A posting in the Telecommunications Authority database in China has unveiled ZTE’s new rugged phone, the G601U.
The phone may have a sexier final name when it is announced, but for now its model number is all we have to identify it by. The posting in the Telecommunications Authority was first noticed by GSMinsider, who also posted the specs.
According to GSMinsider, the G601U’s internals are competent but not impressive. It sports a dual-core 1.3Ghz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 400×800 (VGA) 4-inch touchscreen display. Its internal storage was not revealed but it will be expandable through a microSD slot. Camera wise it has a 5MP backfacing camera with LED flash and a plain old VGA front facing camera. It runs Android 4.2.2.
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What makes it stand out is its rubberized casing that likely makes the phone more durable than your average smartphone. These kind of phones also tend to have some sort of water resistance level but any specifications on that front are still unknown.
Depending on the price, the G601U could be a great choice for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. We will likely hear more at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, if not before.
While I was able to find the posting on the Telecommunications Authority’s website, I was unable to find the specs, so I could not independently verify them, so we will have to trust GSMinsider in that capacity for now.
We will keep you up to date as information comes in.
Hello GizChina and all readers!
I have always wandered why they put so lame, old, not interesting hardware in rugged phones?
There is not even one rugged phone with 13 pixels camera, or 1,5Gz quad processor, not to mention octacore..
Just a few days ago I smashed and braked my smartphone, a very good one, while I was angry..Having a hard talk with my girl… Well, we get well, but the phone is in pieces… Oh, such a fine Neo n003 I had…
And it is not my first phone I smash, years ago it also happend.. I would pay extra for the same phone, top one, but rugged..
regular phone + anger management
Yes, indeed..but I like browsing internet and taking pictures with my phone… But anger management should help..
Anyway, a top rugged phone would be great !
This device has been in the Australian and New Zealand markets for 5 months at least now. Its called “Fit for Purpose”, if you had the high end functionality / features in a device like this it would be too expensive and if you purchased it due to the potential for hard treatment (ie why you might look at rugged devices) then you would be risking all those extra dollars for a camera etc in a device you could be treating in a rough manner. I use mine in the garden, at the beach and leave it on the work bench in the shed when I am creating something for use around the home or office and don’t worry about damaging it.