The Tough Max 3 is Telstra's latest rugged smartphone

Telstra today announced a new version of its ruggedised smartphone pitched at tradies, miners, farmers, and construction workers.

Dubbed the Telstra Tough Max 3, the ZTE manufactured device is all about durability. It's rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, it's rubberised for drop protection, and there's also a tempered glass screen protector in the box.

In addition to an obligatory spec bump, key improvements this time around include the addition of a slicker design, NFC for mobile payments, USB Type-C for charging, and facial recognition.

Other key specifications for the Tough Max 3 include a 5.65-inch 1080p+ display, a Snapdragon 665 processor, 64GB of expandable storage, 4GB of RAM, 16MP + 5MP dual rear-facing cameras, and a 3,920mAh battery.

The Telstra Tough Max 3 will be available from January 14 for $499. That works out to be $20.79 per month repayment on a 24-month term, or a $13.86 per month repayment on a 36-month term. When paired with Telstra's cheapest plan (15GB for $50 per month), that's $70.79 per month or $63.86 per month, respectively.

Given how solid the Telstra Tough Max 2 was (watch us try and break it in the video below), we're looking forward to seeing how the Tough Max 3 holds up.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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