Getnord Lynx: Super-tough Android smartphone with a massive battery

Most modern smartphones are pretty fragile devices, and they don't play well with harsh outdoor environments where there's water, dust, hard rocks, and big drops. But the Getnord Lynx is built to survive, and packs a battery that's big enough to keep it going when most other smartphones have given up.

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My daily driver smartphone is an iPhone, but this device has two huge limitations as far as I'm concerned. It's very fragile, and the battery is the smallest one that Apple could get away with. So, with summer now here in the UK -- complete with the usual copious amounts of rain –-- the outdoors is calling me, and I'm interested in getting my hands on a smartphone that can take everything that Mother Nature can throw at it, and still keep going.

Getnord Lynx: Super-tough Android smartphone

On paper, the specs of the Getnord Lynx are pretty impressive:

• 4.5-inch 480 x 854-pixel display, 1.8mm thick with Corning Gorilla glass
• 6000mAh battery
• Qi-compatible wireless charging
• Tested to MIL-STD-810G
• Android 8.1 Oreo
• 16GB storage
• Mediatek MT6737 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• IP68 – Waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof
• RAM Mount compatibility
• Dual SIM
• SD card slot
• Headphone jack
• USB-C charging

There's a lot to like out there, but if you're buying a handset like this, it's the durability of it that you are interested in. And in the testing that I've carried out, the Getnord Lynx lives up to the hype.

I've subjected the Getnord Lynx to water, rain, drops on concrete and rocks, driven over it, thrown it into a river, and essentially been very unkind to it, and it still looks and works just like new.

There's no doubt that it's rugged enough to cope. Yes, I could have broken it if I put my mind to it, but I have a hard time seeing this break from normal day-to-day abuse.

On the performance front, the Getnord Lynx is pretty good. Sure, it's not going to win any speed competitions, but the spec is plenty fast for most applications.

If I had a criticism, and it's a minor one, it is that the camera is a bit laggy and slow sometimes, especially in low-light conditions. Not a huge issue, but something that's noticeable switching over from the iPhone.

The Getnord Lynx also comes with an optional magnetic mount and charging plate that's compatible with RAM Mount mounting systems. The magnetic mount is solid, and the wireless charging feature works well, and for me, the compatibility with RAM Mount holders is a bonus since this is what I use in my vehicles for all my devices.

For a price of $299, the Getnord Lynx represents excellent value. It's quality hardware in a robust shell that should give you years of service no matter how badly you treat it. If you take your smartphone into places that normal handsets aren't designed for, this is well worth taking a look at.

The wireless charging plate costs $69, with various options for car, bikes, and motorcycles costing $99.

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