Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro review: Affordable rugged phone built for field work Review
Samsung utilised to follow the S series launches with rugged versions for business customers, these kinds of as the Galaxy S7 Lively. These designs had further built-in protection with out the have to have for a circumstance, very long battery existence, and customizable buttons for important business capabilities.
In January, Samsung declared the new Galaxy XCover Professional and I’ve been tests out a couple of the telephones for the past couple of weeks. The Microsoft Teams integration isn’t really nevertheless available, but Push To Chat+ on Verizon is completely ready to go.
Also: Samsung measures up B2B game, launches Galaxy XCover Professional with Microsoft Teams integration
The Samsung Galaxy XCover Professional is qualified to the business industry and is one particular of the greatest rugged telephones I’ve examined. Compared with bulky rugged telephones of the past, the XCover Professional has proportions that match other typical smartphones whilst providing better protection from the aspects and incidents.
Samsung Galaxy XCover Professional requirements
- Processor: Samsung Exynos 9611
- Main exhibit: 6.3 inches, 2340 x 1080 pixels resolution, Gorilla Glass five
- Functioning program: Android ten with Samsung 1 UI two.
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB interior storage with microSD card slot
- Cameras: Rear 25MP f/1.7 and 8MP f/two.two extremely-large cameras. 13MP f/two. entrance-struggling with camera.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/na (two.four/5GHz), Bluetooth five. LE, GPS, NFC
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Compass, Proximity Sensor
- Dust/h2o resistance: IP68 ranking
- Shock protection: MIL-STD 810G 1.5m fall examined
- Battery: 4050 mAh detachable with quickly charging
- Dimensions: 159.9 x seventy six.7 x 9.94mm and 218 grams
5G is not existing in this cellphone, but specified the early roll out of 5G and the sensible $500 selling price point I do not imagine that is a concern for businesses. It is developed for discipline employees and for those who have to have to link other extras.
The cellphone is developed with Pogo Pin assistance so that businesses can link peripherals or cost up a host of telephones quickly and very easily. It is also mPOS completely ready with EMV Degree-1 technological know-how.
Also: Samsung Galaxy Tab Lively Professional evaluation: Rugged, very affordable pill developed for do the job in the discipline
Hardware
The Galaxy XCover Professional follows the Galaxy Tab Lively Professional with identical design and style aspects and capacity. In contrast to the Galaxy XCover FieldPro from 2019, the XCover Professional is a sleek smartphone that will serve perfectly in both equally discipline and office environment environments.
Merely posture your finger or thumb on the facet button to unlock the cellphone as the energy button serves as the fingerprint sensor. Even more up on the right facet are the two volume buttons.
A relatively reliable bezel is discovered all around the exhibit on all 4 edges with the entrance-struggling with camera embedded in the exhibit in the higher remaining corner. The design and style allows you to use the cellphone with gloves on and there is a method for the touch exhibit to operate with gloves.
A customizable button is discovered on the top with a 3.5mm audio port. The Push To Chat+/Microsoft Teams button is discovered on the higher remaining facet with an orange colour ring all around the base of the button.
The USB-C port, speaker, and Pogo Pins are positioned on the bottom of the cellphone. The dual rear cameras and a flash light-weight are located in the higher remaining corner of the back. The back protect is detachable and reveals the battery, SIM card slot, and microSD card slot.
Software program
The Galaxy XCover Professional is jogging Android ten out of the box with the June 1, 2020 Android safety patch. 1 UI variation two. is powering the consumer interface on the cellphone.
The Galaxy XCover Professional runs a relatively inventory variation of Android with a couple of Samsung utilities and some Microsoft applications set up by default. I examined out Verizon designs with Push To Chat+ assistance.
Samsung provides a few bodily buttons on the XCover Professional that you can customize to your tastes. The remaining XCover important is created to assistance Push To Chat with an solution to serve as a Microsoft Teams walkie talkie button later on this yr when Teams rolls out this capacity. You can also forego PTT and customize press and press/hold capabilities.
The top important can be customized to launch applications with a press and a press/hold. The facet important (fingerprint sensor) can be programmed to have a double press launch the camera, open up Bixby, or open up an application. A press and hold of this button can wake Bixby or exhibit you the energy off menu.
Bixby Routines, connection to Windows, and other Samsung capabilities you hope on a Samsung cellphone are presented on the XCover Professional. Samsung DeX is not supported, which seems a little bit strange specified the business target of this cellphone. Then yet again, Samsung is centered on the XCover Professional serving as the base system for peripherals.
Daily usage activities
As a skilled engineer who spends time on ships and in shipyards, possessing a cellphone that can withstand the aspects and the occasional fall is a good detail. I also like to use my cellphone whilst wading in rivers and jogging in the rain so the XCover Professional is a good solution for my do the job and engage in.
I was impressed by the sleek design and style for a rugged gadget with a detachable battery. People today did not even see I was carrying all around a rugged cellphone, which is not ordinarily the circumstance when a bulky circumstance or beefed up gadget is in hand.
The XCover Professional is available as a Verizon cellphone or as a SIM-unlocked design, every single available for $499.99. Firms may perhaps also excellent for bulk pricing reductions.
Samsung sent together two XCover Professional models to assistance tests of the Push To Chat features. I’ve in no way utilised this assistance before and tests indicated the continual, prompt connectivity among two XCover Professionals performs perfectly in a construction, survey, or other discipline setting.
The two cameras perform perfectly and I am pleased to see the use of an extremely-large camera as the second rear camera. An extremely-large camera supports discipline do the job when you have to have to seize plenty of material or are shut to your subject and want to choose photographs.
Samsung created the XCover Professional to serve as the base unit for peripherals, but even as a stand alone gadget it is a reliable business cellphone that is developed to withstand discipline do the job. Frontline employees, 1st responders, and other discipline employees will respect the very long battery existence, clean efficiency, and reliable communication characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy XCover Professional.
