I'm thinking of buying a new smart phone to use for sat nav when in the mountains.
My current situation is that I have a good (but not water proof or drop proof) smart phone which I use, with ViewRanger as my primary means of navigation in the mountains and I am very happy with the way this works and that I could use it to find my way out of anywhere I go in any conditions as long as it's working...
I also carry compass and map but to be, honest, think that there are places I go that I would have trouble finding my way out of at times using only a map and compass. For example if there was fresh snow covering paths / tracks and white out conditions etc. The main problem being knowing your exact current location at any time.
I have other electrical devices that I carry that are USB chargeable - GPS watch (for tracking not suitable for navigating) and head torch and so carry a USB power pack and lead that enables me to charge these items while out should I ever need to.
I am wanting to add a second piece of electronic navigational equipment to my kit. This will become my primary piece of navigational equipment and my current smartphone my backup.
It should be waterproof and shockproof and USB chargeable.
It should be easy to transfer the pre-planned route to BOTH devices (such as would be the case if it is a smart phone also running ViewRanger.)
I would consider a dedicated GPS if it met the above requirements and was under say £200.
What seems like the obvious choice to me is a new waterproof, tough smart phone and would pay up to £400 for a good one.
So far I have looked at...
Blackview BV6000 smart phone can be had for £150. Tough, waterproof, reviews few and far between but all good. A few irritations and faults apparently - screen only 720p not a problem for me etc. The magnetic compass / gyro isn't apparently much good - but not needed by ViewRanger for navigation and likely to be fixed in a software update.
Caterpillar S40 smart phone around £350. Meets all the basic requirements but apparently some find satellite reception poor!!!
Tuff T450 smart phone about £340. Looks impressive. Independent reviews hard to find.
Other tough smart phones with varying reviews and prices.
So can anyone suggest any particular phones to buy for this purpose or avoid or have any experience of the above ones? Especially the Blackview which almost looks too good to be true?
Is anyone going to try to convince me to get a dedicated GPS?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks.