What do construction supervisors, plumbers and farmers have in common?

Increasingly, they’re using ruggedized phones that combine the latest features with lab-tested toughness. The strongest devices have been certified to meet the Department of Defense’s rigorous MIL-STD-810 standard for withstanding drops, spills, vibration, dust, moisture and more.

The MIL-STD-810 standard comprises more than 20 different environmental conditions, but typical phones in this category are intended to meet its ruggedness tests only for conditions such as dust, sand and shock (the last of which involves repeatedly dropping the phone on a hard floor). Some phones are even designed to meet the test for water—being fully immersed at a depth of 1 meter—as well as salt fog, vibration, humidity and more.

Professionals who work in fields such as construction and manufacturing have long sought out phones with MIL-STD-810 credentials to ensure always-on availability, even on job sites that are chaotic, dusty and subject to weather extremes.

But now the user base for military-spec phones is widening to include almost everyone, and there’s even an option for smartphone users—the CASIO® G’zOne Commando™. In many cases, users simply want a device that’s able to repeatedly withstand drops, wet hands, or the rigors of biking, skiing or hiking.

If you work and play harder than most people, a phone that withstands military standards might be for you.