Nokia 800 Tough

I like to move around in nature without being disturbed. However, if I am hiking or exercising alone, there is a need to be able to call or text if something happens or if I am delayed. In the past, a tiny Card Phone with a prepaid card has solved my problem, but with 2G being phased out, I've been looking for a successor.

Some might think that I might as well bring my regular smartphone, and have it turned off. However, I don't think it's impact resistant or waterproof enough to carry when driving hard over logs and rocks in the forest or mountains, sometimes in snowy rain.

The choice fell on the Nokia 800 Tough, which is encased in shock-absorbing rubber with military standard 810G and IP68 rating, making it a virtually indestructible brick. The battery life for standby is an incredible six weeks(!). If it takes a while to get rescued, you can have almost ten hours of teleconferencing via 4G while you wait. The built-in 198 lumen flashlight can also come in handy when darkness falls.

At the back is the size of the phone which measures 14.5 x 6.2 x 1.6 cm and the weight which is 160 grams. This is not something you can put in the small back pocket of your running tights. I have solved it with a good tube case that I wear around my waist.

For those who don't find weight and size an issue, but may be looking for basic smartphone features, there are actually those too. With the lightweight KaiOS operating system and its KaiStore, you can download simple apps via Wi-Fi or 4G LTE to the built-in 4GB storage, which can also be expanded with a micro SD card. The phone comes pre-installed with, for example, WhatsApp, Facebook, Mail and Google Maps which uses the built-in GPS chip. There is also Bluetooth, a 3.5 mm output for radio and music and a great 2 mpx camera. However, I want to emphasize that the smartphone functions work, but are still barely useful. Not least because the small and poorly resolved screen does not have a touch function.

To summarize, the Nokia 800 Tough, which you can get for just over a thousand dollars, is definitely something for those who need unbreakable basic functions and battery life measured in weeks and not hours. It works as an emergency phone when you are on an adventure. That said, I'm still looking for something smaller and lighter.

Magnus Brink

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