Samsung B2700 review: Tough and geared

Samsung B2700 360-degree spin

Samsung B2700 measures 115 x 52 x 18mm and weighs 114 grams. The casing is made of plastic and hardened rubber. The phone will be offered in Black and Blue.

Design and construction

Samsung B2700 is a hefty piece of work, but that's quite in line with the outdoor dress code. Size is on par with the Sonim XP1, and weight is kept well under control. Rounded edges and good ergonomics, the B2700 offers a nice and solid feel in hand.

Samsung B2700 rugged phone

The top of the front panel B2700 houses the protected earpiece and the secondary video call camera. Right under it is the 256K-color display of 176 x 220 pixel resolution and a 1.9" diagonal. Legibility is surprisingly good in bright sunlight, especially with the white Samsung theme. Brightness is adjustable and overall we have a screen of adequate quality. It's still tempting to imagine what might have been with QVGA resolution.

The display and earpiece • Display in the dark

All you get at the top of the handset is the dedicated flashlight bulb and the conspicuous bottle-opener accent (no, it doesn't open any bottles, we've tried), which can serve as a lanyard eyelet.

Samsung B2700 topside • The ample lanyard eyelet and flashlight

The right side of B2700 houses the dedicated camera key and flashlight knob.

Flashlight and camera keys on the right

The left side features the volume rocker and the USB port.

Ample and tactile volume rocker and universal connection port

The bottom part of B2700 is pretty bare, except for the microphone pinhole.

The Samsung B2700 keypad is great, with surprisingly soft and responsive keys. Much like Sonim XP1, Samsung B2700 proves ruggedization does not have to hurt usability. The soft-white keypad backlighting is strong and even. Nicely elevated and well-sized, the D-pad is a pleasure to use.

Comfortable and responsive keypad • The projecting D-pad is nice

Rearside of B2700 are the loudspeaker grill and the 2-megapixel camera lens. The battery cover doesn't have a latch like Sonim XP1 but is still securely locked in place.

The B2700 rear

The battery cover is released in two steps - first you slide the bottom part of the back panel and then pull the battery cover up. The battery compartment accommodates the SIM bed and the memory card slot.

Battery cover off

The 1300 mAh Li-Ion battery is said to provide up to 350 h of standby time and up to 5 h of talk time. The smallish display and generous battery capacity may as well add up to a good 4 - 5 days of regular use. We can't commit to a reasonable estimate though, given the early beta unit we're testing.

The black rubber bumpers that frame the sides of the phone and the grooved rear give the B2700 a great grip. Solid, sporty and durable, the B2700 is fit for some serious outdoor action.

Samsung B2700 in hand