The latest offering - the Samsung XCover6 Pro - is built to withstand harsher conditions than most smartphones, claiming to handle drops and the elements with ease.
We sent the latest smartphone to the lab to see if it comes good on these claims. Read on to find out how it performed and if you really need a rugged smartphone in 2023.
Find out our picks of the or check out all our .What's different about the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro?
The XCover range aims to give you the sturdiest smartphone that can handle the elements and being knocked around. Its IP68 rating means its officially dust resistant to a significantly high level, and waterproof up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. Usually this rating is reserved for the most advanced, flagship smartphones. The device is hefty for a smartphone at 235g, and its mostly made out of ribbed plastic to help with shock proofing.
It claims to have heightened touch sensitivity on its screen to help you still use it even when your hands are damp or if you're wearing leather gloves (up to 2mm thick). The 'XCover Key' feature lets you customise what two of the buttons on the side of the device can do, giving you shortcuts for easy access. For example, to access the torch or its enterprise-grade barcode scanner.
The loud speaker reached a volume of 20.09 sone in our tests – louder than your average phone, which will help you hear it when outside, but it's certainly not ground-breaking. It also has 5G connectivity. This is standard for most 2023 smartphones, but it will give you the best chance of staying connected if you travel a lot.
Samsung positioned this rugged smartphone as also one that doesn't sacrifice on experience. However, the specifications we'd expect for a smartphone costing over £500 are pretty limited in the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro. It has a 6.6-inch LCD screen with 2,408 x 1,080 resolution and LCD screens aren't as impressive as the best OLED screens. It also doesn't have the biggest battery at 4,050 mAh. On the back of the phone you'll find a dual-camera system with a 50Mp main camera and an 8Mp ultra-wide camera. On the front, there’s a 13Mp camera for selfies.
The Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro has launched for £589.
Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro durability put to the test
There's no denying that the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro is a durable smartphone. We dropped it one hundred times onto a stone surface and it survived without anything beyond gaining a few scratches. It also survived being submerged in water 1.5 metres deep for 30 minutes.
We use a scratch tester – known as a hardness test pencil – to try scratching each smartphone's screen and simulate how it might come into contact with sharp objects (like your keys). The screen on Galaxy XCover6 Pro passed this test with flying colours.
However, smartphones have generally toughened up significantly in recent years, which calls into question whether these dedicated 'ruggedised' phones are really worth the expense. In fact, just 5% of smartphones we've tested in the past 12 months had an issue with durability.
There are differences in how dustproof or waterproof each phone is, but our rigorous tests tell you if it should survive the day's everyday stresses. We always check to see if each smartphone can withstand getting caught in the rain or dropped every now and then. You might be surprised to know that every phone we've reviewed in the past year has scored at least four stars for water resistance (if it claims to be waterproof), and rain resistance.
So you should be able to take your modern smartphone out and about without being worried about it being damaged easily. It's only worth considering the (let's face it) expensive Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro if you're really going to make use of the extra durability features.
Find out how the screen, battery, cameras and more performed in the .Can I replace the battery in the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro?
A nice feature of the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro that you don't find on most smartphones is its replaceable battery. Samsung's website details a five step process to replace your battery, which is a simple process to follow.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/samsung-galaxy-xcover6-pro-do-you-really-need-a-rugged-phone-aZmdD9s4alO7