Samsung unveils an unstoppable duo: XCover 7 smartphone and Galaxy Tab Active 5 tablet

Both come with removable batteries and protection against water and shocks.

Samsung has unveiled a pair of new rugged gadgets. They are primarily aimed at business clients and use in harsh conditions, where devices can easily fall, and users will be wearing gloves.

Samsung Galaxy XCover 7

Like last year's XCover 6 Pro, this is a mid-range smartphone, not a flagship. The new model features 5G support, a more powerful processor, and a larger display, while maintaining a rugged body with shock resistance according to MIL-STD-810H standards (the more familiar dust and water resistance rating is IP68). The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus+.

Specifications include a 6.6-inch TFT display with a resolution of FHD+ and a refresh rate of 60 Hz, an unnamed 6nm chipset (SamMobile suggests it may be the Dimensity 6100+), 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal storage. It supports microSD cards up to 1 TB. The main camera is 50 MP, and the front camera is 5 MP.

The battery capacity is 4,050 mAh and is removable: you can swap in a new battery on the go and continue using the smartphone. Other features include a customizable XCover Key, Knox Capture barcode scanner, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The smartphone weighs 240 grams, with dimensions of 169 × 80.1 × 10.2 mm.

The Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 will be available for sale by the end of January and will run on One UI 6 (Android 14) out of the box. The price has not yet been disclosed, but insiders have reported a price point around 400 euros.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5

The protection standards here are the same as in the smartphone: IP68 and MIL-STD-810H. The manufacturer claims that when used with the included case, the tablet can survive a drop from a height of 1.8 meters. The glass on the screen is simpler than that of the XCover 7: it uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which is over seven years old.

The display itself is an 8-inch TFT with a resolution of 1920 × 1200 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The processor is again unspecified, but SamMobile names the most likely candidate as the 5nm Exynos 1380 chip. It is complemented by 6 or 8 GB of RAM depending on the variant, and 128 or 256 GB of internal storage. MicroSD support up to 1 TB is available. The main camera is 13 MP, and the front camera is 5 MP.

The 5,050 mAh battery is removable and supports operation via cable without a battery. The tablet's dimensions are 126.8 × 213.8 x 10.1 mm, and it weighs 433 grams (without the case).

The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 will be available for sale by the end of January and will run on One UI 6 (Android 14) out of the box. The expected price is 800 euros, similar to the Tab Active 4 Pro, but this has not yet been officially confirmed.