Rugged and modular Android smartphone Land Rover Explore is set to be showcased at this year’s iteration of Mobile World Congress, the British automaker announced earlier this week. Originally teased in January, the Land Rover Explore is advertised as the ultimate outdoor phone meant to provide its owners with a broad range of functionalities while being extremely resistant to the elements and mechanical damage. The back of the device features slide-in pins which can accept various attachments reminiscent of Motorola’s Moto Mods, though Land Rover is advertising them as “Packs.” Three such modules have been announced so far but only the Adventure Pack will be available at launch this spring. The gadget comes with an extra 3,600mAh battery and a 25 x 25mm ceramic patch GPS antenna wrapped in a durable, IP68-certified body, with a TPU protective case also being part of the package, together with a stainless steel carabiner with a canvas strap seen above.
The Bike Pack whose availability has yet to be detailed will feature a bike mount for securing the Land Rover Explore onto a handlebar, with the bundle also including an extra case attachable to a stem or handles of any conventional bicycle. The module will allow you to adjust both your viewing angles and the orientation of the smartphone. The upcoming Battery Pack attachment comes with a 4,370mAh battery meant to complement the 4,000mAh cell found inside the Land Rover Explore, with the gadget also boasting IP68-certified elements resistance and being drop-tested from 1.8 meters (5.9 feet), much like the handset itself. Even without any mods, the Land Rover Explore is rated for approximately two days of active use on a single charge. The device itself also features IP68 dust and water resistance and will ship with an unspecified build of Android Nougat, though an Oreo upgrade is already being planned. In practice, that likely means Project Treble support won’t be part of the package even after the new software hits the Land Rover Explore.
MediaTek’s deca-core Helio X27 is fueling the device, clocked at 2.6GHz, with the smartphone also boasting 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage space, and a microSD card slot. Dual-SIM capabilities are part of the package, as is a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front one with 4x digital zoom. The handset features a 5.0-inch FHD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 and a touchscreen responsive to both gloves and wet fingers. 4G LTE Cat. 6 support is also included, as is an array of premium apps for adventurers including the ViewRanger platform and its augmented reality service Skyline.
The Land Rover Explore will hit the market in April, priced at £599 in the United Kingdom and €649 in select European countries, which translates to approximately $800. No details on the U.S. availability have yet been provided by the company and it’s presently unclear which wireless carriers and retailers will be stocking the product on the Old Continent, with Land Rover only revealing it already partnered with some unspecified mobile service providers and resellers to offer the Android handset this spring.