Samsung introduced two rugged devices a few months ago, the Galaxy XCover6 smartphone and the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro tablet, but they were not available in the United States at launch. Today, the South Korean giant announced both devices are now available for purchase in the US.
These products have their own niche target, which seems large enough to convince Samsung to continue expand its offering of rugged phones and tablets. Since we previously reported about the Galaxy XCover6 and Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro, here is a short recap in case you need a reminder.
If you’re looking for a durable smartphone, the Galaxy XCover6 definitely delivers. It’s Samsung’s most advanced rugged phone, but don’t expect the same level of power as the company’s top-tier lineups. It’s safe to say that the Galaxy XCover6 is a standard mid-range phone in a very solid, durable body.
Under the hood, the Galaxy XCover6 packs a 2.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G processor, paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. It’s a fairly standard specs list for an above average mid-tier phone, so the Galaxy XCover6 might appeal to other types of customers too.
The massive 6.6-inch PLS LCD display supports FHD+ resolution and features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, the latest type of panel protection in the industry. The latter should provide enough scratch and damage resistance to save your phone from being destroyed in some extreme cases.
According to Samsung, the phone is MIL-STD-810H compliant to withstand extreme altitudes, temperatures, vibration and humidity. The Galaxy XCover6 can also withstand drops of up to 1.5m and is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance.
Long gone are the days when every rugged phone looked like a brick. The Galaxy XCover6 isn’t the thinnest phone on the market, but it’s pretty sleep at just 9.9mm. However, this is a pretty heavy device, at least in comparison with Samsung’s flagships.
The XCover6 weighs in at 235g, whereas the Galaxy S21 is much lighter at 167g. On the bright side, in case of extreme conditions, your Galaxy XCover6 is more prone to survive rather than the much more expensive Galaxy S21, so each has its strengths and weaknesses.
When it comes to camera, let’s say the Galaxy XCover6 is pretty decent. The phone sports a dual camera setup (50MP+8MP) and a 13-megapixel selfie snapper. A 4,000 mAh keeps the lights up, which should provide enough juice for a few days of average usage.
Moving on to the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro, this feels like the tablet version of the Galaxy XCover6, at least on paper. Obviously, the tablet is going to have a larger display and battery, but much of the other specs will be the same.
For starters, the tablet is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G CPU and has the same memory configuration, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. However, the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro is also available in a cheaper 64GB version if you can’t afford the 128GB model.
As far as the display goes, the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro’s 10.1-inch TFT LCD display with FHD resolution is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, a slightly weaker type of glass than the one protecting the Galaxy XCover6.
On the back, the rugged tablet features a 13-megapixel main camera, while in the front there’s a secondary 8-megapixel sensor. The large 7,600 mAh battery benefits from 15W fast charging, but that’s about all we know so far about its capabilities.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro shares the same rugged features as the Galaxy XCover6, including MIL-STD-810H compliance and IP68 rating. However, since the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro features Corning Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Victus+, it can “only” withstand drops of up to 1m, or 1.2m when using the included protective cover.
If you haven’t guessed yet based on the name of the chipset powering these rugged devices, then we can confirm that they support 5G. Also, they ship with Android 12 out of the box and can be purchased in the US through Samsung’s Business store, Amazon Business, and Samsung’s tier one and two IT channel partners.
Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro begins at $649, while the Galaxy XCover6 Pro does not have a price yet, but we do know it will be available in the US on October 20, through select carrier.
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