Official: JCB Toughphone is World’s Toughest Mobile

The Gadget Show  Tuesday 18 November 2008

Now officially the world's toughest mobile phone - it's the JCB Toughphone

And you thought Chuck Norris was tough. Pah! Guinness has officially confirmed what we already knew: that the JCB Toughphone is the World’s Toughest Mobile Phone.

So what was the strict criteria that the Toughphone had to surpass to nab this accolade? Well, the attempt had to be witnessed by independent judges who would act as testers once the phone had been dropped from a number of increasing heights. First was a bearable 1.6m. Not a scratch. Next up: 3.25m – that’s roughly the height of a man with a dwarf (or Tom Cruise) on his shoulders. Again, fine. Finally, the same height again, but dropping on to concrete. No problemo.

According to JCB, the Toughphone has been thrown off buildings, dragged behind boats and quad bikes, driven over by cars, and still lived to phone up less-tough mobiles and tell the tale. It also comes fully certified against dust, dirt and is both shockproof and water-resistant.

Throw in Bluetooth, tri-band connectivity, built-in speakers and a three-year guarantee, and you’ve got a seriously tough phone. Shame Guinness’s criteria wasn’t more imaginative really.