This rugged smartphone's camera is a removable action cam
It’s waterproof and can record up to 40 minutes of video. Few companies are pushing back against the black, oblong smartphone design hegemony in 2026, but RugOne is one of them. It's part of Ulefon,…
Few companies are pushing back against the black, oblong smartphone design hegemony in 2026, but RugOne is one of them. It's part of Ulefon, which has been pumping out ruggedized phones for a few years, and its newest phone, the Xsnap 7 Pro, is very rugged but has a magnetic removable camera unit that can work like an action cam.
Yeah, it made me go "ooh" when I heard about it. (Unfortunately, my sample landed while we report on IFA 2026 here in Berlin. I'll update this story when I get to see the device in person later this week. The almost cube-shaped camera weighs 39 grams and can record video up to 2.7K resolution at 30fps — it's not coming for the latest GoPro quite yet.
RugOne says the module can run for up to 40 minutes on a full charge, with 64GB of built-in storage. It'll broadcast a preview feed to RugOne's companion app, up to 50 meters away. It also includes a handful of software features, including distortion correction, horizon lock and a Freeframe shooting mode that captures the full sensor area, so you can crop to vertical or horizontal footage as needed.
The camera is waterproof up to five meters (without any additional protective cases), and the company will also include a companion magnet pendant so you can wear it on your body for capture; it will also work with third-party accessories that support a universal mount.
The Xsnap 7 Pro also has a 50-megapixel "AI main camera" with optical image stabilization, plus a 64MP infrared night-vision camera with IR LEDs for "crisp black-and-white detail" during nighttime wildlife shooting — RugOne's suggestion, not mine.
And let's not forget: still a phone. The Xsnap 7 Pro has a 6.67-inch display with 1,700-nit peak brightness and up to 120Hz refresh rates. It packs a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor, and the device has strong durability credentials. It's rated IP68 and IP69K and can handle water submersion up to two meters deep for 30 minutes as well as 1.5-meter drops onto concrete.
While a prototype was teased at MWC 2026 a few months ago, the Xsnap 7 Pro is officially debuting at IFA, with early-bird sales opening on Kickstarter on September 7 at a discounted preorder price of 799 euros (roughly $930). The phone will then go on sale globally sometime next month on Amazon and RugOne's online store, priced at $999, in Sand Dune and Classic Black.
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