Awaiting its arrival was like waiting for the bank to approve vehicle finance for that Land Rover Evoque standing in front of the nearest dealership. You are excited and nervous, but most of all (if you’re like me) you have done your research.
This is what I knew at the time; Land Rover had partnered with Bullitt Group to produce a phone that is as functional and rugged as their range of high-end SUV’s while encouraging the exploration of your surroundings. The specifications are impressive on paper and my palms were sweating just thinking of all the fun a true test of this device will demand.
As luck would have it, (or is it Murphy?) my work schedule changed suddenly and forced me to abandon any hope of getting outdoors and pushing the limits. This had me re-evaluate the features that could be viably assessed and reviewed. What follows is my recollection of my time spent with “Gary”.
We met on a rather normal Wednesday evening and it took some coaxing but eventually, it came out of its box. Like a true scout, it came well prepared with rubber cover, an extra battery and a carabiner clip. Holding it in your hand for the first time and immediately you realise this is no ordinary gadget.
An FHD 5-inch screen housed behind some tough glass and encased in a steel body with a rubberised back draws your attention. Not just from its size but also due to the crisp clear display. Later, I discovered the intuitive screen lighting settings and how the screen stays readable in any and all conditions. It was a delight to use at night, especially before lights out...aka loadshedding.
Android 8 running the show, with a 2.6GHz deca-core Mediatek Helio X27 processor backed up by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage providing all the support for the software onboard. This means nothing to the regular Joe but once you start rummaging through all the apps and see how seamless the transition between screens and tasks are, you will appreciate it.
A 16MP rear camera allows you to capture all those amazing adventures and once in a lifetime snaps regardless of weather conditions. Now add to that all your usual connectivity solutions and here in the palm of your hand is a capable and well-rounded piece of technology that is ok but not really a game changer as yet.
That all changes once you realise that this is not a device made for the faint-hearted and the risk aversive individual. Gary is a tough bugger and up for any challenge. Even though all the other reviews do mention it, I was a sceptic because we live in a world where dropping your phone means disaster, therefore I was still surprised that after accidentally dropping it on tiles there was no evidence of it ever happening.
This emboldened me to go ahead and test all the rugged features boasted about online. Luckily, we have a large walk-in freezer at work and thus was able to test the ability to handle extreme temperature changes and the touch screen's reactions even with gloves on. The fact that photos can be taken in the rain and the phone is more than safe in water for short periods made for some very creative pictures. This all boils down to this device actually delivering what it set out to achieve.
Attach the adventure pack to the back off the phone and you get a powerful secondary battery that doubles up as a GPS. So now you have at least a full two days of battery life with the only downside being the weight and bulkiness of the device. Carrying it around is made easy with the help of the rubber cover and the carabiner clip, although it is still a little awkward.
I would have liked to test the practical applications of all these features in the environment it was meant to be but even without the great outdoors, Gary performed like a dream. To be honest, I was not expecting much and so I was surprised with all the technical and technological details that went into truly expressing their arrival into a market often overlooked.
In summation, the Land Rover Explore Outdoor Phone is really an impressive feat of engineering and a well thought out communication device. This is the reason why I had to name it... Gary – it just suited the persona of the phone and how the team behind it showed what can really be done if we stop following the trends and push the exploration of ourselves and our surroundings.
