Although lately there has been a lack of truly durable mobile phones after the design of the Nokia 5140i, this market hasn't really been highlighted to the extent that it perhaps should have been until the launch of the JCB Tough Phone, also known as the Sonim XP-1. Here was a mobile phone that knew its market before it was even fully designed and then proceeded to capitalise on the spaces available to it. Now it seems that at least one of the big-boys has taken notice, evidence put forward by Samsungs M110, which is also known as the Samsung Solid.

Hopefully this mobile phone will give those looking for a hard-wearing handset another option besides the current choices of the JCB phone or a new phone very few months or less.

The first thing that you'll notice is just how dull this handset appears, as the entirety of the body is black, with a couple of the side keys kitted out in white. This is presumably thanks to the rubber casing which is used to prevent water getting into the inside of the Samsung Solid if ever it happens to get immersed in liquid.

The Samsung M110 is IP54 rated, IP rating stands quite literally for 'Ingress Protection', as the JCB/Sonim phone has the exact same rating you can bet it'll be able to withstand extreme conditions and a certain amount of pressure on the casing, making it one tough nut to crack.

Unlike its competitor the Solid is quite light, only 95 grams and it's also a bit smaller, measuring just 17.9mm thick. The screen is a fairly basic 1.5” colour unit, displaying 65k colours plus a basic VGA camera (which the JCB phone doesn't have) with a flash that can also be used as a torch or beacon. Also included is Bluetooth, Polyphonic ringtones and an FM radio. It may not sound much but on this kind of handset that's designed to be durable and not much else, this is quite impressive.

When you look at the Samsung M110 Solid purely from the perspective of its purpose, this is a superb effort by. Whether or not it's better than the JCB phone is a matter for debate that's up to the consumer to decide.

This is admittedly a slightly more attractive option than the JCB phone and is also a bit more compact so therefore likely to garner a bit more attention and support. Until a full side-by-side comparison can be done relating to toughness and durability, the choice is really down to the consumer, but methinks that just having a renowned manufacturer like Samsung attached to this mobile phone may be enough to win the competition.