It seems odd but its true. Nokia actually wants us to handle their new baby literally “without care”. The 3720 Classic is Nokia’s new “rugged” cellphone that is built to withstand rough handling as certified by IEC 60529, level IP54.

What does this mean? It is an international IEC standard where in IP (International Protection Rating or Ingress Protection Rating) classifies the degrees of protection against intrusion of solid objects, dust, accidental contacts and water. The first digit (in this case is 5) means that the object is protected against dust and although “entry of dust cannot entirely be prevented, it must not however enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment”. The rating is followed by a 4 which means “water splashing against the enclosure from any direction have no harmful effects”. To sum it all up, it means that 3720 Classic is durable and long lasting having been able to withstand stresses from water, dust and “shock” and to be able to handle it like you just don’t care is definitely not a teaser.

The Nokia 3720 is a tri-band (GSM/GPRS/EDGE support), S40 user interface mobile phone that features a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash, bluetooth 2.1 and a stereo FM radio with RDS all packed in one seemingly indestructible yet timeless design.

Nokia established a perfect match between durability and class. The 3720 Classic comes in a simple yet stylish candybar handset that is a bit more rounded at its edges making it not only pleasing to look at but very comfortable to hold on to. The front of the Classic is enclosed by a silver or somewhat stainless steel frame. Viewing it from the side, the frame seems to be protruding upwards with the keypad and the display appearing a bit depressed. This somehow protects the screen and the keypad from scratches when placed face down.

The handset sports a 2.2-inch QVGA screen with resolution of 320 x 240 pixel capable of displaying 16.7 million colors. Images are surprisingly bright, clear and fairly visible even in direct sunlight as it should be considering the handset is designed more for the outdoors. The keypad is simple yet sturdy. The keys are made out of strong plastic and in between keys is a sort of rubber material. I guess they really made it heavy-armed to prevent dust or water from seeping in between keys. Nevertheless, the keypad is easy and comfortable to use.

Between Classic’s front and rear is a thin rubber layer that serves as a cushion. No wonder it bounced a bit when I purposely threw the phone on our parquet floor! Also, the parts did not separate in to pieces unlike what usually happens when you accidentally drop your phone. Not even on concrete or marble floor.

At first glance, the rear of the 3720 is not much different from other phones. As usual you will see the speaker grill, camera lens and the LED flash (can also be used as a flashlight) lying side by side. It is surprising though that there is no cover for the camera lens. Instead, it is protected by a metal edging that is a bit protruding forwards similar to how the display and the keyboard are protected. What is unusual however is the battery cover. It is shut by a metal screw (you need a coin to open it) and sealed tight by rubber. Same with the microUSB port and the 2.5mm jack located at the bottom rear; they are protected by a plastic flap sealed likewise with rubber siding. It’s no surprise that Nokia opted for a coarse-textured plastic for the handset’s rear as opposed to smooth and glossy ones. It lessens the chances of it slipping from one’s hand and scratches wouldn’t be too obvious.

The Nokia 3720 Classic is a standard mobile phone with all the basic and fundamental features and applications one would normally look for. Call quality was good and texting was easy. It has a standard music player and although it only has a 2-megapixel camera, you can still get good images with proper lighting.