If you prefer something more rugged than an iPhone X or a Pixel 2, how about a phone by Land Rover itself? Yes, it is the Land Rover Explore smartphone, a tough phone that takes inspiration for its headline feature from the Motorola Moto Mods range — but with an outdoor twist.
The Land Rover Explore smartphone isn’t actually made by Land Rover. It’s made by Bullitt, a British phone maker known for its expertise in the area of both rugged phones and big-name licenses, because it also produces CAT, and JCB-branded devices, along with handsets for Kodak, too. The partnership between Land Rover and Bullitt was announced in early 2016, so the resulting phone has been a long time coming.
What is the key feature of Land Rover Explore smartphone
| Specifications | |
| SoC | MediaTek Helio X27 2x Cortex-A72 at 2.6 GHz 4x Cortex-A53 at 2.0 GHz 4x Cortex-A53 at 1.6 GHz ARM Mali-T880MP4 |
| RAM | 4 GB LPDDR3 |
| Storage | 64 GB + microSD |
| Display | 5-inch 1920×1080 Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE Cat 6 |
| LTE | Down: 300 Mb/s Up: ? Mb/s |
| Sensors | E-compass Proximity Sensor Ambient Light Sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Location Barometer Other |
| Fingerprint | No |
| Dimensions | ? × ? × ? mm |
| Weight | ? grams |
| Ingress Protection | IP68: Sand, dust and dirt resistant Waterproof: Beyond 1 meter |
| Rear Camera | 16 MP with autofocus, LED flash |
| Front Camera | 8 MP |
| Battery | 4000 mAh |
| OS | Google Android Nougat, upgradeable to Android Oreo |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C |
| Navigation | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, etc. with Garmin software |
| SIM Size | unknown, two cards supported |
| Colors | Black + Grey |
| Launch Countries | US, UK, EU, and others |
Is there any good in Land Rover Explore smartphone?
With its outdoor credentials mostly reliable, there’s room for the Land Rover Explore smartphone’s true outdoor usefulness to shine, and that means its outdoorsy dashboard.
- Latitude, longitude, altitude and compass all work off-grid
- OS maps can be pre-downloaded for going off-grid
- Highly accurate GPS route recording via impressive ViewRanger app
- Adventure Pack adds battery charge, but it drains quickly
Accessed via a dedicated app icon that can ‘float’ around the screen for easy one-touch access, whatever other app is open, this modified Android interface contains everything you might need when outdoors.
The front page has a panel for weather predictions, plus six panels that can be customized.
There’s a compass, your exact latitude and longitude, altitude, the local time, sunset and sunrise times, tide times, a stopwatch, humidity, UV index, wind speed, visibility, sea temperature, swell height, SOS torch (which flashes)… the list is endless.
Although stuff like latitude, longitude, altitude and the compass work without any access to data, weather predictions, and even sunrise and sunset times, do require a constant data connection.
We realize the Land Rover Explore smartphone is all about being location-specific, but it would be more useful if data like weather and sunset/sunrise times were retained from the last known location (most likely your home, or a Wi-Fi-equipped hotel lobby from where you left for the wilderness the previous day).
Another highlight of the Land Rover Explore smartphone is its ViewRanger app, which allows hikers and cyclists to navigate using off-road topographical mapping in conjunction with that ceramic patch GPS antenna.
It’s possible to pre-load maps, and even load up tracks to follow, and although the latter wasn’t possible in Kazakhstan, we recorded the route with extraordinary precision, and got plenty of data.
It’s a great app, but notably one that can be downloaded to other phones from Google Play (though most phones won’t give you as much GPS precision).
After a three-hour hike, the Adventure Pack battery had pretty much run-down; those GPS goodies come at a cost. So the extra battery life is best seen as essential rather than as a nice option.
Another highlight of the ViewRanger app is Skyline, an augmented reality feature that allows you to identify the names of mountain peaks just by pointing the phone’s camera at the panorama before you.
However, though it correctly identified various peaks while being used in a vehicle near to a recent Wi-Fi connection, by the time we got to Charyn Canyon, Skyline was no longer working without a data connection.
Land Rover Explore smartphone review
The Land Rover Explore smartphone will be sold through the EE and Vodafone networks in the U.K., a first for the Bullitt Group which produced the device. EE will be first to sell the phone, with launch set for June 29, followed by Vodafone on July 9. The networks will offer both Pay As You Go and monthly tariff deals.
Design
The Land Rover Explore is a modular phone. Using a magnetic system like Motorola’s Moto Mods, modules are added to the basic phone to increase functionality. Initially, the Land Rover Explore will come with one module called the Adventure Pack, which works like a separate, more powerful GPS unit complete with its own battery.
Other modular packs are likely to be introduced, although no plans have been revealed by Bullitt or Land Rover yet. Modular phones live or die by the availability of these additional packs, and failure to launch more could see the Explore go the way of the LG G5. The phone’s main specification hasn’t been detailed either, although a body that reaches military standards of toughness, and an IP68 water resistance rating seem likely. Bullitt says it will be able to deal with all temperatures, heavy drops, and even salt water.
In its design, you can spot references to the new Land Rover Discovery, including the look of the vehicle’s headlights and grille, along with the style of the instrument binnacle and dials. It’s weighty at 232 grams and thick at 14mm.
Specification
Bullitt has selected the MediaTek Helio X27 to power the Land Rover Explore, and matched it to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage memory. The screen measures 5 inches with a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution, and can be used by wet or gloved hands. Inside the device is a 4,000mAh battery, which can be augmented using the 3,620mAh cell inside the Adventure Pack module.
The Land Rover Explore has two cameras; a 16-megapixel camera on the rear and an 8-megapixel selfie camera on the front. Additional features include NFC for Google Pay, dual-SIM, a MicroSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a variety of apps and software tools.
These include ViewRanger’s mapping app and its Skyline augmented reality feature to identify local geographical features. ViewRanger isn’t a stranger to partnerships like this either, having also worked with Casio on the Pro Trek Android Wear smartwatch. There is also a special nighttime screen viewing mode, geocaching apps, and the Explore Hub with handy tools for outdoor pursuits.
Android 7.1 Nougat is installed as standard, but an update to Android 8.0 Oreo is planned.
Battery Life
At 8:49 hours, the Land Rover Explore’s battery life in our WLAN test is not spectacular—but if you connect the hefty Adventure Pack with a full charge, the smartphone easily lasts a good 19 hours here.
The quick-charge device included in the Land Rover’s box fully charges the smartphone in less than 2 hours. The Adventure Pack has its own power connection and needs to be charged separately from the smartphone.
Is it water-resistant?
The Land Rover Explore is, of course, IP68 water- and dust-resistant, as is only befitting of a rugged smartphone. The case design is inspired by the Land Rover off-road vehicle. For example, the speaker grille on the front mimics the grille on the front of a car. The case is surrounded by a hefty metal frame. The display is protected not only by a raised frame, but the manufacturer also seals the display with a protective film in the factory. At a thickness of 14 mm (0.55 inches), the Land Rover phone has a pretty bulky build, but less so than many ruggedized phones from China. The case is very stable: It cannot be twisted, and applying pressure to the back side does not affect the smartphone. However, pressing on the front causes faint ripples to appear on the display.
What is the price of this smartphone?
The Land Rover Explore is available in the U.K. for 600 British pounds, which includes the phone, Adventure Pack, and a case with a carabiner attachment. It can be purchased directly through the Explore’s dedicated website. On June 29, the Land Rover Explore will be sold by the EE network on Pay As You Go or with a monthly contract, and with Vodafone from July 9. The U.K. price converts to around $855, but no official U.S. launch has been announced.