Design and Features
At 5.67 by 2.98 by 0.48 inches (HWD) and 7.1 ounces, the RS90 is unmistakable chunkiness of a rugged device. It is heavier and thicker than the Galaxy Note II, and almost as wide at 5.95 by 3.17 by 0.37 inches and 6.34 ounces. It is no phablet, though; It is packing relatively small 4.5-inch screen. All heft to ostensibly help the RS90 achieve its IP67 rating, which means it is completely dustproof and waterproof to one meter for up to 30 minutes. There is a Power button on the left side and Volume controls on the right, with a micro USB port at the bottom and the flap that covers a 3.5mm headphone jack on top. Above the display is the VGA-quality front facing camera and notification light, with capacitive Menu, Home, and Back keys below. I prefer the standard software in the Android Back, Home, and Recent Apps button repairs, because the Menu functionality is usually built in apps. Pressing the Home button brings up a list of recent apps.
The 960-by-540-pixel LCD IP may not be HD, but it looks pretty sharp 244-pixel-per-inch density. The Sony Xperia ZL, for example, features a gorgeous 5-inch, 1080p display, but also costs $ 759.99 unlocked, well over twice as much as the RS90. Viewing angle here is excellent, thanks to IP technology, but color reproduction is not good. Whites appear too cold, with close to quasi-blue color more common in the AMOLED panel, and find the colors a bit dull in general. There are also some light bleed on the left and right edges of the display, which is more obvious when viewed from an angle.
There is a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera around back, and slides off the textured plastic back panel to show 1,800mAh battery and SIM and microSD card slot. The RS90 comes with a single 2GB model, so that the last slot is important if you want to store anything locally on the phone. Our 32 and 64GB SanDisk microSD card worked fine during testing.
RS90 is unlocked and compatible with GSM networks like AT & T or T-Mobile HSPA 7.2 data supports 850 and 1900MHz bands, and 2G to 850/900/1800 / 1900MHz band. Also on board is 802.11b / g / n Wi-Fi (2.4GHz band), Bluetooth 2.1, and GPS. No LTE and no higher-speed HSPA + either in our test, the RS90 averaged 1.63Mbps down and 1.82Mbps up. Faster HSPA + 42 network of T-Mobile has averaged 8.5Mbps down and 1.46Mbps up our Fastest Mobile Networks test, thus missing out on significant pace if you opt for the RS90.
The battery 1,800mAh is rated for 9 hours of talk time. Our trial was delayed, but the RS90 already 12 hours of 3G talk time with an outstanding battery life of 44 percent. This phone should have no problem taking the whole day.