Here’s the best value rugged smartphone on the market

We were impressed with the Ulefone Armor 7 rugged smartphone when we reviewed the device earlier this year. Now, Ulefone has released a new and cheaper iteration: the Ulefone Armor 7E.

The discount version of Ulefone’s flagship rugged smartphone is available for an attractive $229.99 (£188.60/AU$370.29) from online retailer Gearbest - that's more than $100 less than the original model.

The unit ships for free to the US, UK, Australia and dozens of other territories worldwide, but it's worth noting the price of the system could change in line with exchange rate fluctuations.

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There are only two main differences between the Armor 7 and Armor 7E: the latter has half the memory and inferior camera sensors.

All other components found in the original are still present, including a Mediatek P90 CPU with 128GB storage, 6.3-inch FHD+ display, 48-megapixel rear Samsung camera, 16-megapixel front camera and 5500mAh battery.

Other features include 802.11ac Wi-FI, Bluetooth, dual nano SIM card with microSD slot, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, IP68, wireless charging, heart rate sensor and MIL-STD-810G certification.

Rivals such as the Oukitel WP6 and Doogee S68 Pro may have more memory or a larger battery, but the Armor 7E provides greater balance thanks to a superior processor and overall feature set.