Samsung has a new rugged phone and tablet

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 12 April 2024

Samsung today announced local availability for the Galaxy XCover 7 and Galaxy Tab Active 5, a pair of new rugged devices with a focus on durability.

When it comes to the Galaxy XCover 7, the phone is rated IP68 for water-resistance and has a MIL-STD-810H durability rating. Samsung says this means it can withstand accidental drops and bumps of up to 1.5m on a steel surface. The XCover 7's front screen is protected with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus.

The Galaxy Tab Active 5 is also rated IP68 and has the same MIL-STD-810H durability rating. Samsung says the tablet can withstand a 1.8m accidental drop on plywood, but when using the bundled protective case. The screen is protected with the older Gorilla Glass 5.

Notably, both devices have a user-replaceable battery.

Key specs for Galaxy XCover 7 are fairly typical for a mid-range phone. These include a 6.6-inch 1080p+ display, a MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus processor, 128GB of expandable storage, 6GB of RAM, and a 4,050mAh battery. In terms of cameras, there's a 50MP lens on the back and a 5MP selfie camera on the front.

And key specs for the Galaxy Tab Active 5 include an 8-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, an octa-core CPU, a minimum of 128GB of storage, at least 6GB of RAM, and a 5,050mAh battery. There's a 13MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front.

While the pair are predominantly targeted at enterprise customers, there's nothing stopping anyone from buying them. The XCover 7 sells for $599 on the Samsung website, or is available on a phone plan from Telstra. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab Active 5 starts at $849 for a WiFi-only model, or at $1,049 for a version with 5G.

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Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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