Motorola is setting its sights on the rugged smartphone market

Rugged smartphones remain a niche that few device makers have yet to fill. But one firm has seemingly spotted an opportunity. Motorola is set to enter the rugged smartphone market through a new long-term partnership with Bullitt Group.

The two firms are cagey about the details and features of the potential devices, but the phones are promised to be “drop-proof and shockproof.” If Motorola’s phones are anything like Bullitt’s other devices, we can also expect IP ratings and bulky bodies, too. The companies will have more to share later this quarter.

Bullitt has built a number of rugged devices for a bevy of brands in the past. More recently, the Cat phones portfolio has seen some nifty innovations enter the market like IR cameras. Bullitt has also released devices under Kodak and Land Rover titles in the past.

Motorola isn’t new to building drop-resistant smartphones, though. At a time when the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 ruled the roost, the Moto Z2 Force debuted with a shatterproof display. Although this device wasn’t quite a rugged smartphone in the true sense of the term, it was among its unique selling points at a time when glass sandwiches were abundant.