Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Review: Rugged Android Phone

Worth When Reviewed

Unavailable within the US

Glyptodont-like inside its armoured shell, the Samsung XCover7 may nonetheless be mistaken for a traditional telephone inside a protecting case, maybe whereas climbing at sundown by means of rocky terrain miles from the closest latte or whereas fishing it out of a lake.

With an IP68 ruggedness spec, but additionally a detachable again so you’ll be able to swap out the battery for a contemporary one, the XCover7 is heavy however not notably thick contemplating it comes with a built-in case. Nevertheless, it lacks the satellite tv for pc messaging of rugged telephones such because the Cat S75, so that you’ll want an exterior module or useful 5G protection to get your messages out.

Regardless of its mid-range £349 price ticket, this isn’t a telephone you’re going to need to use as your every day companion until you will have motive to.

It’s extra more likely to be one you retain as a spare for the occasions you don’t need to danger your extra fragile mannequin getting damaged, or as a piece telephone in case your job frequently takes you into locations it’s more likely to get moist, soiled or dropped.

Design & Construct

• Rugged
• Not particularly thick
• Heavy

The XCover7 doesn’t do a lot out of the bizarre by way of its development. It’s a 6.6-inch smartphone with an integral protecting case, a single rear digital camera lens, and a big extra button reverse the facility/quantity switches that by default controls the telephone’s LED digital camera flash/torch (however provided that the telephone’s already unlocked).

All the things else is totally normal, and if you happen to’re within the behavior of slipping your telephone into one thing extra snug to provide it a little bit of a safeguard towards on a regular basis bumps, you then won’t discover the distinction.

One factor that does stand out is the telephone’s weight, which at 240g is heavier than similar-sized telephones such because the Galaxy S24+ (196g) or Pixel 8 (187g). It’s a noticeable distinction however not one which’s more likely to drag you down too badly and is probably going the results of the additional armour and the battery being detachable.

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The customized button is massive and textured, excessive sufficient up the casing to sit down properly underneath your finger (or your thumb if you happen to’re a lefty) for fast entry – the one drawback is that it requires the telephone to be unlocked, one thing that may’t be simply achieved if you happen to’re carrying gloves or a face overlaying.

Discover a method to make it work, and you may customise the button to launch an app or the telephone’s digital camera with a single press or an extended one by means of its personal part within the Settings app.

It’s clear why the button is ready up the best way it’s, because it’s straightforward to press it by chance which might result in the torch consistently approaching in your pocket, however with no emergency messaging system on-board for it to tie into it seems like a promoting level in want of an precise use.

Display screen & Audio system

• Vibrant and sharp
• Reflective in daylight
• Solely 60Hz

The XCover7 will get a 6.6-inch LCD show that’s surprisingly good, although a bit reflective in daylight. Samsung’s Aircraft Line Switching (PLS) tech makes for a brighter display than many different LCDs, and it’s coated in Gorilla Glass Victus+ to withstand scratches.

It’s brilliant and sharp sufficient to be helpful, and the decision is completely respectable.

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The place it falls down is in its refresh price, which is decrease than these we’ve turn into accustomed to. A 60Hz framerate is totally wonderful, after all, and has labored for video games and TV for many years, however when you’ve been uncovered to super-smooth 90 or 120Hz screens, it’s exhausting to return.

There’s a little bit mono speaker on the backside of the telephone, recessed behind a slit within the casing, and whereas it’s pretty loud and ok for a video name from the highest of a mountain you’re not going to get the best sound high quality.

Much better to make use of Bluetooth 5.3 to connect wi-fi cans, or the three.5mm headphone jack – a helpful factor to see in a rugged telephone as an affordable pair of wired headphones is extra more likely to survive in your backpack than the most recent earbuds.

Specs & Efficiency

• Environment friendly chipset
• Low-powered although
• Solely Wi-Fi 5

There’s an octa-core chipset powering the XCover7, and whereas Samsung doesn’t like to call it in its official spec lists, the CPU-Z app reveals it as a Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ MT6835.

This lower-mid-range chip from the top of 2023 splits the processing cores into two blocks, with a pair of two.2GHz Cortex-A76 cores accompanied by six 2.0GHz Cortex-A55 cores.

It’s an uncommon alternative for a Samsung telephone, as the corporate normally makes use of Snapdragons or its personal Exynos chips, however regardless of the perceived lack of top-end grunt, it’s a smart alternative for a rugged telephone because it extends battery life.

Foundry/Ian Evenden

There’s 6GB of RAM connected, so the XCover7 has no drawback swapping between apps – more likely to be the digital camera and messaging apps moderately than any power-drinking video games, given the paltry two-core GPU – and it’s responsive sufficient in use, although unlikely to win any awards for velocity as there’s a break up second of lag between urgent the Residence button and the open app sliding out of the best way.

One oddity is the inclusion of Wi-Fi 5 as an alternative of Wi-Fi 6, which implies you gained’t be capable of benefit from quick web connections with the XCover7. That is maybe comprehensible till distant campsites and mountain trails get fibre connections put in, leaving you with airport Wi-Fi because the final hotspot earlier than the new springs.

It places the telephone within the curious place of its 5G radio doubtlessly having the ability to obtain sooner than its Wi-Fi, so that you’ll need to maintain the eSIM or bodily SIM slot equipped with information allowance.

As beforehand famous, there’s no native satellite tv for pc messaging functionality on the XCover7, so until you’re in possession of a separate dongle the query of Wi-Fi or 5G is moot anyway when you’re far sufficient away from civilisation.

Cameras

• 50Mp
• Adequate in brilliant gentle
• Solely 1080p video

Single-camera telephones are typically the most affordable of price range fashions, with some type of brief telephoto or ultrawide being normal tools for mid-rangers and above. There’s just one lens on the again of the XCover7, nevertheless, and it’s not likely as much as Samsung’s traditional excessive requirements. 

There’s a 50Mp sensor behind the wide-angle, f/1.8 lens (there’s a digital zoom possibility too, which lowers picture high quality), which bins information all the way down to 12.5Mp by default (although high-res mode is only a faucet away within the digital camera app).

Its photos are wonderful in both mode, however there’s not one of the color pop or glowing sharpness you’d count on from a telephone images champion just like the Xiaomi 14 Extremely or Galaxy S24 Extremely.

The XCover7 can take okay photographs whereas the solar’s up, however element and saturation drop off as the sunshine fades. It can most likely do for documenting work journeys to industrial websites, however if you happen to’re planning to journey someplace photogenic you may need to slip a unique digital camera in your bag.

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And whereas the digital camera app begins up swiftly sufficient, there’s a noticeable lag between tapping the on-screen shutter button and the image being taken.

In moist circumstances, the touchscreen won’t reply in any respect, during which case the customized facet button will act as a launch, and generally is a higher possibility all-round because it cuts down on the latency, although it does imply you’ll want to carry the telephone in two fingers.

One other disadvantage is the video functionality. The XCover7 is capped at 1080p/30fps, which no less than means you gained’t refill the 128GB of storage with monumental 4K information. 

Across the entrance is an identical story, with a 5Mp selfie digital camera that’s ok for a video name however little else. 

Battery Life & Charging

• Lengthy utilization from a cost
• Replaceable battery
• Replacements not simply out there

If you happen to ever owned a Samsung Galaxy S II, again within the misty reaches of 2011, then changing the battery within the XCover7 feels moderately comparable – hook your fingernail underneath the notch offered for the aim on the again cowl, pull the again off, then do the identical for the battery and slot a brand new one in.

They’re small and rectangular, and you can in idea carry plenty of them, however replacements don’t appear to be out there from the Samsung web site. They’re additionally, at 4050mAh, not very huge.

Foundry/Ian Evenden

It’s maybe extra doubtless that USB charging packs could possibly be carried as an alternative, as they’re in a position to cost extra units. Pulling the again of the telephone off can be the way you entry the SIM and microSD slots, and it has a lovely old-school allure in addition to being easier than fidgeting with a tray and removing software, although what number of occasions you’ll be capable of do it with out compromising the telephone’s ruggedness stays to be seen.

The small capability ought to carry down the battery life, however the environment friendly chipset permits it to bounce again to fifteen hours of fixed use with the display on, sufficient for 2 days of sunshine utilization or extra if stashed away in a backpack on standby.

There’s no charger within the field, which is okay for a supplemental machine that’s extra more likely to be charged from an influence pack or photo voltaic panel than a wall socket, however you do get a USB-C to C cable.

Charging is at 15W, which factors to an expectation of utilizing energy packs as an alternative of high-wattage wall chargers. 

Software program & Apps

• Android 14
• Seven years of help
• Might be laggy

One factor in regards to the XCover7 is bang updated, and that’s Android 14, with Samsung’s OneUI 6.0 excessive (although not like another Samsung fashions, it doesn’t help DeX mode, so that you gained’t be connecting it to a desktop monitor whereas within the forest).

Samsung has mentioned it can obtain OS updates as much as Android 16, and it ought to get safety updates for as much as seven years.

Given its supposed use – chilly, moist or dusty environments, lengthy spells in backpacks and the outside – Samsung’s Straightforward mode fits it nicely, the elevated distinction and bigger icons higher in a position to make themselves seen across the reflections on the display, and extra more likely to be precisely chosen with a gloved hand if you happen to’re utilizing these intelligent touchscreen gloves.

Foundry/Ian Evenden

Worth & Availability

• Moderately priced
• Purchase it for the ruggedness
• Not a mainstream product

The XCover7 is out there instantly from Samsung, and we additionally noticed it on the market at Amazon and Argos within the UK. On the time of writing it doesn’t appear to be out there within the US.

The older XCover6 Professional (which relies on a unique, and doubtlessly extra performant, chipset, has an ultrawide digital camera and may do 4K video) can be out there, as are rugged telephones from the likes of Nokia (the XR20) Cat’s S75 with its built-in satellite tv for pc messaging, and specialist companies similar to Doogee and Blackview.

At £349 the telephone is positioned in a aggressive mid-range sector of the market, the place patrons can select between telephones from Nothing, Motorola, and even Samsung within the type of the Galaxy A55 5G.

Apple iPhones are nonetheless a little bit out of attain at this stage, however none of this issues if you happen to’re eager about shopping for the XCover7 – it’s the rugged options you’re after, and this implies you’ll purchase the extra survivable telephone even when it’s not the very best performer.

Must you purchase the Samsung Galaxy XCover 7?

The Samsung Galaxy XCover7 isn’t a telephone you’ll decide up on a whim, or as an on a regular basis telephone. It’s simply too restricted for that.

There are, nevertheless, some conditions during which it will make a darned sensible choice, similar to travellers heading off the overwhelmed path or into locations which can be moist or dusty, the place the armoured again and talent to swap batteries could come in useful.

Nevertheless, its drawbacks – the stripped-back digital camera, the low efficiency and the dearth of quick Wi-Fi – imply that until you want a second handset for these locations, and you’ll use it typically, then popping your traditional telephone, a lot of which now include an IP68 score, right into a protecting case could also be a greater possibility.

Specs

• CPU: Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ MT6835
• RAM: 6GB
• OS: Android 14 (OneUI 6.0)
• Storage: 128GB + MicroSD
• Display screen: 6.6in 1080 x 2408 PLS LCD, 60Hz
• Rear digital camera: 50Mp f/1.8
• Entrance digital camera: 5Mp f/2
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB Kind-C (USB 2.0), 3.5mm headphone port
• Dimensions: 169.0 x 80.1 x 10.2
• Weight: 240g