AGM H6 launches as an extra-slim, extra-light rugged smartphone

Smartphones built to be tough enough to withstand immersion in water, invasion by dust and drops of 1.5 meters or more might sound like the ideal outdoor companion on paper - however, according to AGM Mobile, they get much less so in practice due to the added girth and weight involved in actually carrying one around.

That issue results in their abandonment by up to 63% of their buyers, according to the OEM's own research. Accordingly, AGM Mobile has developed the H6, a new rugged smartphone that dodges this apparent risk with a potentially more sustainable build.

It is designed to be "just" 10.75 millimeters (mm) thick and 240 grams (g) in mass, despite being as IP68/IP69K/MIL-STD-810H-certified as its forebears in its market. The H6 still manages to fit reinforced corners, a lanyard hole and port seals into its distinctive, diagonally-patterned chassis nonetheless.

It also has a relatively compact 6.56-inch display that goes at up to 90Hz, although it is IPS and also only HD+ in resolution. The panel is driven by the Unisoc T606: a 12nm processor that could also be considered a bit of a lightweight, although AGM Mobile asserts that it is more powerful, supports faster RAM and has more bandwidth than the apparently comparable Snapdragon 630 or 640 platforms. It is also arguably light on rear cameras, with a 2MP back-up sensor for its main 50MP shooter.

The H6 might make up for this with expandable storage, which, as 8GB of its 256GB internal memory can be re-assigned to double its actual RAM out of the box, is a particularly good thing. That can be done via its OS, which is based on Android 13 rather than its more up-to-date successor.

Nevertheless, the AGM H6 has a starting list price of US$299, although it is discounted to US$219 for a limited time with scope for a further US$21.90 discount with the code AGMH6GO for a limited time.

It should be noted that the H6 comes in "US (T-Mobile)", "Rest of World" or "European" variants for its 4G/LTE connectivity, and that selecting the latter (which starts at €249.90 during its launch event) incurs an additional charge for VAT at checkout.

Buy an AGM H5 for the ultra-loud speaker that rationalizes its bulk on Amazon