Hong Kong-based rugged mobile device manufacturer RugGear is introducing three new industrial-grade mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain: the RugGear RG760 Android device supporting LTE and Private LTE Band31, the RG850 outdoor-focused smartphone boasting an 18:9 display, and the RG-PTTW1 smartwatch which is described by the OEM as the first IP65-certified device in its class to support 4G connectivity and push-to-talk functionality.
Starting off with the RugGear RG760, the device is compatible with 4G LTE Band 31, which is also known as Private LTE. These are networks that can be created by companies in order to provide guaranteed connectivity in limited locations at any time. The device itself has an industrial design featuring a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen that can be used while wearing gloves, and the panel is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. It packs a wide variety of sensors including a G-sensor and a magnetic sensor, a gyroscope, as well as sensors for temperature, air pressure, and humidity. The smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 625 chipset from Qualcomm coupled with 3GB of RAM, and offers 32GB of on-board memory expandable via a microSD card by up to 128GB. The back of the device accommodates a 13-megapixel camera while a 5-megapixel sensor resides on the front and the device runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box. All of the components are wrapped in an IP68 and MIL-STD 810G-certified body measuring in at 157 x 72.5 x 28mm and weighing 404 grams. The smartphone relies on a 5,600mAh battery and can optionally be paired with a considerably larger 10,000mAh cell.
Next in line is the RugGear RG850 powered by Android 8.1 Oreo, which takes the form of a more conventional device but still offers an IP68 and MIL-STD 810G-certified body. The smartphone packs a 5.99-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1,440 x 720. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board memory expandable by up to 128GB. It also has dual nano-SIM capabilities and sports a 12-megapixel main camera coupled with an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor. At the core of the device resides a 4,000mAh battery supporting Quick Charge 3.0, and other features worth mentioning include NFC and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, as well as a series of sensors including a gyroscope, a magnetic sensor, and a G-sensor. Its body is 165 x 82.5 x 12.5mm in size, and the device will be distributed through specialist dealers for the price of €399 ($490) in Europe.
Finally, the OEM introduced a rugged smartwatch at MWC, called the RugGear PG-PTTW1 which, as the moniker suggests, offers 4G connectivity with walkie-talkie-like push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities, powered by a built-in microphone and a series of speakers. As expected, the wearable features a rugged exterior boasting an IP65 rating, and relies on the Android platform as well as the Snapdragon Wear chipset from Qualcomm, coupled with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of on-board storage. It carries a 1.3-inch circular capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 240 x 240, as well as a 2-megapixel camera, built-in GPS and A-GPS, and a 560mAh battery. Pricing and availability details are currently missing but more information on the product will presumably be made available in the coming weeks.
