Siemens M75

Whether it’s right or wrong, people love their four-by-fours. They clog up the streets around local schools as mums drop off the kids and they get in the way in car parks the nation over. And despite their rugged image, the toughest test that they’ll face is the speed bump on the way into Tesco. Still, people like them exactly because of that rugged image; it says “I may be living in the suburbs and working in an office but if I wanted I could be Ray Mears. Seriously.”

It’s that kind of consumer thinking that Siemens is banking on with the M75, a mobile phone that’s encased in more rubber than your average German fetishist. Siemens is selling it on the fact that you can drop it, splash it and generally neglect it without causing any damage and it does feel up to the task. An aluminium frame underpins the plastic and rubber casing and there are little rubber flaps covering the camera lens and battery connector to keep out errant dust.

Despite all this, the M75 doesn’t weigh much more than your average handset at 100g. It is bulkier, though, taking up more space in your hand or pocket. This extra size has all been used up by the protection, though, so the keys seem absolutely miniscule on a handset this chunky. The screen is dwarfed, too, though in reality it’s of a decent size and resolution. But the controls and the screen aren’t suited to anything but the usual phone activities.

When it comes to gaming, the M75 is decidedly average. It’s not bad, we’ve seen far worse; it’s just not good enough to stand out from the crowd. While it can handle rudimentary 3D, it’s not as polished as the Sony Ericsson K500i or K700i, for example. Another matter that the Siemens falls down on is the control. While the presence of a thumbstick as opposed to a joypad is to be commended, it’s too small and stiff for games where you need responsive controls.

The speakers attempt to make up for the combined shortfall of the other components and they are among the M75’s highlights. They can be ramped up loud enough for friends to listen to the few MP3s you can save on the included 32MB memory card and really pump out the noise in games. Maybe not the best thing for those crowded trips on the bus, but when you’re alone or feeling disruptive it does make the in-game sounds a bigger part of the experience.

But overall it’s not enough to redeem it as a pocket gaming handset; it’s not flawed, it’s just not been built with that pastime in mind. If you want to play the occasional game as a sideline, you’re not going to really care – you’re probably more impressed with the phone’s toughness instead. If you are after something to enjoy games on, however, along with music and photos, you’ll find far better handsets elsewhere. The only people to whom we’d wholeheartedly recommend the M75 are keen hikers and the perennially clumsy.