Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone launched

Samsung has launched its rugged Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 mobile phone, a tougher version of its Samsung Solid M110 and the B2700 Bound.

Photo: Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone

The Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone looks more like the Samsung B2700 Bound, than the Samsung Solid M110. The phone is being sold as the Samsung B2100 Explore, in some markets, which it was called originally as per Samsung’s press release.

The Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 is specifically designed to be used in harsh conditions while hiking, mountain biking, hill climbing and so on. One would have to worry about cracked screens and waterlogged parts when if the phone gets dropped.

Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone back view

The body of the phone is said to be IP57 certified, implying that the phone can tolerate dust and water.

The company says that the phone can survive up to 30 minutes inside water. The Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone also complies with Standard 810F too, meaning that it can survive salt fog, extreme heat and cold, and blowing rain.

These high-end tolerance features is made possible by giving the phone a rubberized casing and minimal openings. The complete pad is a single rubber sheet wherein each key is a raised pad.

This makes typing pretty convenient; however for fast typing users, it could prove to be a bit unresponsive.

The Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone’s chassis has a rubbery finish that gives the user a good grip while using sporty hand gloves.

The back-plate can be removed using a coin or a screwdriver to open its locking system.

Three useful side-buttons increase the ergonomics of the Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone.

While two of them are used for toggling the volume, the top one is used to switch on and off a torch, which is placed on the top of the Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone.

The phone comes with only one connector, which is shared by headphone and power adaptors and the interface is protected by a rubber covering. The Samsung Solid Extreme 2100 phone comes with a headset that has flat in-ear buds but lacks inline music control.

The loudspeaker is considerably powerful and performs equally while playing music and attending calls.

However, reviews say that the so-called noise canceling technique, which according to Samsung, cuts out all the background noise is not as efficient as claimed.

The Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone has very basic features that include a 1.77-inch screen with a 128 x 160 pixels resolution. Dual-band GSM with GPRS and EDGE capability do not promise high-end data communication.

The phone does not feature Wi-Fi and GPS. Users can use the SOS message service to send quick messages to pre-defined contacts.

The phone has a camera with just a 1.3 megapixel resolution, but reproduces the color quite efficiently on the screen. It also features a FM radio with recording capabilities. The battery life of the phone is said to be very good, according to reviews.

The Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 phone has an in-built 10-MB memory but the file transfer procedure between the phone and the computer is a bit cumbersome with the microSD card placed behind the back-plate and the lack of a data-cable facility.

The Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 is available for free on a £15-per-month contract if you sign up for 24 months, or for about £90 SIM-free.