With many displays delivering 960x540 pixels and averaging 5in, suppliers ramp up differentiation efforts geared toward processor power and connectivity. “Tough” smartphones are highly water- and shock-resistant.

4G-enabled

Acuce Co. Ltd
The 4G-enabled Q5SP03 model from Acuce operates on TDD-B38, B39 and B40 bands. Wireless connectivity options are 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 BR/EDR+BLE. The smartphone has a 5in qHD LCD with a resolution of 960x540 pixels and 16:9 aspect ratio. Powered by a 1.4GHz MSM8926 A53 quad-core processor, the model plays various audio and video files, including WAV, MP3, VORBIS, MPEG-4, Xvid and DivX. It runs on Android 4.4. The model has 2 and 8MP front and rear cameras.

Android 4.4

Shenzhen AAPPAA Technology Co. Ltd
The model MB-400-1 dual-SIM smartphone from Shenzhen AAPPAA runs on Android 4.4 and has an MTK6572 dual-core processor. Its 4in IPS display has an 800x480-pixel resolution. The 3G unit supports WCDMA 850/1,900/2,100MHz and GSM 850/900/1,800/1,900MHz. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are the connectivity options, while the front and rear cameras are 0.3 and 2MP, respectively. The housing comes in black, white, red or blue.

Resists shock, water

Shenzhen Apollo Technology Co. Ltd
Shenzhen Apollo’s model Apollo C 5 smartphone has a water-resistance rating of IP68 and withstands shock even when dropped from heights of up to 1.5m. Its 1280x720-pixel IPS panel measures 5in. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, 3G and NFC connectivity are supported. The smartphone runs on a 1.6GHz Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core chipset. It uses Android 4.1 to play a range of file formats, including TXT, PDF, MP3, WAV, MPEG-1, 2 and 4, DivX-3, 4, 5 and 6, and Xvid. Shenzhen Apollo requires an MOQ of 500 units.

960x540 pixels

Shenzhen Gold-East Electronic Co. Ltd
Priced between $70 and $80, the MS922 model from Shenzhen Gold-East has a 5in qHD display with 960x540 pixels. It runs on a 1.2GHz MT6589 quad-core processor and Android 4.2 to support G- and proximity sensors, and MPEG-4/H.264 to D1 and MP3, WAV and eAAC+ formats. The smartphone uses WCDMA 850/2,100MHz and GSM 850/900/1,800/1,900MHz. Front and rear camera resolutions are 0.3 and 5MP. The 2,550mAh battery has 120 to 180 hours standby and 3 hours talk times.

qHD display

Shenzhen Samtech Co. Ltd
Shenzhen Samtech equipped the S5001 model with a 5in 960x540-pixel qHD TFT LCD. The Android 4.2-based smartphone plays MPEG-4/H.264 to D1 30 fps, and MP3, WAV and EAAC+ files. It operates on WCDMA 2,100/850 or 1,900MHz and GSM 900/1,800MHz. Messaging options are SMS with threaded view, MMS, e-mail, push e-mail and IM, while GPS functionality includes navigation and A-GPS. The smartphone has a 1GHz MT6572 dual-core Cortex A7 processor. It supports Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP+EDR, G-sensor, Wi-Fi and WAP.

Rugged and outdoorsy

Shenzhen Tianlong Century Technology Development Co. Ltd
Shenzhen Tianlong Century’s S930-Li-J-1 model is water-resistant up to 1m, and withstands 400kg pressure and impact from a drop as high as 1.5m, making it suitable for rugged outdoor environments. The smartphone is rated IP68. It has a 4in screen with a WVGA IPS 480x800-pixel display. The model operates on WCDMA 900/2,100MHz and GSM 850/900/1,800/1,900MHz, supporting GPS and A-GPS. The Android 4.2.2-based unit has a 1.2GHz MTK6572A dual-core processor, 4GB ROM and 512RAM. It comes in black, green, yellow and orange. MOQ is 100 units.