Last year, I reviewed the XCover Pro (bit.ly/3C16RAu) which was summed as being "rubberised all around, waterproof, drop-proof, and having swappable batteries". This year's iteration of the XCover, the XCover 5, has been tweaked to be smaller, lighter and cheaper but still as tough as its predecessor.
The XCover line of phones has a big red button on the left side called the XCover key which can be used to gain easy access to the phone's integrated barcode scanning app, but it can be configured to trigger other apps. This quick way to scan barcodes is perfect for people who work in logistics or those who need to track product stocks regularly as this can easily replace specialised barcode scanners.
The phone has a dual-flash LED light which helps to take photos or can be used as a torch in the dark. And since these can be triggered with the prominent XCover key button (double press by default), this phone can easily become a handy flashlight.
Samsung Galaxy XCover 5
Moreover, its 1.5m-deep water resistance and military-grade impact tolerance is a boon for people with slippery hands and construction workers who often drop their devices. Some of my friends even inquired about last year's XCover phone because they think that it would be a good fit for their child considering how they take care of gadgets (basically, they do not take good care and are abusive even). With its water resistance capability, it's perfectly okay to wash the phone often to clean dirt.
Speed-wise, the snappiness of the phone's interface is not to 2021 standards at all. It feels like using a phone that is two or three years old. Launching apps will take a few seconds instead of the almost instant speed that you can get with higher-end phones nowadays. The phone runs social media apps smoothly and can endure popular games like ROV but don't expect to have a great time because the phone is aimed for work more than play and may take a bit of time to load, and the screen is only 720p.
Samsung Galaxy XCover 5
However, not having the fastest computing speed gives you better battery life. This is a two-day phone when you don't game on it. It also has a POGO charging port, which is an industry standard for people in the field.
The phone has a plastic build for durability and is lightweight at only 172g, making it effortless to carry around. Also, this might be the only phone this year that lets you swap out its removable battery for a fresh full battery on the fly.
Since this phone is meant for rugged use, it fully supports use with gloves which is good for engineers, factory workers and construction crews.
It is aimed at business users rather than typical consumers and can only be ordered directly on Samsung's website at bit.ly/3yf5zPS.
The phone is suitable for people who do not care about gaming but about having a working phone that will survive for years to come without the need to baby it.
Samsung Galaxy XCover 5. (Photos courtesy of SAMSUNG)
SPECS
- Special standards: IP68 & MIL-STD 810H
- Weight: 172g
- Other: XCover key, removable battery
- CPU: Samsung Exynos 850 (2GHz Octa-core)
- Screen: 5.3-inch (1480 x 720) LCD
- Camera: 16MP (rear), 5MP (front)
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB (microSD expandable up to 1TB)
- Battery: 3,000 mAh
- Connections: 4G, dual-SIM, USB-C, headphone jack, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
- OS: Android 11 with One UI 3.1 on top
- Order: bit.ly/3yf5zPS
- Price: 9,900 baht
