Sonim XP3 Pros & Cons Review

SONIM XP3 / Click to add to compare list.

- Analysis by KJ David

Not to be confused with older Sonim models that go by the XP3 moniker, the 2019 Sonim XP3 is a Sprint-carried rugged phone that's primarily aimed at those who work under harsh and gritty conditions.

Its somewhat typical array of pros and cons includes a 2.6-inch 320 x 240 TFT display and a rather bulky exterior measuring 1.1 inches thick . Note that it comes with a tiny external display for checking quick notifications and battery level without flipping the phone open. Its 6.9-ounce body weight also makes it sound like a heavyweight compared to many non-rugged clamshell models featured here on Phonerated, although this is a forgivable trade-off for its outdoor-ready rugged features.

Speaking of rugged, the XP3 passes both the IP68 and the MIL-STD-810G certifications , the former making its housing waterproof and the latter giving it military-grade resistance to temperature extremes and accidental drops, among other things. It also comes with a 4G-LTE network adapter , which, as of this specs-based review, was not quite a standard facet among rugged flip phones. Check out some of the newest 4G phones here.

Looking at its hardware setup, although its 1GB-only RAM would normally wind up as a con in our book, the fact that it works hand-in-hand with a quad-core 1.1GHz Qualcomm MSM8909 processor makes it easier to digest. Its 8GB memory expandable by up to 64GB sounds like a decent pro as well, at least insofar as the basic phone category is concerned.

The XP3 touts a 5-megapixel fixed-focus camera that's accompanied by an LED flash, which doubles up as the phone's torchlight. For those who work in places where photography is not allowed, however, Sonim also ships a no-camera variant offering more or less the same pros and cons.

This Sonim model comes with dual SIM card slots (Check out some popular dual-SIM models here) and it feeds off a removable 1500mAh battery that scores an 8-hour maximum talk time (480 minutes).

All said, the Sonim XP3 caters to field workers and industrial plant personnel eying a toughened, waterproof flip phone.

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Full Specs

Best Flip Phones 2025 Is it your best choice?

On-paper Review score:

First, the Cons:

Above-average radiation (SAR) rating:

The maximal mobile phone radiation allowed is 1.60 watts per Kilogram of body mass (w/kg). The Sonim XP3 scored a SAR rating of 1.18 w/kg... That's not extremely high, but did you know that there are other good phones with a lower SAR rating?

We recommend: Top-rated low-SAR phones

Slower smartphone:

Not too long ago, this smartphone's processing specs would have seemed ok, but in comparison to most recent smartphones, a 1.1GHz Qualcomm MSM8909 processor with just 1GB (LPDDR) of RAM looks a little pale, compared to recent smartphones with their multi-core gigahertz processor and large RAM.

Unknown weight:

It's disappointing that we could not find its weight information.

Recommended alternative: Photo gallery of the latest slim phones

Pros:

Rugged:

It is described as a rugged phone (more sturdy, better water-resistance, etc).

Also read: Photo gallery of the latest rugged phones

Quad processor:

Not only does it have a 1.1GHz processor clock speed, but it also has 4 cores.

See also: List of the fastest Android smartphones

High talk time:

The talk time claimed by the manufacturer (480 minutes) is higher than the average talk time. Though battery-life ratings are not necessarily measured the same way by each manufacturer, this is an interesting indication that the Sonim XP3 may last more than other phones.