A few months back Nomu announced two new models in face of the S10 and S30 that had been designed to compete with other rugged smartphones. But as the abovementioned models’ names hint there should be another handset dubbed as the Nomu S20. Fortunately, these assumptions were right and those two smartphones were followed by the S20, a rugged device with many attractive features.
Unlike many other solid handsets this model sport an elegant design, therefore its appearance doesn’t limit the circle of users. This model doesn’t differ from a regular smartphone outside. So let’s take a closer look at it to find out what key features it comes with.
The Nomu S20 comes in a package made of unpainted cardboard with a minimalist design. An additional protective film is applied to the screen.
The box includes a charger (euro plug), a microUSB cable, a pin to open the tray, an instruction in English and a warranty card.
As I said, the Nomu S20 comes with a stylish look. So when anyone says rugged smartphone should look ugly, you can show them this phone. Though the S20 has an IP68 certificate allowing the phone to be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, many details and attachment points are indistinguishable. It can also stay alive at temperature from -20 degrees up to approximately 55 degrees.
The material used in the back panel is a rubberized coating instead of plastic. It provides damping when falling and eliminates scratches. Such a coating is also good in maintenance. When the phone is contaminated, you can simply rinse the housing under the running water.
The audio jack on the top as well as the microUSB port on the bottom are protected with dense rubber plugs. But you have to cover the connectors tightly to prevent moisture from entering after connecting the headphones and charging.
There are also two metal plates on the sides fixed with screws.
Unlike many rugged handsets there are no pretentious shapes and protruding edges. Vice versa, The Nomu S20 comes with rounded edges that are convenience in everyday use.
One of the most attractive things in this phone is that you don’t need a screwdriver to access the SIM tray and memory card, as the tray is hidden under a rubber stopper. Plus, one of the slots for the SIM-card is combined with a memory card. So you decide how to use it.
Though many rugged smartphone come with terrible loudness, this is not the case of the Nomu S20. It provides a great audio performance thanks to the waterproof NXP SmartPA speaker. Plus, there is also an additional noise canceling microphone.
The lens doesn’t project above the surface of the case. And as we are dealing with a solid phone, the lens is protected from scratches as well.
The power button and the volume rocker are metallic. They are located on the right side.
The lower area below the screen is free from the control buttons. The proximity and illumination sensors, a front camera lens and a speech speaker grille are placed above the screen.
The front side is protected by Gorilla Glass 4. Finally, the Nomu S20 can withstand falls from a height of 1.5 meters.
Unfortunately, there is only black color option available for purchase.
The phone sports a 5-inch (gold-size for single hands operations) display at a resolution of 720p. It is made by Sharp and it’s based on S-IPS matrix as well as OGS technology. The maximum illumination level allows users to work under direct sunlight. The backlight is uniform throughout the area. Viewing angles are wide. The color balance is well adjusted. The touch layer supports up to 5 simultaneous touches.
Though the design and ruggedness of the phone is out of complains, the hardware is not impressive. It is packed with a MediaTek MT6737T quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. The chip is based on 64-bit Cortex A53 architecture. Other than that, the SoC is paired with a Mali-T720 MP2 GPU, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM.
Besides the fact we are dealing with a 4G LTE-enabled smartphone, it supports Bluetooth 4.1, single-band WiFi, GPS, GLONASS, and the cold start time is about 15-20 seconds.
Nomu S20 Benchmark Results
The Nomu S20 is equipped with a 3000mAh battery, but we have measured and there is only a 2200mAh battery. Anyway, it can be fully charged in 45 minutes thanks to a fast charge technology. As for discharging, it can play videos up to 6.5 hours and stay alive for the whole day.
Nothing to praise when it comes to camera. The Nomu S20 sports an 8MP (interpolated to 13MP) with Sony IMX219 sensor on the back as well as a 2MP (interpolated to 5MP) on the front.
Nomu S20 Camera Samples
The phone runs on Android 6.0 with standard UI.
- Stylish look
- IP68 certificate
- 3000mAh battery supporting Quick Charge
- 4G LTE support
- Acceptable memory combination
- NXP SmartPA speaker
- Poor camera performance
- Quad-core chip
- HD screen
The selling point of the Nomu S20 is its rugged nature, undoubtedly. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with other good features. Vice versa, as the Pros section shows there are many specs the S20 can be proud of. But the Cons section showcases there are some shortcomings as well. On one hands, many can think Nomu has had to come in with better smartphone. But on the other hand, the Nomu S20 is one of the best options when taking into account the price/specs combination. So our verdict is positive. The Nomu S20 deserves the price it is sold at, $134.99.
