Following a brief hiatus since the launch of the Galaxy S8 Active (2017), Samsung has added a new rugged smartphone to its portfolio in form of the Galaxy XCover 5. The south Korean company has a history of launching rugged smartphones under the Galaxy XCover and Galaxy Active monikers.
Designed for factory, field and outdoor usage, the Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 is rated IP68 (dust and water resistant up to 1.5 metres deep in water for up to 30 mins) and has a Glove Touch feature which heightens touch sensitivity, allowing the user to operate the device while wearing work gloves. It is protected by Samsung Knox and can withstand drops of up to 1.5 metres.
The device is built around a 5.3-inch HD+ TFT display and depends on a 3,000mAh battery (removable) with 15W fast charging support through USB and POGO pins. It comes pre-loaded with Android 11 and depends on the Exynos 850 octa-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB built-in storage. The rest of the specs include 16MP (f/1.8) AF and 5MP (f/2.2) FF selfie cameras, NFC, MIL-STD810H certification, and LED flashlight.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 has a programmable key (XCover Key), which offers direct and easy access to apps and features such as emergency calls, LED flashlight and map. There is also the ability to integrate a walkie talkie function in Microsoft teams. The phone will be available in select markets in select markets in Asia, Europe and Latin America starting March 2021.
