Being water-resistant is not enough: this dual-camera Android smartphone can survive an explosion and whatnot

More and more devices are embracing dust- and water-resistance as one of their more notable features – during 2014, all major Android manufacturers have released at least one device that boasts a certain IPxx certification – the Galaxy S5, the Xperia Z2, and many others. Some niche devices, such as the durable Kyocera Brigadier, are even shock-proof and will survive in even harsher environments. But all of these are bound to bow before BARTEC PIXAVI Impact X, which might turn out to be the most rugged Android smartphone ever.

This aluminum-clad device is not only dust- and water-proof (IP68-certified), it will also survive a straight, up to 2-joule rendezvous with the ground from up to 2 meters. The 2mm Gorilla Glass screen at the front is custom-tailored for the device. The Impact X is also not afraid of corrosion and perfectly capable of withstanding great temperature amplitudes (-20°C to +45°C for operation and -40°C to +60°C for data storage). Thanks to its unprecedented rigidity, the Impact X is intended for those that workers in extremely hazardous environments.

Alas, that's not the most notable feature of the Impact X. See, it is flaunting IECEx and ATEX Zone 1 certifications, which means that it's also explosion-proof and suitable for hazardous areas. We'll let the latter sink in a bit. Wow.

The dual-camera setup of the device also deserves special attention. The manufacturer explains that many smartphone users usually record portrait videos, because they want to hold the phone with one hand while recording. BARTEC reveals that it has solved this issue by adding a second camera to the Impact, which is rotated 90 degrees in comparison with the other one, which means that regardless of the phone's orientation, all videos will be landscape ones (as it should be). Both cameras are 8MP ones. The Impact X has also been equipped with a dedicated camera shutter button at the front of the device, which is positioned below the hardware navigation buttons.