Land Rover Explore R 5.65" 64GB 4G Dual SIM Unlocked & SIM Free Smartphone

Product Information

Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range. Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's SUV sectors – which is also exported to over 100 countries. The journey towards electrification is already under way with a range of mild and plug-in hybrid models available today. Maybe I’m too pessimistic. Maybe it’s going to be a great phone. Maybe people will love it. And maybe the big brains at Land Rover know exactly what they’re doing releasing a goddamn phone.

The figures provided are manufacturer’s estimates and will be replaced with the official EU test figures as soon as they are available. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. CO 2 and fuel economy figures may vary according to factors such as driving styles, environmental conditions, load, wheel fitment and accessories. For mapping the Explore R comes with the OS Maps app and a free 12-month premium subscription. Outside the UK the phone comes with the ViewRanger app.

Overview

As far as video is concerned, that’s equally disappointing. Although the Land Rover Explore will shoot footage at up to 4k and at 30fps, it does so without video stabilisation. One positive point, though, is that it records 4K using the HEVC video codec, which means your video clips will occupy considerably less space in storage than if they had been recorded as H.264 MP4 files. Land Rover Explore review: Verdict The figures provided are manufacturer’s estimates and will be replaced with the official EU test figures as soon as they are available. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. CO₂ and fuel economy figures may vary according to factors such as driving styles, environmental conditions, load, wheel fitment and accessories. The figures provided are as a result of official manufacturer's tests in accordance with EU legislation with a fully charged battery. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. CO₂, fuel economy, energy consumption and range figures may vary according to factors such as driving styles, environmental conditions, load, wheel fitment, accessories fitted, actual route and battery condition. Range figures are based upon production vehicle over a standardised route. First things first, the design. The Land Rover Explore R is supposedly influenced by the company’s new Defender. In fact, Jon Sinclair — the business’ Director of Branded Goods and Licensing — says “the Explore R perfectly reflects [the] new Land Rover Defender.” Customisable outdoor dashboard to access to the most important weather information, sensor data, and on-device tools for your activity: eg weather, wind, tides, compass, SOS light

However, where Land Rover’s phone stumbles is performance. Its mediocre Mediatek chip leads to underwhelming processing power, and when it comes to camera performance, the Explore comes up short compared to most other handsets at its price.

The Land Rover Explore is a great expedition companion, but it’s difficult to recommend it as an everyday phone

In response, Land Rover says this isn’t the sort of activity the phone has been optimised for; instead, it’s been tweaked to deliver the best performance in activities that require GPS and cellular connection in areas of weak signal, so you can keep in touch while you’re out in the wilds. Google apps like Chrome, Gmail and Play Store are preinstalled. There’s also an app called Explore Hub with links to a wide range of potentially useful outdoor apps. Although stuff like latitude, longitude, altitude and the compass work without any access to data, weather predictions, and even sunrise and sunset times, do require a constant data connection. Although the modified Android OS is outdoorsy to the core, too many of the key data metrics gathered become unavailable when the phone goes truly off-grid. Critical information like sunrise and sunset times only remain when the phone is refreshing on a data connection; go off grid – which is surely what this phone is for – and key data disappears.