Described as the most rugged and toughest phone in the world, the Sonim XP1 sure failed my tests. With one solid drop on our offices cement floor, the screen has shattered, making it both unreadable and inoperable. I didn’t even get long enough to put in my SIM card and make a call. The test and destroy site they have setup seemed convincing, and for $499 it better be.
Did I get a dud? Sonim CEO Bob Plaschke left a letter in the box telling me I’ve officially got one less thing to think about. Bob, buddy, you left me hanging here. Good thing these things come with a 3 year guarantee, I’m out of pocket and off the grid inside 3 minutes.
Update: Â We’re trying a new one. Letter from their PR agency after the jump. Â
Josh, to be honest, I am surprised to hear this. True to the Sonim warrantee, I will gladly ship you a new one. Sonim will replace any purchased phones every three years, and I'll be happy to do that in this case.
Just for my reference, how far did you drop the phone from? Was it more than 1.6 meters; that's what the phone is certified to handle…Did you look at the materials at the link I included in the note I sent you? The product specifications are here: http://www.sonimtech.com/presskit/XP1_intro.pdf.
Let me know how the new phone works. Just as additional backgrounder, the Sonim phones are intended for outdoor enthusiasts and for folks that work in extreme environments that occasionally expose their phones to stress. I am confident that the next phone shouldn't have these types of problems…definitely let me know.
**** ***| Porter Novelli
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http://www.toughestphone.com/en/talk.
 Name and number redacted, as requested, because I’m a nice guy.  We’ll be trying new phones later today. Click here to send them feedback.
