Samsung is bringing back the battery swappability with its new Galaxy XCover Pro

Not everyone is into pretty designs and we get it, sometimes your workplace demands a tough (or rugged) phone. And there is a big market for rugged phones with companies competing against each other to provide you the toughest of phones. And it looks like Samsung is joining the race too. First, Samsung announced Galaxy XCover FieldPro and it looks like it is working on a new device - XCover Pro. Though the XCover Pro will be the first of its kind with an IP69 rating, it won't just be about toughness; Samsung is working on a phone to withstand pressures from both weather and your business.

Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro Overview

First thing first, the Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro will come with IP68 rating and MIL-STD-810G certification. With the MIL-STD-810G certification, your phone will be shockproof and drop-proof. In theory, it should be intact even after falling from a height of 1.5m. The IP68 is one of the highest ratings that a phone can get, which will ensure protection from dust and liquid-splash. If you look at the specs XCover Pro is a mid-range phone at best. Inside the hood, there is Samsung's Exynos 9611 which we have seen in mid-rangers like the Samsung M30s, A50s, and A51. There will be 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory onboard. You can expand it up to 512GB through the dedicated microSD card slot.

The phone features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 20:9. The panel is based on LCD technology. It features a punch hole for the selfie camera, which I think is odd given the bezels on the phone. On the back, we get a dual-camera setup. The primary camera comes with a 25MP sensor. The secondary camera is an 8MP ultra-wide sensor. On the front, There's is a 13MP selfie camera under the punch-hole. A fingerprint sensor has been mounted on the power button on the right side. The phone also includes a 4,050mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging through Type-C port. And surprisingly, the battery can be removed and swapped with a new one easily! The phone will come with two buttons that you can use to assign functions for your choice. You can use this device as mPOS (mobile Point Of Sale) to your business's advantage as it is secured by Samsung Knox.

XCover Pro Specifications

• Body: 10nm thickness; 217 gm; IP68 dust/water-resistant; MIL-STD-810G certification
• Display: 6.3-inches IPS LCD
• Resolution: Full-HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels); 20:9 aspect ratio
• Chipset: Exynos 9611; 11nm Mobile Platform
• CPU: Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
• GPU: Mali-G72 MP3
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB (expandable up to 512GB via a dedicated SD card slot)
• Software & UI: Android 9 (Pie) with Samsung's OneUI on top
• Rear Camera: Dual-camera; – 25 MP, f/1.8, PDAF primary shooter – 8 MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens – LED flash
• Front Camera: 13MP lens
• Fingerprint sensor: Physical (side-mounted)
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with A-GPS, USB Type-C
• Battery: 4050 mAh battery with 15W fast charging; swappable

Price and Launch

The phone will launch on January 31. It will first be made available in Finland with a price tag of €500(~NPR 65,000). However, we don't have information about its international launch. Don't forget to check out our hands-on impression video of the Galaxy A51!