February 9th, and it has known global success. It has received excellent scores on the Ingress Protection Ratings, specifically IP55 and IP57 which means that it is dust protected, waterproof and water-jet resistant.
Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S4, it is equipped with a state of the art 13.1 MP Exmor RS camera as well as a full HD 1080 px display. As far as CPU power is concerned, Xperia Z comes equipped with a 1.5 GHz quad-core Krait (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro).
It goes without saying that the connectivity capabilities are superb. Sony Xperia Z can easily navigate through webpages at extremely high speeds. This is great news for business people and entrepreneurs, because it means that they can always stay connected.
For a writer who strives to offer the best blog posting services it will mean that he can respond to comments at any given time, and for the busy CEO it is a chance to better manage business.
The inbuilt storage can hold up to 16GB of data, and you can also use 64GB as removable storage. According to Sony, the design of the phone is “OmniBalance”, which means that the device is subtly rounded on the edges, the surface is reflective on all sides and the glass fiber frame holds everything firmly into place.
In conclusion, Sony has managed to impress with one of the most intuitive and powerful Android experience that users have seen in a long time.
3. Motorola Defy
To be completely honest, I have never been a fan of Motorola phones, but the Defy smart-phone has managed to surprise me. As far as specs are concerned, Motorola Defy has 800 MHz Cortex-A8 CPU complemented by a PowerVR SGX530 GPU.
If geeky language is not your thing, then I will tell you that the phone has more than enough power and it will let you experience Android’s many features to the fullest (though the specs are not the best you can find on the market).
Obviously it cannot be compared with Samsung S4 and Sony Xperia Z in terms of capabilities, because it was released more than a year ago. Although Motorola developers said that it can withstand a serious beating and drowning, the phone isn’t as resistant as you’d think. It’s still sturdier than most smart-phones you would normally find, and you can even put it under a jet of water mid-call.
It is basically as good as the majority of serious Android smart-phones out there, and it has received many positive reviews. The 5MP camera with water focus is not the best one in the world, but it still offers reasonable quality for the average user.
On the other hand, the video function is a complete let-down. Nevertheless, it looks good, it gets the job done, and you don’t have to worry if it falls in the bathtub.
Looks like the Sony Xperia Z is the best one to have especially this summer. Keeping my phone away from the water has always been one of my concerns when out on a beach.