By Ada "Peer-Review" Sparks
The pitch is simple enough to say in one breath: a phone that survives being dunked, blasted, and dropped — and one whose camera pops off to keep shooting on its own.
According to a report from The Verge, RugOne's new Xsnap 7 Pro carries both an IP68 and an IP69K rating, ratings bodies use to certify resistance to dust and water, including submersion. The IP68 mark covers full submersion; IP69K adds resistance to high-pressure, high-temperature water jets. RugOne says the phone can survive complete submersion for up to 30 minutes.
The headline feature, per the same report, is one of the phone's three rear cameras: it detaches from the body entirely, letting an adventurer mount, throw, or otherwise position it separately while it keeps capturing footage. It's a novel bit of engineering in a category — rugged phones built for divers, climbers, and job-site use — that has mostly competed on battery size and screen brightness until now.
What's not yet independently verified: how the detachable camera communicates with the phone body, its range and battery life when separated, and whether the IP68/IP69K ratings — whose certifying body isn't specified in the available reporting — hold up under sustained field use rather than a lab test. Ingress Protection ratings describe controlled laboratory conditions, not real-world abuse, a distinction manufacturers don't always spell out.
The Verge's writeup does not include independent hands-on testing, pricing, or a firm release date beyond describing the device as newly unveiled. Readers weighing whether to buy should treat the specs as manufacturer claims until reviewers get one wet themselves.
Extraordinary claims. Ordinary evidence? Then no.
— Compiled from reporting by The Verge.
The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."