Sonim XP8

RedNeckMedic

I have had this phone for a year. I am on First Net and like it. I don't do anything intensive with it. Works good. Had to have it swapped once due to proximity sensor failure right out of the box but the replacement has been great. Not to mention easy to get swapped with 5 year warranty. I have taken it in the ocean and pools no issue. Specs are nothing to write home about but if you want a phone that takes a beating look no further.

Anonymous

Most phones lack a 3.5 mm jack these days, particularly the ones that they want to get a good waterproofing rating.

Bat21

I currently have a note 4 with a otter box and have been looking at this XP8 for a long time. I love the toughness of it. AM concerned about some of the internet usage and map usage with it. the big thing that prevents me from buying it is taking good pictures. If it had a decent camera and an 3x optical telephoto feature like the note 4. I would buy it. I actually use the telephoto option at work to zoom in on machinery to get clearer details of machine components I work on. love the fact you can change the battery. So easy to do, so fast, no sending it to the shop for a repair and best of all. A cheap replacement battery or have to buy a new phone. Economically it makes sense. I also read they are updating the android operating system to the next level for this phone

William M

I have had this phone for about a year now and these are the things I have noticed with it. I have had many issues with this phone. I have this phone for personal/work use. The biggest issues I have with the phone are: Apps keep crashing. The two main apps I really use are Flipboard and theChive they both frequently crash or the phone freezes then they crash. The phone will randomly reboot. There is not rhyme or reason to it. I will be using Google Maps for GPS and the phone will shut down and restart, or I will be sitting at home and the same thing will happen. The touch screen is very bad. It often doesn't read in cold temperatures (here in Canada) it will often just read the heat coming off my hand and make random "presses". Overall the screen detection is not very good. It being in my coverall pocket I will pocket dial without unlocking it. I have the occasional issue where it will not charge. This one is just a heads up when It happens I have to unplug it and try it again. (Yes its plugged in all the way) The camera is alright. The shutter is very slow after you hear the shutter sound you still have to hold it for another second or the photo will come out blurry. The Plastic lens cover is alright it being in my pocket right behind my pocket book it gets scratched up pretty badly. One of the pros to this phone is that it is very durable. I have dropped it on some angle iron and all I have is a very minor chip in the very bottom of the screen. I have gotten weld spatter on the screen and you'll never notice it. It often falls out of my pocket and hits the floor I have no fear about damaging the screen. I would recommend this phone only if it is a work phone and you have another one to use.

Gweevis

Mine works great. Best smartphone I've owned.

ab forever

How does one disable the LTE on the Sonim xp7700? Thanks

Traveller

Nice box; good replaceable battery. I have not yet been able to test how sturdy and waterproof it is. But, buyers beware! The NA version of XP8800 will not work in Europe (even the OS will not work) unless one removes all SIM cards. I am being told by Sonimtech that their European version similarly won't work in the US. What a waste of time and money!

WiseOne

The best feature about this phone is the audio ---- very clear audio. The next best feature is its ability to take punishment. See people's tests on internet. But the rest of the phone is just plain mediocre and nothing to hoot about. Phone has features for First Responders which I will never use so no comment on that. Not crazy about Internet speed but that could be problem with AT&T and my location. Nice to be able to replace your own battery. Definitely not crazy about the way they did their sims but that is due to this being a water tight phone. People will encounter some difficulty in installing them but is doable. FM radio app will not work unless you buy their $70 attachment to connect 3.5 mm headphone. This is really a bummer. They should have included this with the phone. Really, they just should have deleted the FM radio. The USB-C connection will only accept a small end usb-c cable --- do not expect an USB Secure Digital device to make the connection. They will be too wide and the usb-c connection on the phone is recessed and has staggered layers. Bluetooth worked ok; you can connect a 3.5 mm headphone to the usb-c port but will have to use usb adapters. Those can easily be found on Amazon. The manual is not well done and is bland. It is more like a dictionary than a user manual. As far as I can tell, the cameras are ok as I am not a big camera buff. I purchased mine used from ebay for less than $300. I would not pay over $800 to purchase from AT&T or Verizon.

Anonymous

Total garbage. Don't get it if you want a smart phone experience. Unreliable texts, unreliable calls, unreliable internet (yes, I checked my wifi and every other device is fine on it - the Sonim is the freakin problem), no cable for headphones (had to get bluetooth that needs a charge every day), and the list goes on and on. Worst phone I've ever had.

BeepBeep

Owned "the toughest phone on the planet for less than 24 hours. Took 5 second video of my daughter just under the surface of the water and it was destroyed. Now it might as well be a boat anchor. What a waste of time.

ruben

Lot of problem with LTE network, problems with the touch screen, then now the main microphone stopped working, all that in less the 4 month. I got this phone new the cell phone provider.

Cornelius J

I've had this phone for about a week, and I haven't really had any issues with it. The touch screen works fine, no problems with messaging app, etc. I am on the latest version of the software, which probably explains a lot. This phone is very utilitarian. It's tough, the torch is bright, the speakers are loud. It's really just a no frills mid range phone with no gimmicks other than being really tough. The comprehensive warranty is a big bonus too. You really get the feeling this phone is for people who just want something solid and don't care about gimmicks like curved screens, dual screens, etc. I bought it because of the dual sim, ruggedness, physical buttons, and the replaceable battery. You can still get XP7 batteries so I assume that Sonim will support XP8 by offering batteries for a long time. I also bought it thinking that I won't need a new phone in a really long time. I kept my HTC one M8 since 2014 and only got rid of it because the battery was no good and replacing it is a giant pain. I think buying a really rugged phone that has a replaceable battery is a very good way to make sure you have a phone that lasts 5+ years, if that's your thing. It is mine, probably not many others, but this phone fits for me perfectly. I plan on using it for backpacking, where having something that can handle harsh conditions and has a large battery is a huge bonus. It was quite stressful backpacking alone and having your GPS being a key component to making it home, while having a fragile phone. I feel like no matter what happens this phone will be reliable in outdoor situations like snowmobiling, snowboarding, backpacking, camping, etc and it won't die early because of the cold, break because of a small fall, etc. The really big problem is the lack of 3.5mm jack. It's the only thing stopping this phone from being really great. Other problems that bother me are the physical navigation buttons. They can be annoying when you're not holding the phone in the default position. I also find the programmable key functionality really disappointing. I had hopes I could program one of the physical buttons to skip tracks when snowboarding so I can leave my music on shuffle and skip tracks without having to remove my phone from my jacket but it's proving to be a little more annoying to do than I thought. Really didn't want to have to deal with volume buttons for this and wanted a dedicated key. Also seems like Sonim just gives you a basic Android experience, no major UI changes or anything weird. I like it that way but most manufacturers do all sorts of crazy stuff with their ui and people like that. You can always get other launchers if you don't like the ui, but I just kept it the way it is. I'm on Sprint if it matters.

Frank

This phone is garbage. Housing is built like a tank but the OS & UX are garbage. Signal drops, phone resets, it's functionality is horrible. I made a huge mistake not returning it after a week. Do yourself a favour and get any other android phone on the planet and put a rugged case on it

Serendipity

I own a Sonim XP7700 and one time left it on top of my car and at 80km hr it blew off onto asphalt. I heard bang, bang, and everyone in the car said what was that? I said my phone as it was now bouncing down the highway. I pulled over, jumped out and ran back with a sick feeling in my stomach. When I got to it, I picked it up pressed the button it came right on and it seemed to look at me and say woo hoo that was fun what’s next. Though it had minor scuffs to the rubber housing it was fine Drop tested 80 kilometres an hour Definitely will look at xp8800

Jeff

Do you have the hard plastic screen protector still on the phone? It took me a while to notice it, but once I took it off, it fixed my issues

Jeff

I think I figured out the keyboard issue. It's the screen PROTECTOR. The phone ships with a FILM that is obvious to remove, but under that is a thick, hard plastic PROTECTOR that once removed, immediately made the keypad and scrolling issues I had go away.

FlintThePhoneFan

335 grams!? Holy cow! That's heavy!

Pancho

Everyone thinks this phone is awesome till theyve owned it for a couple months. Then they realize the pressure sensitive keyboard is garbage. The screen freezes way too often. With the proximity sensor on you can't end a call without the screen blacking out before you can reach the end button with the proximity sensor off your heels will press every button on the screen. The mic hole placement and size leaves everyone you talk to saying. What? What? What? Worst money I ever spent...

sDi

For people having signal issues - turn off LTE. Use WCDMA/GSM and disable enhanced LTE. The sonim servers are located in one area. People outside Cali a few states out will have garbage signal on LTE

Cpronky

Most unreliable phone ever. Already swapped the device 4x in one year. No software updates. Just poor quality touch screen. Frequently crashing. Only positive is battery and build quality for dropping devices. But as far as a mobile device is concerned it's quite useless when need to write anything. This paragraph took 10min from frequently pressing the same keys before the action occurred.

Hardscaper

Awesome phone Download most recent software and you will be good Haters don't hate my xp8

FishManTx

Here's the link

FishManTx

Go to the Google app store and search under Sonim XP8 and you'll find google messaging 7.1.x. The existing app that came default with the phone is no longer supported and is jacked up. Download and set the new app as default and Voila! All better!

Jeb

I agree with you 100%. I am experiencing the same issues and trying to get sonim to work with me to figure it out.

Cougar

Just got it a couple days ago through Sprint. Not a lot of options for a really tough smartphone with Sprint, so I picked this one. Downside so far is no 3.5mm jack. If I want to use standard, wired headphones I have to buy a $70 adapter. Other issue is it seems to have a lot of trouble picking up GPS satellites, I only get location when the additional sources is selected (i.e. cell towers and such) After 2 full days with decent usage; multiple phone calls, multiple trips using google maps for directions, a couple hours of video and web surfing, phone is still at 38% battery. No, it doesn't have the latest hardware, or the latest operating system. What it does have is a bunch of components and software that have been around for a while, and have most of the bugs worked out. Overall I'm happy with it. Very solid feel to it, does everything I expect of it (except the GPS issue, but I knew it might not be the best from other reviews I've read). So as others have said, if you work at a desk job, and the only weather you see if going to and from your car or Uber, then this phone was not designed for you. If you go work out in the real world, where rain, snow, heat, rocks, concrete, ladders, heavy equipment, and real men and women are keeping America functioning, then this phone just might be for you.

Frozen

This phone isnt great for everyday phone use. We were forced to have these over iphones/samsungs due to potential for dropping and other hazards (work in emerg services). The vast majority of us want to go back to iPhones or samsungs with good cases. When making calls, the screen wont shut off so your ear will just hit buttons and mess with calls (proximity sensor IS turned on). I've had many occasions where I'm simply scrolling through contacts and the act of scrolling will often activate whatever contact square you briefly touched and call that person. When it does this, it doesn't go to the call screen, so it's hard to stop the call from occurring. I dont find call quality to be very good and have been told this by recipients. I get the airplane mode thing that others mention. This is very annoying as it ends up being on when I'm expecting calls or emails. The camera takes better pics over the previous xp7. It's still very slow and I often get blurry photos. I often switch to my personal phone to get a better pic. The issues I've indicated above are shared amongst the 15+ coworkers that also use this. Good qualities... the battery lasts a while and the phone is really hard to physically damage. I may not be able to call for help easily but I'm sure I can use this to effectively beat someone attacking me. We all want to go back to our iPhones with otterboxes.

Soldier with regrets

I purchased this phone July 2018 because of it's rugged case and large battery. Immediate buyer's regret. The touch screen keyboard was very difficult to operate. I would need to press the keys multiple times to register. When receiving messages with pics, I could not select the pics and download them or zoom in. If I received a message with multiple pics, they were not visible. The phone was not compatible with several apps that I use, and regularly had little or no service when standing next to my wife who was having no issues at all. I switched from AT&T to another carrier only to find that the warranty was no longer valid due to the switch. The phone died and would not turn on at the 7 month mark. It had never been wet nor received any damage. overall a terrible phone

Kooter

I have the same problem with mine, I tried switching out different sim cards and the phone still sucks. Just get a Samsung and an OtterBox

Anonymous

Worst phone purchase ever. Drops calls constantly, phones 911 autonomously, turns onto airplane mode autonomously, will mute both ends of call so its a dead call. This is the third replacement we have been sent too. Service provider has told us they no longer accept them back, and we are to deal directly with Sonim, so much for three year warranty?

Anonymous

Don't bother for now .. we, as an enterprise, bought several XP8s and most of them are going RMAs for different reasons.

Karizaki

One day, I'll purchase this phone.

Anonymous

I had fought with bell mobility over this piece of crap. 4 phones and 3 weeks later still losses signal. All 4 of them.

RW

I have this phone, had rebooting issue, but has been resolved. Phone is one strong piece of kit. The battery last forever. Superior phone

Mike

Can I make the vibration stronger when the phone rings?

Catherine the Great

It has a somewhat resemblance to the Samsung Active series

bob

The Cat only has a 1 year warranty to the Sonims 3 year coverage that includes accidental damage. As a person who killed 3 S60's and had the warranty fail the third time that really make a difference with tough phones

Thony

Phone built is okay, its too bulky on your pocket. Its running on Android 7.0 Nougat so its 2 years old compared to the latest android OS available. Using qwerty keyboards on the right side corner notice a delay for about 30 secs/per character. Downloading a third party keyboard will solve the issue. For $700.00 phone i'll go with known leading brands then get a hardened enclosure for protection.

MikeP

I'd like it better for my job, if it had the full "Class1/Div1" like the xp7 came with, but this might still be usable. Working in a chemical-plant has a lot of restrictions.

Anonymous

This phone made my brain feel wired. I had to return after day 6

Anonymous

can you review or give some information on its camera quality? does the phone operates smoothly?

Anonymous

i just bought the phone everything work exept my favorite game clash of kings why please help me

Force Majeure

Replacable 4900 mAh battery?!?! Holy Smoke! That's not bad. One of the few, I'd say.

LizH

Of course he can. And can you name all the phones that support band 71? It’s a short list.... two. Only Samsung S9 and S9+. Band 71 is being deployed but hardly a deal breaker is onealready has working T-mo service.

LizH

Of course you can unlock for T-mobile, if you pay full price and jump through AT&T hoops and unlock system. (Sticking a fork in ones own eye is more fun).

Lohit

Not supported

Anonymous

No, you can't. I t does not support B71 for TMobile as of now

Al

Can you unlock it for TMobile?

Liquid Curry

I wonder if this can be purchased unlocked for T-Mobile. The main selling point for me is the removable battery and the host of sensors it has. I suppose it could come out with Oreo soon, but that remains to be seen. I would rather it have 6gb over 4, but I don't play games on phones. My view is function first and damn appearances. Hopefully it won't be loaded with bloatware either. I want this phone.

Repoman

I just bought 2 of these phones through at&t here in the US. I was able to test run these phones before buying them. Very rugged phone. These are not for the average person to own. These phones are great on construction sites, fire, police, towing industry. Any where you could get caught up in the out door environment. I put this phone to the test dropping it and running it over with a 14,000 lb. Truck. Even took it in the swimming pool. All I can say I'm in shock this phone held up had a couple little scratches but that was it. This phone even comes with a 3 year warranty from Sonim that they will replace it for even accidental damages. I can't wait till my permant phone gets here on Wednesday. This will be the best 700.00 phone I have ever bought I know this for sure.

Anonymous

I have Cat S60, and I am very dissapointed in it. It is tough no doubt about that but leaves a lot do be desired as far as functionality. Too many bugs, no sensitivity adjustment, the audio jack has never worked and the bluetooth is a joke! $620 for the Cat How bad could the xp8 be? $700 and a three year warranty isn't too awful bad when you think about how many glass sissy phones I would go thru in three years. My last phone was a kyocera dura force damn good phone, lost it in the mountains. I will probably be buying a duraforce pro soon,,, $270 Give the xp8 some time in service and see what folks think of it.

Anonymous

wireless charging?

AnonD-416152

overpriced 700 $

Aadrian

This phone is not meant for people who like a design statement from a phone nor for people working from 9 to 5 at the office. Personally I would prefer the Cat S60 because of the Infrared camera but this rugged and aolid phone looks ok too.

Goodfellow

The phone looks and spec are good. The only drawback would be the price.

CptPower

Man when you will be working as Caveman, Firemen, Or in mountain emergency service this phone wil be ideal for you. But people like you can only criticize. I understand that for a lazy person who can sleep all the day this briick isnt too shiny. But maybe when you woke up into the real world you will realize some pople needs just phone like this.

AnonD-487147

crib death

mr.rish

Only battery is so good.

cheapsk8

Notches be damned. I like the bump

Macbeth

Not first comment, but still on the first page!

AnonD-741204

Grow up children. Just because is doesn't have yesterday's current, yet totally useless fds, doesn't mean it is garbage. Nothing wrong with Nougat, and it is designed to be used by adults on a job site, not snowflakes in their basement bedrooms obsessing over specs. With the SD630 and the 4900mah battery, should last quite a while between charges, which is what work8mg people need.

Anonymous

What? Nougat? 18 mm? Garbage

Ahmed

Just 60% S-T-B-Ratio? It is bezelless era, please cmon!

AnonD-744321

not bad not bad at all :) cat s51 vs sonim xp8 heavy metal finals fight !!!!

karisgsm

already liking it, before the release

AnonD-733422

Very good smartphone.IP 69,mil std 810-G, gorilla Glass 3, build like a tank.CAMERA should be better and there must be Oreo,not Nougat.Price is also very high (500$ is more realistic).