Perhaps one of the most understated appeals of the Android device market is that there’s probably a specific device for every and any need out there—whether it be for gaming, photography, productivity or what have you, you can bet that there’s a brand out there that’s working on a dedicated handset or tablet, sometimes even at the risk of delving further and further into niche territory. This also includes devices designed for rugged environments, as seen with the likes of HMD’s XR series phones.
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With that in mind, Samsung recently (and finally) announced the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro, its latest addition to its rugged device lineup. While they’re far from being the brand’s most popular smartphones (that honor still belongs to the S and A series), they nevertheless manage to stand out thanks to designs that are more durable and less prone to physical damage. The two devices are scheduled to launch this April, but what exactly can we expect from them? Let’s take a look.
Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro
Let’s take a look at the smaller one of the pair—the Galaxy XCover7 Pro is designed to take a beating with a 6.6-inch display that’s covered with a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus+, as well as a chassis that’s built to withstand the elements. This includes IP68 dust and water protection and MIL-STD-810H durability, although users can also remove the back cover to access the 4,350 mAh battery inside, which is easily replaceable. The screen is a TFT-LCD affair with a 120hz refresh rate, as well as a teardrop notch which does look a bit outdated now.
Inside you’ll find a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip which is accompanied by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, the latter of which is expandable via microSD cards of up to 2TB capacity. The XCover 7 Pro also features a dual camera setup consisting of a 50MP main camera and a secondary 8MP ultra-wide camera, joined by a 13MP camera in front for selfies and video calls.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro
Also unveiled was the Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro, which comes with support for stylus input. Like the XCover 7 Pro, it also features a durable design with IP68 dust and water protection and MIL-STD-810H durability, in addition to a hot-swappable 10,100 mAh battery inside. The tablet also has an outer shell that serves as a holding slot for the included S Pen, as well as another layer of protection against most drops and knocks. Unlike the phone however, the Tab Active5 Pro features a 10.1-inch LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Inside you’ll find the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, although Samsung also offers a 256GB storage variant with 8GB of RAM. There’s one less camera as well, so you’re only getting a 12MP main camera with flash and an 8MP selfie camera. Finally, both devices also support fingerprint and facial recognition for biometric security.
