Land Rover Launched Its First Phone Called 'Land Rover S1'

The mobile phone business is a promising one, considering that people are eager to embrace mobility with tech more than ever.

Land Rover, the British brand of four-wheel drive vehicles, is one of the world's most iconic car brand. And it has decided to also capitalize the mobile industry by releasing its own branded phone it calls 'Land Rover S1'.

The ultra-rugged phone is a blend of tough and conventional premium design.

First unveiled by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, a British explorer and holder of several endurance records, following his successful ascent of Mount Everest, the Land Rover S1 was made with the partnership between Land Rover and Sonim Technologies.

Land Rover touted it as the world’s first IP67-rated GSM mobile phone, meaning that the phone is resistant to dust, dirt, and drops.

The handset comes equipped with a 2MP camera with built-in flash, built-in GPS, torch light, FM radio, 2GB of memory, J2ME Java for mobile, WAP browsing through its in-built Opera Mini browser.

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Sir Ranulph Fiennes showing the Land Rover S1 phone.

Below is the specifications for the The Land Rover S1:

  • Waterproof to up to a depth of one metre.
  • Survives being dropped onto hard surfaces from up to two metres.
  • Extra-loud speakers.
  • Extra-long battery life with over 1500 hours of standby time and 18 hours of talk time.
  • Durable keyboard mechanics with extra-wide buttons for ease of use.
  • Keypad buttons tested to over 500,000 pushes.
  • Dust and micro-particle resistant, IP67-rated.
  • Resistant to road shocks and vibrations to over 2000 random vibrations in the 500Hz range.
  • Operational under temperatures from -20° to 55° C.
  • Resistant to extreme pressure up to 400kg.
  • Resistant to punctures at 75kg/cm2 of pressure.
  • Three year unconditional guarantee.
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As Lindsay Weaver, Land Rover global licensing manager explained:

"We are very excited about the launch of the S1 mobile phone. Like our vehicles this phone is extremely capable and will work in the toughest of environments. Designed to meet the needs and demands of the outdoor adventurer the phone has an IP-67 rating, which is a first for a commercially available GSM handset, and is operational in temperatures ranging from -20 to 55 degrees Celsius and backed by an unconditional three-year guarantee."

"We have worked with Sonim to ensure that the phone not only meets their stringent criteria of ruggedness, but also to ensure that this is a true Land Rover product."

Bob Plaschke, CEO of Sonim Technologies, said,

"When we started making these handsets, there was no standard for how to test and benchmark rugged phones, so we created our own. The Land Rover S1 is tested according to our own ‘Rugged Performance Standard’, a specific 12-point test to ensure our phones remain of the highest quality and don’t let you down when you need it most."

With the launch of Land Rover S1, the handset is joining Land Rover's existing range of branded clothing, bikes and eyewear.