10 Best Phone for Construction in 2024

Phones have come a long way since its inception a couple of decades ago. While phones were initially very fragile and prone to breaking easily, manufacturers quickly realized that there is also a market for rugged devices. If you’re in a field like construction, the need for a rugged phone is even greater. This is why we’ve decided to talk about a few of the best phones out there for construction. This means that every phone we talk about today will have a rugged body and most can even sustain drops thanks to the design. So let’s have a look at some of the best phones for construction in 2024.

10 Best Phone for Construction in 2024

 

 

Sonim XP8

This is an extremely functional smartphone that comes with a rugged shell covering on the outside. It’s unlocked to work with GSM carriers in the U.S. like AT&T and T-Mobile. It also supports 4G LTE, although we recommend checking with your carrier for precise details. It’s also worth noting that this phone comes with dual-SIM standby, allowing you to have two numbers at the same time. This is a rare feature for phones in the U.S. and will be a great help for people in the construction business.

The phone comes with a 5-inch 1080p display, Android Nougat, the octa-core Snapdragon 630 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, a 12MP rear camera, and an 8MP front camera. The XP8 comes with a 4,000 mAh battery with Quick Charge support. It has a USB C port for charging and data transfer, which is the new standard for Android smartphones. What’s also unique about this device is that it comes with hardware navigation keys on the bottom with the speakers located on either side of the keys. If you’re looking for a decent smartphone with a rugged exterior and moderate pricing, the Sonic XP8 is a great choice.

 

Ulefone Armor 6E

Ulefone is a company that rose to prominence a couple of years ago with its smartphones packing exorbitant hardware credentials. This handset is no different as it packs a hard and durable exterior coupled with modern hardware under the hood. Speaking of which, the Ulefine Armor 6E comes with a 6.2-inch 2246 x 1080 resolution display, the octa-core Helio P70 chipset clocked at 2.1 GHz, 16MP + 2MP dual rear cameras, an 8MP front camera, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, 4G LTE, and Android 9.0 Pie.

The phone is built to last the entire day, and thanks to the large 5,000 mAh battery, this is very possible. The phone also supports reverse charging, which allows you to charge other phones using the right accessory. The battery supports 18W fast charging tech, so you can have the phone up and running in no time. The Armor 6E supports 6 types and 31 frequency bands, thus covering a wide range of networks across the world. The phone is designed to work with GSM carriers in the U.S. like AT&T, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, etc, and will not work on CDMA networks (Verizon, Sprint, etc). The smartphone is available in Red and Black colors.

 

CAT S61

CAT (short for Caterpillar) is a well-known brand in the construction business. So it’s only logical that the company produces rugged phones for the construction industry. Well, CAT has produced multiple phones in the genre, and the S61 is one of its best. In addition to sporting a rugged exterior, the S61 also comes with a bunch of hardware features that we cannot find on any other smartphone today. Prominent among these is the thermal camera, which can be instrumental in spotting moisture or missing insulation and several other construction based issues. The phone also supports a laser-assisted distance measuring feature aided by the Measure app prebuilt on the phone.

The CAT S61 comes with a 5.2-inch 1080p LCD panel accompanied by the Snapdragon 630 octa-core processor. It’s also packing 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, a 16MP rear camera (thermal), an 8MP front camera, Bluetooth 5.0, and Android 8.0 Oreo (upgradable to Android 9). There’s a 4,500 mAh battery underneath which gives users the liberty to operate the phone the entire day without requiring a charge. Thanks to Quick Charge 4.0, the CAT S61 can support fast charging using the 18W charger provided with the device.

 

Kyocera DuraForce Pro 2

Kyocera went quiet for a while, but the company has been launching phones in the market for a while now, including rugged handsets. The DuraForce Pro 2 is a perfect candidate for a construction phone, thanks to the extremely durable body which is MIL-STD-810G compliant and is IP68 certified water/dust resistant. It’s fairly moderate as far as internal hardware is concerned which includes a 5-inch 1080p display with a sapphire crystal glass for added durability, the octa-core Snapdragon 630 SoC, 13MP + 8MP cameras on the back with dedicated underwater shooting mode, a dedicated 5MP selfie camera on the front, and Android 8.0 Oreo.

The DuraForce Pro 2 has a 3,240 mAh battery with support for wireless charging as well as 10W fast charging. It’s also worth pointing out that this phone is only compatible with Verizon networks, and will not function on standard GSM networks like AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. The phone comes with a USB Type-C port on board, which is in line with the current crop of Android devices. The handset is compatible with Verizon’s 4G LTE networks, which is great news for VZW customers.

 

CUBOT King Kong 3

Staying true to the name, the CUBOT King Kong 3 is a giant when it comes to modern-day rugged smartphones. It packs a 5.5-inch 18:9 display, the octa-core Helio P23 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of expandable storage. As for the design of the King Kong 3, it’s clear that this device is built to last. It has a thick exterior shell that keeps the phone safe from damage. This also makes it immune to drops from a significant height (up to 1.5 meters). The phone is IP68 certified water/dust resistant and can last for 30 minutes at 1.5 meters underwater. This makes it a truly rugged smartphone, and something that should be high up on your list.

The phone comes with a gargantuan 6,000 mAh battery with fast charging support, so you can be sure that the phone will comfortably last through the entire day. The King Kong 3 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo, and there’s no word on if it will receive future updates from the manufacturer. As for the camera, the handset uses a dual-camera setup on the back consisting of 16MP and 13MP sensors. The front has a decent 12MP camera for wide-angle selfies and video calls. There are other conventional features here like rear-mounted fingerprint scanner as well as a headphone jack which comes with its rubber protective cover that can keep the slot protected when not in use.

 

Blackview BV9500

This is an impressively designed rugged smartphone with a strengthened die-cast frame that’s also packing a large 5.7-inch display on board. It is MIL-STD-810G compliant and IP68 certified for water/dust resistance. The smartphone comes with a bunch of other features as well which makes it a truly powerful device. It runs on the Helio P23 octa-core processor and is complemented by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD). The phone is compatible with most GSM networks including the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile.

What I also like about the BV9500 is the fact that it comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner which makes it a lot easier to access than the conventional rear or front-mounted sensors. You also get a 16MP + 0.3MP rear camera layout and a dedicated 13MP front camera for selfies and video calls. Customers will also like to know that this phone supports dual-SIM connectivity. Blackview also offers 6 months of warranty with this product, making it one of the best-rugged handsets you can get right now. But the real highlight of this phone is the 10,000 mAh battery which can theoretically last for 2-3 days on a single charge. This phone also supports NFC payments and access to 4G LTE networks with compatible carriers.

 

CAT S41

This is unsurprisingly the second CAT phone on our list and comes with the same promise of durable external and internal hardware. Although this phone is slightly older in the market, it’s still one of the best construction phones you can get. In terms of internal hardware, the S41 is equipped with a 5-inch 1080p display that can be viewed in direct sunlight and also is used while wearing gloves. It’s also packing the octa-core Helio P20 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD slot), a 13MP single rear camera, and an 8MP front camera.

The S41 also comes with MIL-STD-810G and IP68 certifications for durability as well as resistance to water and dust. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat and is powered by a 5,000 mAh battery that can last significantly longer than conventional smartphones. Thanks to 18W fast charging support, the CAT S41 can charge up in no time despite packing such a big battery. It has hardware buttons under the display that help with navigating the phone without touching the display. CAT is also using the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for added display durability.

 

Ulefone Armor 3T

This is an unconventional smartphone for the current generation, but the features it packs can be of great help to those involved in the construction sector. It comes with the highest possible IP68/IP69K rating for water and dust resistance, accompanied by the MIL-STD-810G rating for durability. Speaking of durability, the Armor 3T can reportedly sustain concrete submersion for up to 24 hours and two hours of submersion in up to 2 meters of water.

The phone also comes with its walkie talkie with 1W/2W hardware radios and support for 400-470MHz frequencies. It can also work over Bluetooth and with other Armor 3T phones around you. A feature like this can be incredibly useful in a modern-day construction environment. The antenna is detachable from the smartphone, so you can remove it when not in use.

As for its core features, the Armor 3T is packing a 5.7-inch 1080p display, an octa-core processor, a 21MP single camera on the back, a 13MP front camera, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, NFC, and Android 8.1 Oreo. The phone comes with a 10,300 mAh battery which makes this one of the biggest battery phones on this list. Be sure to check out this handset on Amazon.

 

LG G7 ThinQ

While this gorgeous smartphone may not look like much, it comes with official MIL-STD-810G certification for durability along with IP68 certified water/dust resistance. The smartphone is also well equipped in terms of internal hardware, packing a 6.1-inch 3120 x 1440 resolution IPS panel, the octa-core Snapdragon 845 SoC, 64GB of expandable storage, 4GB of RAM, and Android 8.0 Oreo with an upgrade to Android 9 Pie. The G7 ThinQ is also packing dual 16MP cameras on the back accompanied by an 8MP front camera.

The phone also supports features like HDR 10 and Dolby Vision accompanied by DTS: X Surround Sound for optimum media performance on the handset. The G7 ThinQ comes with a 3,000 mAh battery which is supported by 18W fast charging to juice up your phone in no time.

 

Unihertz Atom

This phone has the distinction of being the world’s smallest rugged phone. It runs Android 8.1 by default and features a 2.45-inch display sporting a resolution of 432 x 242. It also has a 16MP rear camera accompanied by an 8MP front camera, so it’s not a budget phone by any means. It also has a front-mounted fingerprint and NFC for wireless communications, although we’re not sure if it will support wireless payments. One caveat here is that the phone doesn’t support microSD storage expansion, so you’re limited to using the 64GB of storage provided by default. The Atom also comes with 4GB of RAM underneath.

It packs a moderate 2,000 mAh battery, which should be fairly decent considering the hardware this phone is packing. The phone also supports 4G LTE on compatible networks, although we recommend checking with your carrier beforehand. If you’re looking for a phone that’s rugged but will also be easy to carry, the Unihertz Atom is a good choice.