Galaxy Xcover 4: Samsung's new shockproof smartphone

About the brand

As you know, Samsung has been native to Russia for a long time. At the same time, a tiny number of people (even true fans) will be able to tell us about the history of the creation of the legendary brand. In fact, everything is simple, because great things always start from a garage or, as it happened with Lee Byung-chul, a small warehouse in Daegu.

Samsung has gone through many modifications during its existence. Since 1938, the creator tried on his brainchild the images of exporting products to China and Japan, producing textiles, sugar, and even an insurance organization. In 1969, a merger with Sanyo gave him a second chance, which Lee Byung-chul used wisely. By leaps and bounds, the brand has become the kind of global giant that we are used to seeing it now.

In 2020, the manufacturer is going to surprise fans of Korean technology with phones of various shapes, sizes and curves. However, this cannot be done without a significant BUT.

Users who have long been following new products in the field of wireless networks know firsthand how long brands keep the special features, design and characteristics of gadgets secret. Surprisingly, the South Korean king quickly revealed all his cards. There are still 15 days before the release, and the Internet is already full of hundreds of photos and reviews from critics about the powerful Xcover Pro. Let's keep up with the public?

Appearance

You can solve the riddle of the ruler without even looking at the models. The word “cover” translated from English means “to cover.” And it just so happens that Xcover smartphones are not afraid of layers of snow, tons of water, or tiles in the bathroom. They are rightfully considered indestructible.

Now, let's move directly to the culprit of the review. Typically, phones with ip68 support do not look very presentable and are often behind trends, as if they were frozen back in 2012 (which is 8 years ago, for a second). This is exactly what the 2017 model was, but this does not apply to the Pro model. Samsung has done a lot of work to ensure that shockproof gadgets can also keep up with the latest fashion.

Before us appears an impressive flagship with dimensions of 159.9 x 76.7 mm, note that its width is only 1 centimeter (believe me, this is not enough). The weight is fully consistent with the standards of conventional gadgets. Only a harmless 180 grams, no kilograms in your hand and no weights in your bag.

What are the benefits of ip68 technology? First of all, the phone is not afraid of falls or temperature changes (up to -50 degrees). It is also completely waterproof with the ability to operate in depths of up to 1.5 meters for 35 minutes. A useful feature in light of recent events, isn’t it?

Let's get back to the design. The phone's battery is removable, and the body cover is made of aluminum. At the bottom there is a brand logo, in the upper left corner there is a block of two cameras and an LED flash. The side edges, which are susceptible to scratches and chips, are prudently rubberized. The back side will delight us with a large screen with a diagonal of 6.3 inches. An almost invisible front camera is also hidden on the left. It is made in the form of a neat sphere, without the favorite “bangs” and “drops”, only an unlimited 74% of the screen. And, of course, the device is protected by the latest version of Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The phone also has side buttons, which, according to the developers, are multifunctional. So the volume swing is immediately responsible for music, flashlight, alarm clock, etc.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro specifications and price

Equipment

Initially, armored vehicles were created for heavy industry, where neither color nor size mattered, as long as it worked. Samsung understands perfectly well the importance of a red casing with gradients and tints in a quarry or factory, so it presents the smartphone only in black, non-marked colors.

Otherwise, the equipment does not differ from others:

• Documents and instructions for use;
• Charger;
• USB cord.

And the main advantage is that you don’t have to spend money on a case; first try breaking the phone itself!

Characteristics

Let's see if Samsung managed to improve not only the design, but also the characteristics of shockproof smartphones?

Samsung Xcover Pro

Screen

As mentioned earlier, the brand did not skimp on the latest version of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Underneath it lies an impressive 6.3-inch LCD screen. The matrix is ​​popularly known as IPS. Quite budget-friendly, but at the same time bright and durable, just what is needed for people involved in extreme work.

The screen resolution was 1080 x 2340 pixels with full Full HD+. Attention, this is not a drill, Samsung Xcover Pro produces 409 ppi, like a good luxury, although many phones with ip68 support do not have a high-quality display. Here everything is the other way around. The Android 10 OS (which we'll talk about later) gives a great advantage, because it becomes possible to adjust the color scheme and shades (warm, cold).

In general, Xcover cannot be called a device for industrialists; in everyday life, freed from a constant threat, it also adapts well, mimicking inexpensive new products. The main screen is bright, the colors are saturated (up to 16 million), thanks to which it will perform well both while working on drawings and during a lunch break while watching a movie.

Filling

Why are shockproof smartphones not as popular as their unprotected counterparts? The fact is that many brands focus on armor and endurance, forgetting about such important aspects as photography and performance. In fact, we are purchasing a glowing brick that can be used for self-defense. However, how are things going with Samsung’s brainchild?

The smartphone is based on the advanced Android 10.0 operating system. The version is known for the presence of a neural network, which greatly simplifies life with the help of gestures and a prediction system, and in tandem with the factory functions of Xcover, most processes will be completed much faster and in fewer steps. The inside of the phone will be as attractive as the outside thanks to a radical change in design, pastel colors, small icons, and a wide selection of themes. To our surprise, the developers even loaded the device with the proprietary One UI 2 shell.

Forget Qualcomm, forget HiSilicon and Kirin, today we will talk about the real mystery - the powerful Exynos 9611 processor. The chip, made using 10nm technology, is the creation of the South Korean brand. It has 8 fast cores at its disposal, divided into two clusters of 4 cores each. The first cluster (Cortex-A73) is responsible for special loads, so its frequency reaches 2.3 GHz, the second (Cortex-A53) is designed to support the system. It is supported by a Mali-G72 MP3 video processor. Together, they are able to easily play videos in 4K HD quality at 30 frames per second.

This processor is often pitted against the well-known Snapdragon 7th generation. Let's take a look at the tests:

Geekbench 4 (single core)

• Exynos 9611 - 1719
• Snapdragon 730 - 2510

Geekbench 4 (multi-core)

• Exynos 9611 - 5440
• Snapdragon 730 - 6810

AnTuTu Benchmark 7

• Exynos 9611 - 150182
• Snapdragon 730 ‒ 216877

As you can see, Samsung chipsets have room to grow, but for a brand whose main specialty is processors, the result is significant.

Autonomy

This aspect plays a vital role for shockproof smartphones. They must be not only durable, but also durable. In this case, the developers did not dare to make the flagship monolithic; the battery in it is removable. Its capacity was 4050 mAh. In terms of real monsters, 7000 mAh is not enough, but do not forget that the larger the battery, the thicker the phone!

The characteristics of Xcover are enough for 4 days without recharging in active use mode. Non-stop games will drain it within a day. In standby mode it will last up to a week. In an extreme situation, the battery can be replaced with another one and, of course, resort to a power-bank docking station. Samsung shocks us again, Xcover is even equipped with a 15 Volt Quick Charge function.

Camera

One of the main rules that anyone who intends to buy a shockproof phone should learn is:

The main camera has two lenses. The first is 25 megapixels with an f/1.8 aperture. Tolerable values ​​for shooting in different weather and time of day. There is some blurriness, despite the fact that the developers have equipped the camera with a wide angle and a focus of up to 26 millimeters. The second lens has 8 megapixels and a mediocre f/2.2 aperture. The lens is characterized as ultra-wide (up to 13 millimeters). The front camera is 13 megapixels, also with a wide viewing angle.

In general, for a phone in this category the values ​​​​are relatively good, since many of their brothers do not even get 2 MP for selfies.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 - review, specifications, comparison with Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3

Comparison of Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 and Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3:

As you can see by looking at the technical characteristics of smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 has made a huge leap forward in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3. However, before we begin to review the new product, let's remember a little about the previous model and its features. In 2020, the market for rugged smartphones was not as developed as it is now, since at that time Chinese manufacturers did not know how to make such high quality products. Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 was an interesting and, one might say, special smartphone. There were a lot of interesting things in it. The first is the branded Xcover button (which has not gone away in the fourth generation), the second is the Marell PXA1908 processor, the third is a very discreet appearance, like for a protected smartphone, the fourth is it was impossible to buy. Yes, yes, you heard right. Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 was literally impossible to get. And the point here is not the high price of a smartphone or its complex production. Simply, Samsung decided to distribute the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 only through commercial channels. It turned out that the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 became a smartphone purely for business. We sincerely hope that such a disaster will not happen to the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4, since the device turned out to be really interesting.

Let's start with the design. The appearance of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 is similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3. The smartphones have the same shape, there are three mechanical buttons in the same style on the front panel, and the camera eye is located in the same place. However, there is one noticeable difference - these are the missing lines on the back cover of the smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 has a smooth back panel, without unnecessary identification marks. Both smartphones are made of plastic and have a durable aluminum frame. No rubber plugs or screws for you - everything is civil and as calm as possible. However, don’t be fooled, the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 is a real shockproof gadget. It has the highest level of protection against dust and moisture - IP68. This means that the smartphone can withstand immersion in water up to two meters and is completely protected from dust. It is also worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 is certified to the American military standard MIL-STD 810G. When tested according to this standard, the phone is subjected to extreme exposure to high and low temperatures, tested for shock resistance and resistance to vibration - the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 passed. Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 was slightly weaker than its updated rival. It has protection according to the IP 67 standard, which, of course, is not as cool as the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4.

The weakest point of shockproof and rugged smartphones is the screen. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 had this frankly weak point: 4.5 inches, PLS matrix (Samsung’s own development), resolution 480x800, 274 PPi. The display was budget, had a weak brightness reserve, and poor viewing angles. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 has improved the situation: 5 inches, TFT matrix, HD resolution, 294 PPi. Of course, they continued to save on the display (TFT matrices are far from the pinnacle of quality), but this screen can be a pleasure to work with. The brightness margin is acceptable, viewing angles are normal. The display is capacitive and supports 10 simultaneous touches. If we talk about performance, then for rugged smartphones it is at an acceptable level. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 for 2020 had a fairly good and unusual quad-core Marell PXA1908 processor and 1.5 GB of RAM. This couple scored 25,000 points in Antutu - the norm for 2015. The updated Samsung Galaxy Xcover series has the following stone installed: a quad-core Exynos 7 Quad 7570 chip with an operating frequency of 1.4 GHz. This processor is made using a 14 NM process technology and is equipped with a Mali-T720 graphics chip. A fairly good and rare technical solution, which in combination with 2 GB of RAM (oh, 3 GB would look better here) can score about 50,000 points in the Antutu synthetic test - an excellent result for a secure smartphone. As for the internal memory, the situation is standard for both phones: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 - 8 GB and expandable up to 128 GB, Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 - 16 GB and expandable up to 256 GB. Both smartphones have two SIM cards. The phones support work in third and fourth generation networks.

In matters of mobile photography, the new product from Samsung has made a huge leap compared to the previous generation. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 cameras received the following characteristics: front - 5MP, f/2.2, main - 13MP, LED flash, autofocus, HDR, f/1.9 aperture. The pictures come out great with both cameras. This is not at all comparable to the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3: the main one is 5 MP, the front one is 2 MP. I think there can be no questions here. As for autonomy, the smartphones will be at approximately the same level - one charge from an overnight charge. Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 has a 2,200 mAh battery, Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 has a 2,800 mAh battery. There is a slight design difference: the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 has a removable battery, while the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 does not, although this no longer surprises anyone in 2017. Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 will fly to the lucky owner with the latest Android on board - that's nice.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 is a huge step forward when compared to the previous generation. The smartphone has an excellent camera, discreet design, a normal processor and the latest version of Android. All that remains is to find out the official price of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 - then you can give a final assessment of the smartphone.