Gadgetory

smartphones may be smart but they're not very tough about half the times someone wants to show me something on their phone there's a crack running down the middle of the screen but it's not their fault most phones are designed to be thin and fast not durable but there are a few great phones that are built to last I'm Donnell Bell and in this top 5 I'm counting down the five toughest smartphones you can buy right now selected by CNET associate editor Lynn Locke starting off at number 5 the Kyocera hydro elite on Verizon it's an affordable Android phone with 4.3 inch screen expandable storage and its 4G LTE compatible it's superpower is that it can be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes without dying so if you're a dolphin trainer or a careless toilet texter this could be the phone for you at number 4 the very cool rs90 vortex it's not the prettiest phone and the specs are a bit dated but you can pick this thing up for $280 unlocked and off contract it's a great deal if you burn through phones quickly polycarbonate construction protects it against drops it can take the same 30 minute plunge as the Kyocera and its dust proof it's basically the burningman phone coming in at number three the Sony Xperia z2 if you aren't willing to compromise on specs and design to get a durable phone the z2 has it all but it comes at a hefty price around $550 unlocked it's not quite as rugged as the vortex but it can survive the same 30 minute dunk this phone itself is stunning with a 5.2 inch screen a 20 megapixel camera and a 2.3 gigahertz Qualcomm processor it's a great phone but still a little too fragile to make it to the top so let's try number 2 the Kyocera brigadiere around $50 on contract with Verizon the Brigadier is the first widely available smartphone to offer a sapphire crystal screen just try cracking that thing it's also waterproof and dustproof the casing is all bulked up to help absorb shocks and one of my favorite features is the big red button on the side that you can program to launch your favorite app it's a super tough phone at a great price but our number one phone that can take a beating but also is just a great phone the Samsung Galaxy s5 active you got all the specs and features of scene s number one rated smartphone but housed in a sturdier casing that's reinforced around the edges for drop protection I also get physical buttons from navigation including a special button on the side that pulls up a dashboard of handy outdoorsy features such as a compass and a barometer made more for the outdoorsman than the chronic klutz but it's a great all-around bump so there you go five phones that are so tough that could give the iPhone a wedgie for more advice on picking the phone that's right for you head over phones cnet.com as more top 5s for me top-five cnet.com donald bell thanks for watching