In 2018, I reviewed Landrover Explore, a rugged smartphone made for outdoor use.
It works as a smartphone. It’s the durability that is the main attraction. The ExploreR was launched last summer. This new phone features a different design and has other software. It’s still built for rough usage. The phone is waterproof, dustproof and vibration resistant.
It can also withstand repeated drops of 1.8 meters onto steel. It’s also capable of handling temperatures between -30degC and +65deg. Corning Gorilla screen protects the screen. You can use it with gloves and wet fingers. It has a recess to provide additional protection against drops.
The Explore R phone measures 160x76x11mm, and weighs in at 225g. Protective cases are unnecessary, but the Explore R is light and small enough to be carried around. Land Rover says the battery has a 3,100 mAh capacity, which is sufficient for 1.5 days of moderate to heavy use. The phone boasts a 12MP Sony rear camera with dual pixels and an 8MP front camera. It’s bright and works well in bright lighting. It measures 128x65mm.
Software
The Android 9 operating system is installed on the phone. This can be upgraded into Android 10. The 64GB memory is available and there’s a slot to insert a MicroSD Card.
Google apps like Chrome (and Gmail) are preinstalled. Explore Hub has links to numerous outdoor apps.
The Explore R also comes with an OS Maps app and a 12-month premium membership. The ViewRanger app is also available outside of the UK.
Like the first Explore, the ExploreR has a customisable Dashboard page. This page provides valuable information, such as sunrise/sunset times, altitude and compass direction. Some information can’t be updated using a phone signal. GPS is also used for some information.
The Explore R functions as expected for a mid-range phone. It is comparable with two other mid-range phones, and the difference is not significant. This phone isn’t the most powerful and doesn’t have the most features. It is, however, the toughest and is the only one designed for outdoor usage. It works great for phone calls, GPS, cameras, social networks, email, email, and social media. It takes around a minute to launch, just like the original Explorer.
In Use
Since last summer, the Explore R has been with me in all kinds of weather. I have carried the Explore R in jacket pockets and my backpack. I haven’t used any case or screen protector on my phone, and it has worked perfectly fine. This is what makes this phone so great. The phone’s dull, matte finish and rough texture make it easy to hold. It can be used with gloves, provided you’re able to control your fingers well enough. I found that light liner gloves worked well for me. However, nothing thicker.
Battery
The battery isn’t very powerful. The battery will last me for about 1.5 days if I take care. But, it’s not enough for two days, or even a longer trip. A battery pack is necessary if you go on more than one day. A battery pack was included with the original Explore. It could be clipped to your back. It was heavy and clunky, but it allowed you to connect it and continue using your phone. It is difficult to do this when using a charger with a cable attached. I would like to see a clip-on battery pack for Explore R, or a larger battery or even a replacement one.
One quirk with the batteries is that if temperatures are below 5degC, a warning will appear saying “battery temp is too low”. But the phone works as usual. Land Rover did not have any information on this issue, so I asked Land Rover. It has to do with charging. Charging stops when temperatures drop below 5deg. Otherwise, it can be ignored. This should be stated in the manual. This does not mean you can’t charge your phone if it is cold.
Camera
It works OK. Dual pixel is a designation that the camera works better in low light conditions. Comparing images from the 16MP Explore camera, I’d argue that it works well. Images appear bright and clear in good light. The lens is moderately wide-angle. Digital zoom is available but this can degrade the image so that I wouldn’t recommend it. The front-facing selfie camera is also excellent. The bright background did not deceive it once. Overall, this camera is adequate. These images are straight from your camera without any additional processing.
Land Rover’s Explore R is an excellent value for money.
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