Nokia has announced what it's calling its most durable phone ever - the Nokia XR20.

The thinking behind this tougher phone isn't about giving you a phone that's ready to be abused, it's about longevity. To reduce the need to replace your phone because you've broken it, Nokia is taking the protection to a higher standard.

That sees the XR20 meeting MIL-STD 810H for drop protection, IP68 water and dust protection, and Gorilla Glass Victus to keep the screen safe.

Nokia XR20 photo 4
Nokia

There are protections designed into the device, such as around the camera, a grippy back so you're less likely to have it slip from your hand, and corners that are a little more protective. Essentially, Nokia says you won't need a case for it, but it's designed to look a little more normal than some of the "tough" phones we've seen in the past.

To back all this up, there's a 1-year screen replacement guarantee and a 3-year warranty on the rest of the phone.

This isn't a flagship phone however: normally you'd expect to have some of those protections on flagship models, but the XR20 is really a tougher version of Nokia's existing X20 phone.

That sees a 6.67-inch, 2400 x 1080 pixel, 20:9 display with punch hole camera, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G powering things, coming with a couple of configurations, 4/64GB or 6/128GB - with support for microSD for expansion.

Nokia XR20 photo 2
Nokia

There's a fingerprint scanner on the side of the phone and a programmable button on the top, meaning you can decide what it launches. There's also a Google Assistant button.

There are stereo speakers as well as a 3.5mm headphone socket, while everything is powered by a 4630mAh battery. There's 18W wired and 15W Qi wireless charging.

In line with wanting this phone to offer durability, Nokia is promising 3 years of Android OS updates and 4 years of security updates.

The camera sees a 48-megapixel main camera and 13-megapixel ultrawide, with an 8-megapixel camera on the front.

Nokia XR20 photo 1
Nokia

What's likely to strike people about this phone is the decision to use the Snapdragon 480. That's close to an entry-level platform and it will limit the appeal of this phone for some - although it's new hardware and out performs previous hardware at this level. It that matches the recently-announced Nokia X20, so in some sense, the price bump for all that protection might be worth it.

But priced at £399 in the UK, it's the same price or more than phones that are one or two steps up in terms of hardware power. Ultimately, while it might appeal to a segment of the market that doesn't care about gaming or anything too intensive - while wanting plenty of protection - it does look expensive at launch.