Recognition: Eric Zeman / Android Authority
- Motorola plans to release a range of rugged smartphones.
- The company has partnered with rugged equipment maker Bullitt Group.
Robust smartphones remain a niche that only a few device manufacturers still have to occupy. But one company seems to have found an opportunity. Motorola will enter the rugged smartphone market through a new long-term partnership with Bullitt Group.
The two companies are clear about the details and features of the potential devices, but the promise is that the phones will be “drop-proof and shock-resistant.” If Motorola phones are comparable to Bullitt’s other devices, we can expect IP ratings and bulky bodies too. Companies will have more to share later this quarter.
Bullitt has built a range of rugged equipment for a wide variety of brands in the past. More recently, there have been some nifty innovations in the Cat phone portfolio such as IR cameras. Bullitt has also released devices under Kodak and Land Rover titles in the past.
Motorola isn’t new to building drop-proof smartphones, however. At a time when the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 ruled the quarters, the Moto Z2 Force debuted with a shatterproof display. Although this device was literally not a rugged smartphone, it was one of its unique selling points at a time when there were plenty of glass sandwiches.