BARCELONA—Smartphone durability has increased slowly over the years thanks to improvements like strengthened glass, but Sonim specializes in making rugged devices meant for the toughest environments. At Mobile World Congress, the company showed off the XP Pro Thermal and XP Pro phones, both meant for more than work. We got our hands on them. Here are our impressions.
Two Tough Cookies
The XP Pro Thermal (849 euros) is a tough phone with a rubber outer casing to ensure a good grip. As the name implies, the XP Pro Thermal features a thermal imaging camera made by Flir so professionals can see beyond walls, concrete, and other building materials. For toughness, the Pro Thermal is IP68 and IP69K rated and meets MIL-STD-810H, which means it’s protected from dust and water while also resistant to drops from 1.5 meters. Sonim says the phones surpass the durability of the military spec because it builds its phones to survive 2-meter falls onto concrete.
Sonim XP Pro Thermal and XP Pro 5G Hands On
Of course, we had to test its toughness by slamming the XP Pro Thermal on the show floor and against various other objects. With each throw, I became less nervous as the Sonim representatives watched confidently. I forcefully threw both Pro models to the ground several times, creating loud THWACK sounds, and the phones easily withstood the impact. Some of the rubber looked a little scuffed and dented, but everything still functioned as well as it did before the drops. It’s better if the case takes the damage than the screen or internals.
Sonim XP Pro Thermal (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
The phones also feature a striking design—an unusual feat for a tough phone. Sonim is targeting what it calls the prosumer market by making the Pro Thermal (and Pro) sleeker by ditching the replaceable battery and embedding the battery within the body instead. Previous models featured removable batteries, but this trade-off allows the phones to be thinner and more appealing for everyday use beyond the job site. Instead of resembling a brick, these devices look more like standard smartphones with thick cases.
(Credit: Alex Humphreys)
The front features a 6.58-inch screen covered in Gorilla Glass Victus+. The rear has a diamond pattern and a camera belt, similar to older Google Pixels, which holds a 50MP main shooter and a 50MP thermal imaging camera. At the bottom of the rear panel are two pogo pin connectors, which can charge the device’s 5,000mAh battery in a cradle. It can also be charged using its USB-C port, which is covered by a removable flap. Sonim says the flap is not necessary for sealing the device from dust or water. Instead, it’s meant to keep the USB-C connector clean.
Left to right: XP Pro Thermal, XP Pro (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
For performance, the XP Pro Thermal is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The phone can support a microSD card of up to 1TB for even more space. Additionally, the XP Pro Thermal includes two customizable action buttons for activating push-to-talk (if enabled), firing the camera shutter, or launching an app.
Left to right: Sonim XP Pro Thermal, XP Pro (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
The XP Pro ($549) shares many of the same features as the Pro Thermal, but it skips the thermal camera. Its design is a little more understated, with a plain rubber case and a grooved back. Its rectangular camera module houses a 50MP main sensor, 13MP ultra-wide, and 2MP macro lenses. The Pro also meets the same durability standards as the Thermal and withstood multiple drops to the ground. There’s no confirmed US release date yet for the Pro Thermal, but the XP Pro has already launched on Verizon in the US and is coming to other wireless carriers soon. We expect to review it soon.
Until then, check out more of our Mobile World Congress coverage, including a look at the world’s thinnest phone.
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About Iyaz Akhtar
Mobile Analyst
