Like the B2700 Bound, the newer Samsung B2100 Xplorer (also called Solid Extreme) fits in nominal features with hard-edged rugged talents. While both handsets foster similar look and feel, the B2100 is targeted towards even more low-end consumer markets, fitting in less-powerful hardware and a considerably cheaper price.
Compared to the B2700, the B2100 Xplorer is even more single-minded in its approach. It’s an ultra-basic phone with extreme durability that should serve you well for plenty of outdoor uses. Samsung claims it can withstand a ton of abuse, including rain, dust, shock, water, salt, fog, solar radiation (for real, they bill sunlight as solar radiation) and extreme temperatures.
Naturally, the bulk of our tests went on that end, putting the phone through hell and high water. As expected, it survived with nary a complaint. It’s the perfect torture subject for sadists – absorbing all punishment without as much as a squeak. With its rubberized edges, water-tight flanges and all-around solid construction, this is a phone that should stay alive through most any extreme situation.
Like other rugged handsets, typing on the T9-style keypad is a serious problem, with tough keys that require hard presses in order to register. The 1.8-inch screen is extremely small and limiting, but it should survive through every travail, along with the rest of the phone.
User-interface and overall specs of the handset harken back to a decade ago. Features include a 1.3-megapixel camera (below average quality), an FM radio, a basic music player, a voice recorder and microSD card expansion. The music player is decent and should serve you well for those lonely nights in the woods, though, you’ll need an SD card to supplement the phone’s 10MB onboard storage. There’s also a very bright torch that should prove quite handy for rugged uses.
Voice calls are excellent, which is a major plus, considering that’s pretty much what a handset like this is good for. It also offers long battery life, which should allow for a good stretch on standby, making it perfect for extended time outdoors.
Overall, the Samsung B2100 Xplorer does as it’s supposed to, offering basic phone functions with great call quality and insane survival capabilities. At the price ($100 to $140 unlocked, depending on where you buy), it’s also cheap enough to warrant the choice.
Compared to the B2700, the B2100 Xplorer is even more single-minded in its approach. It’s an ultra-basic phone with extreme durability that should serve you well for plenty of outdoor uses. Samsung claims it can withstand a ton of abuse, including rain, dust, shock, water, salt, fog, solar radiation (for real, they bill sunlight as solar radiation) and extreme temperatures.
Naturally, the bulk of our tests went on that end, putting the phone through hell and high water. As expected, it survived with nary a complaint. It’s the perfect torture subject for sadists – absorbing all punishment without as much as a squeak. With its rubberized edges, water-tight flanges and all-around solid construction, this is a phone that should stay alive through most any extreme situation.
Like other rugged handsets, typing on the T9-style keypad is a serious problem, with tough keys that require hard presses in order to register. The 1.8-inch screen is extremely small and limiting, but it should survive through every travail, along with the rest of the phone.
User-interface and overall specs of the handset harken back to a decade ago. Features include a 1.3-megapixel camera (below average quality), an FM radio, a basic music player, a voice recorder and microSD card expansion. The music player is decent and should serve you well for those lonely nights in the woods, though, you’ll need an SD card to supplement the phone’s 10MB onboard storage. There’s also a very bright torch that should prove quite handy for rugged uses.
Voice calls are excellent, which is a major plus, considering that’s pretty much what a handset like this is good for. It also offers long battery life, which should allow for a good stretch on standby, making it perfect for extended time outdoors.
Overall, the Samsung B2100 Xplorer does as it’s supposed to, offering basic phone functions with great call quality and insane survival capabilities. At the price ($100 to $140 unlocked, depending on where you buy), it’s also cheap enough to warrant the choice.
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