There are some places you shouldn’t take a smartphone. But no where’s off limits with a Land Rover Explore Outdoor Phone.
1. THE BEACH
The hazards: Sand, sea water and heat
If there’s one thing mobile phones hate more than anything it’s going to the beach. The combination of sand and sea water is tailored to destroy smartphones, but not the Explore phone.
The Explore phone
Its durability is tested against a benchmark used by the military to ensure their kit is protected against sand, dust and dirt – and they know all about tough places. That means you can take this phone down to a depth of 1m in either fresh or salt water, and it will still work.
The Explore phone is fantastic for anyone on a kiteboard, SUP or sail boat. You can stuff the phone inside your wetsuit and not worry if it gets wet or dropped in the sand, just rinse it off in the sea. And don’t worry in case you accidentally leave it in the sun. It works up to a temperature of 60ºC and won’t get clogged up with condensation either.
2. CAMPING WITH THE KIDS
The hazards: Running out of battery, the weather and little fingers.
It’s dusk on the first day; little fingers have been playing on your phone all day, and you’re already on red. But this isn’t a familiar scenario for Explore phone users.
The Explore phone
The Explore phone comes with additional battery power in the form of the Adventure Pack, which attaches to the back of the phone, ensuring it can survive the whole weekend without charge. Being drop-proof, it can also survive any camping trip with the kids. Looking for ideas? Download the Geocaching app and see our guide to the online treasure hunt game.
Being drop-proof, it can also survive any camping trip with the kids.
3. SKIING
The hazards: Snow, cold, falls – and cold fingers
Mobiles are essential in the mountains to stay in touch with your friends or use in an emergency, but they’re difficult to use with gloves on, don’t like the snow and the cold drains batteries.
The Explore Way
The Explore phone’s waterproof features are a big plus in the mountains, as is the extended battery life. But it’s how it copes in the cold that’s really impressive – it’ll keep working in temperatures as low as -60ºC. And your fingers don’t have to suffer as you can use the phone without taking your ski gloves off. (Turn on Glove Mode in Settings > Display.)
The Land Rover Explore phone is fantastic for anyone on a kiteboard, SUP or sail boat
4. MOUNTAIN BIKING
The hazards: Dropping, running out of battery while navigating
Smartphones are great substitutes for a bike computer. You can use them to navigate or track your activities via your favourite app. The downside? They are not designed for the outdoors.
The Explore Way
Thanks to the Bike Mount, you really can turn your Land Rover Explore phone into the ideal partner for your rides. The mapping app ViewRanger is pre-installed on the phone and it allows you to find and download routes to follow offline. And because the Bike Mount screws into the stem cap you can check your navigation without worrying about how secure your phone is.
See our full list of tips on how to use the Explore for cycling
With the Explore phone you can say goodbye to cracked screens
5. A NIGHT OUT
The hazards: Spills and dropping
You can probably play back the scene in slow motion; that momentary fumble when fingers lose control of the phone; that desperate split second lunge when you go for the catch and come tantalisingly close to saving the day. But the inevitable is all over in a flash and your phone is face down with a cracked screen. Again.
The Explore phone:
With the Explore phone you can say goodbye to cracked screens. It’s drop tested to 1.8m and comes with a factory-fitted screen protector. It’s also waterproof so you don’t have to worry if someone spills their drink over it – just give it a quick rinse under the tap afterwards.
6. HIKING
The hazards: Bad reception, wet weather, lack of power.
It seems to be one of those universal rules of the mountains that the moment you need your phone the most, it will most likely be out of juice. Wet weather isn’t kind either.
The Explore phone
Yes, you can buy a waterproof cover for your smartphone, but there are a raft of benefits of the Land Rover Explore phone when you’re hiking in the hills. Its rugged credentials are military standard so you can be confident that not only can it get wet but that it can take a few knocks too and keep on working.
The Adventure Pack also doesn’t only increase the battery life but boosts the GPS signal of the phone, offering more accurate positioning for when you’re finding your path. Perhaps best of all (for UK users), is the ViewRanger app which comes with 1:25,000 OS mapping for your country.
Click here to go next level with your hiking.
7. RIVER SPORTS
The hazards: The wet, the cold – and time.
Whether you’re kayaking your local river, exploring a remote jungle river or salmon fishing on the Spey, the Explore phone comes into its own on water.
The Explore phone:
The trouble with waterproof bags is that it’s just not that quick and easy to get to your phone when you need it. When you’re on a river, you want your phone at hand – to check your navigation, take photos or sync with your camera.
With the Land Rover Explore phone you can use the carabiner to attach it somewhere safe and not worry about water sloshing about. This was the experience of photographer Jon Williams, who successfully used the Explore phone on an expedition to paddle the Essequibo river in South America.
And if you prefer to take things at a more leisurely pace and sit by a river for hours on end, with the Explore phone’s extended battery life, you can be confident it will still be running if and when you land that catch!