Samsung Galaxy xcover cell phones 1. Review of Samsung Galaxy Xcover (S5690): under the protection of a smartphone

The Korean device complies with the international standard IP67. It guarantees protection from moisture, dust and other adversities that may occur on the way of a smartphone designed for very active users.

The functionality of the device is at a fairly average level, it is similar to the very popular one. The smartphone's characteristics include an 800 MHz processor, 512 MB of memory, 256 MB of RAM, a 3.2 MP camera and a 3.65-inch HVGA touch screen.

Scope of delivery

• Smartphone


• Battery


• Cable


• 2 GB microSD memory card


• Charger

Design

Samsung's models are mostly very similar, for which they are regularly criticized. The protected device has been made more original, which will please fans of non-trivial solutions.

The design of the device is calm, it cannot be said that it does not go well with office clothes. There are no flashy colors here, and the body shapes are quite familiar. The monoblock has reasonable dimensions: 121.5x65.9x11.95 mm, weight 135 g. In general terms, it turns out to be larger than similar Android smartphones, but the difference is not so great as to experience discomfort or constrain yourself in convenience.

There is a gray-black version, we had an orange-black version. The shade is calm, it is exactly the same as that of the previously released push-button monoblock.

There is a proximity sensor on the front panel, as well as a camera for video calls. There is no automatic brightness control sensor here. The speaker is hidden under a decorative black mesh that matches the body.

At the bottom there are three large mechanical buttons. They have clear clicks and an average stroke. They perform the following actions: functions, home, back. It is worth considering that they do not have a backlight, but they are given a lot of space, so erroneous clicks do not occur.

Below there is a small microphone hole, and the microUSB port is located at the bottom end. It is hidden under a large plug that protects it from dust and moisture. The lid is tightly fixed, held very securely and thoroughly.

On the top edge of the smartphone there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is also located under a plug.

On the left side there is a paired volume key. It is embossed, easy to feel and pleasant to press. You can assign it to turn on the flashlight.

On the right side there is a small button to turn off the device, which also functions as a screen lock. It also has a comfortable shape.

The back looks more interesting. In the corners there are four protrusions-legs on which the smartphone rests when placed on the surface. The panel itself is made of fairly hard, rough plastic, all of it covered with a small relief notch. Dust does not accumulate in it, and it does not get dirty. It is fixed tightly and reliably, and is additionally pressed to the device with a screw. It is surprisingly easy to unscrew, you can even do without a coin, everything can be done with your fingernail.

A 3.2-megapixel camera lens slightly recessed into the surface stands out in the center, to the left of it is an LED flash, and to the right is a ringing speaker hole.

Inside there is a battery and a SIM card slot. There is also a slot for microSD memory cards. Given the specifics of the “protected” model, you can forgive the lack of quick replacement. The insides are sealed; here you can see an additional protective edging inside the plastic cover.

Screen

The smartphone has a 3.65-inch display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels. The display is capacitive, multi-touch supported, and displays up to 16 million colors. TFT screen without sensor for automatic backlight level adjustment. This setting is changed manually. The screen behaves well in the sun, all data is readable normally.

The device responds perfectly to pressing. Up to 2 simultaneous touches are detected. The protective layer is made of Gorilla Glass.

The screen is bright, the colors are pleasing to the eye, but the pixelation is not particularly pleasing, and the viewing angles are very modest. For a budget device, the display is not bad, but for that kind of money I would like to see a better picture.

Platform

The smartphone uses a processor with a frequency of 800 MHz and an AdrGC800 graphics accelerator. The amount of RAM is 512 MB, the same amount of internal memory. There is 3 GB of internal memory available for storing applications. The card slot allows you to expand the usable space up to 32 GB inclusive. The smartphone worked well with the maximum size card. The operating system is Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread and the proprietary TouchWiz shell. In terms of operating speed, the smartphone is not the fastest; there is a delay in response when exiting resource-intensive applications, especially games. In general, there are no special complaints about it, it’s just that compared to existing solutions from Samsung, this model is already inferior to them in terms of performance.

Interface

The proprietary TouchWiz interface is used as the shell. At the top of the screen there is a service line, where the time, battery charge, and signal reception level indicator are displayed. Active connections and other data are also displayed there. By clicking on it, you can find out in more detail about what programs were downloaded, what messages and letters were received, or what files were received. The inclusion of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, silent mode and GPS is highlighted in a separate line.

You can use both standard widgets for Android and original elements from Samsung. For widgets, seven desktops are allocated, on which you can place additional functional elements at your discretion.

When you add a new widget to your desktop, a new panel may appear along with it. If desired, you can remove any part of the interface that has become unnecessary.

You can add application shortcuts to the desktop, create folders and change the background image, using both animated images on the desktop and installing static images from the gallery. Sets the image to the lock screen.

When the phone screen is locked, it displays the date and time, as well as service information. To unlock, you need to pull the top layer covering the desktop. If there were missed calls or SMS, they will be displayed on the screen with a separate icon on the left or right. By pulling it to the side, the corresponding item comes off. The picture is set on the lock screen, the location for the clock is changed. Additional font styles can be downloaded.

To enter the menu and launch an application, you need to click on the icon located at the bottom of the screen. There is a line of four icons that are constantly displayed on the screen in any menu item. These are “Phone”, “Contacts”, “Messages” and “Applications”.

The menu is presented in the form of 4x4 icons, and an option in the form of a vertical list is also available. If desired, you can move icons to other tables, add them to folders, thus organizing applications to your taste.

As you add and install new programs, they are automatically placed on the screen. They can be deleted directly from the menu; you just need to go into edit mode. But you can only delete programs that you added yourself; those installed by the manufacturer are not subject to such an operation.

By holding down the menu button, a pop-up window will open, displaying shortcuts to six recently launched applications.

Phone book

The general list shows stored contacts both in the phone memory and SIM card, as well as data from your Google account. You can choose among them by setting the ability to display subscribers only from the selected memory type. In the settings, you select your preferred method for sorting names.

By clicking the field reserved for the subscriber's picture, you can make a call, send him a message or email, and also view information about him. There are many fields provided for additional data. It includes various types of telephone numbers, email addresses, instant communication tools, residential addresses and other information.

From the phone book, you can quickly call or write an SMS to a person - you just need to swipe your finger left (call) or right (message) on the line with the subscriber's name. By clicking on the space reserved for the subscriber's picture, a quick menu is called up, with which you can send a message, mail, or make a phone call to the selected person.

If the subscriber is assigned an image, it will be displayed on the screen. To simplify the search, you can use the vertical line on which the alphabet is depicted. Thus, if you run your finger over it, the letters pop up and you can quickly find your way around. Of course, there is also a standard search function among contacts. There is a quick call to 8 selected subscribers. Contacts can be divided into different groups, which are assigned an individual signal.

Call log

You can access the call log directly from the phone book; it is highlighted in a separate tab. There the dialed numbers are sorted by date. But they are not the only ones who appear. It also contains information about messages. If desired, the amount of displayed data can be reduced to a minimum or, conversely, the most complete informational list of events of recent days can be obtained.

Having selected a subscriber, you can see which calls were made and how many times - such a collapsed list is much more convenient than a long string of dialed numbers of the same type. However, in the general list of calls there is a duplication of identical numbers, which overloads the log with identical data. The smartphone can display frequently used numbers in a separate group, which is convenient.

Dialing a number is carried out using a virtual keyboard, while entering numbers, the smartphone automatically displays on the screen contacts saved in the device’s memory with similar initial numbers in the number. Missed calls are displayed with a visual circle. When there is an incoming call, two different colored elements are shown. By pulling red, you can hang up, and by clicking on green, you can start a conversation.

Messages

For SMS and MMS there is a common folder where received messages go. When sending, by adding various objects to the text, you can automatically transform it into a multimedia message.

When sending a message, the phone can display the last used numbers, thereby greatly simplifying the search for the recipient. A message can be sent simultaneously to several subscribers or to a group created in the smartphone’s memory. There is a set of funny android emoticons.

The device combines correspondence with subscribers into dialogues. A smartphone can automatically delete old SMS if there is no desire to store thousands of archives on the device. As you type text, you can cut, copy, and paste it.

The keyboard is standard for Android. It works in both portrait and landscape mode. It supports copying and pasting texts, as well as all those actions that can be found in any similar device. Typing text is convenient, the screen is large enough and there are few errors when typing quickly.

E-mail

To work with email, the mailbox is automatically configured (if it is not Gmail, which connects immediately after the email address is entered during the initial activation of the phone). It includes entering basic information (login, password).

The phone perfectly understands various encodings, supports loading attachments (you must insert a memory card, otherwise this function will not work) in familiar formats.

When creating a letter, you can also attach various files from the device memory to it. The function of copying text and automatically checking the mailbox works (the interval is set manually). Sorting mail by date, subject, sender and size works.

Gallery

Photos and videos stored in the smartphone's memory are displayed here. The gallery works in both vertical and horizontal orientation. Working with files is accompanied by nice animation effects. Working with files is fast, image previews are generated without delay. Pictures are displayed in a 2x3 or 3x2 grid, depending on the position of the device.

The preview folders contain smaller pictures, so that not 3, but 4 pictures can be placed vertically. The image opens in full screen, scaling works using multi-touch. Files can be sent via email, Bluetooth, SMS or hosted on Picasa. You can assign images as desktop wallpaper or assign them to a contact. It supports rotating pictures, reducing their size, and also displays additional information about a specific file, and also shows the place where the picture was taken if geotagging is working.

Images are shown both in folders (for example, received via Bluetooth, photo section) and ordered by date. This makes it very convenient to view photos - there are several sections in the same folder. You can scroll either using the bar displayed at the bottom of the screen or by simply touching the screen with your fingers anywhere on it.

Player

The player's interface is simple and intuitive. A general list displays all the songs in the smartphone’s memory. There are also additional columns. Playlists of several types, albums, artists, genres, composers, years. When playing music, the cover image specified in the file tags is displayed on the screen; if it is not there, a multi-colored picture will appear instead.

The volume can be changed both from the player menu using the vertical adjustment scale, and by using the side volume keys. The screen displays the name of the artist, the name of the album and the song being played. Tracks can be put on repeat (song, album, all tracks) or listened to in shuffle mode.

Virtual keys are used for navigation (forward, backward and pause), and you can also switch between songs by flipping through the file cover image. While listening, you can set your favorite song as a ringtone, contact or alarm. There is a timer for automatic shutdown. When the keyboard is locked, the player control line is displayed at the top of the screen, which contains navigation keys, information about the song being played, and cover art.

The user has access to numerous equalizer settings. They include: auto, regular, pop, rock, jazz, dance, classical, live sound, other. This is a self-changing audio profile. You can select the audio effect: normal, wide range, concert hall, music clarity, bass boost, externalization.

There is no difference in sound from the Samsung Galaxy Ace. It's just a player that won't replace a quality source for listening to music. But if simple headphones are enough, then for the user the smartphone may well become the main player.

Radio

The receiver supports RDS, can work in the background and turn off after a set time period (30 minutes, 1 or 2 hours). The automatic search function for radio stations works. You can display 6 of your favorite radio stations on your desktop and quickly switch between them.

As with the player, there is a pop-up window at the top of the screen for quick navigation between stations. To end the radio broadcast, a separate “stop” key is provided.

Camera

3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus, complemented by LED flash. Shooting starts exclusively from the smartphone menu. You can take pictures not only by tapping on the screen, but also by using the function button. It's very convenient.

Camera settings:

White Balance: Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent.

Effects: Normal, Negative, Black and White, Sepia.

Shooting mode: Single shot, Smile detection, Panorama.

Shooting conditions: Portrait, Landscape, Night, Sports, Party, Beach\Snow, Sunset, Dawn, Autumn colors, Fireworks, Text, Twilight, Backlight.

Photo size: 3.2M (2048x1536), 2M (1600x1200), 1.3M (1280x960), 0.3M
(640x480 pixels).

Metering: Center-weighted, Spot metering, Matrix.

Focus: auto, macro.

Flash.

Timer: 2, 5, 10 seconds.

Quality: best, normal, excellent.

ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400.

There are some other settings as well.

In clear light, the smartphone takes good photographs; the quality is very decent for a camera of this level.

Organizer The calendar in the device is made in a traditional style; the display of information for a whole month, week or a specific day can be configured. You can set the alert type and tone for recorded events and meetings. There is a division of information by storage location, each option has its own color label. When creating a new record, it is given a name, period and location. You can specify which calendar it will be synchronized with, and you can send invitations to contacts from your address book. The repetition period is set (every day, weekly, monthly, annually). A reminder will help you not to lose sight of the recording - the alarm will go off in advance. Additionally, the alert type is set. Watch The smartphone allows you to save several alarms in memory. The repeat can be set either once or every day, only on weekdays or weekly. You can also set specific days. The signal melody is set, you can add a vibration alert and a text file to it. The period for re-triggering the signal is set. Displays date, time and weather forecast. The voice recorder is simple and convenient; it saves recordings both in the phone memory and on a card. The recording time is user-defined, so you can take small notes that fit in an MMS. Designed as a wooden board with a piece of paper attached, notes allow you to create notes. The calculator works in both portrait and landscape orientation. In the latter case, more functions are available. Applications Google Play will provide access to many applications; here it is easy to choose the necessary set of programs for yourself. There is a convenient search function, as well as dividing programs into categories, which greatly simplifies browsing. You can look at the reviews, evaluate the rating and express your opinion about the software. Each application is provided with a brief description and images for greater clarity. Purchased applications are displayed in a separate list, which is convenient: if you purchased a new phone, you can immediately install those programs that were previously purchased. The application, standard for most modern devices, allows you to view videos and search among them. The application runs in full screen mode. The File Manager allows you to work with folders and the data stored in them. You can organize them by different types and delete contents. Shows weather forecast and news. GTalk installed. The flashlight turns on. Browser A convenient application is used for Internet surfing. A navigation bar is displayed at the top of the screen, and to the right of it there is a shortcut that allows you to bookmark the page. The phone remembers the most visited pages and has a log of pages viewed. You can keep several windows open at the same time. There is a search for words on the page, text selection, as well as a practical function for changing the screen brightness directly from the browser. The font size changes, saving passwords works. In this application you can adjust the brightness level. The browser is convenient and comfortable to use. GPS navigation Google Maps is used for navigation. The only drawback is that the program requires constant network activity, which affects the amount of traffic consumed by the device. Traffic jams are displayed, so the application has become fully functional and convenient not only for pedestrians, but also for car owners. There is a function for determining the current location, calculating the route from the starting point to the ending point, and specifying the method of movement: by car, on foot or public transport. The route is laid out on the map, and key places are indicated in the form of text messages, which are displayed on the screen in the form of a column; you can switch between them: view the route in advance or vice versa, go back and plot another path. Scaling works using multi-touch or virtual buttons. Connections The phone operates in the frequencies 850/900/1800/1900/2100 MHz. The device has Bluetooth 3.0, which is characterized by high data transfer speeds (of course, with A2DP support). The Wi-Fi module with b/g/n support works stably. DLNA support allows you to view photos and videos wirelessly from compatible devices. Wi-Fi Direct is implemented for exchanging bulk data, and there is an access point function. The microUSB connector, which has become a standard, allows data transfer via USB 2.0. Opening hours A 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery will allow the smartphone to operate up to 570 hours in standby mode and up to 1070 minutes in talk time. In video playback mode at maximum screen brightness and Wi-Fi turned on, the smartphone lasted 4 hours 30 minutes. Here we get about one day of work at an average load. It’s quite possible to get two days if you use your smartphone for calls, listening to music and infrequently browsing websites. The smartphone can be charged either from a wall outlet in 2 hours or from a USB port. But in the latter case it will take about 3.5 hours. Due to the fact that the connector is recessed into the case, not every cable can charge your smartphone; this is worth taking into account when choosing an additional device or USB cable. Conclusion The speaker is loud, good, with bass notes. The vibration signal is not felt very well, it is average in strength, but is compensated by the volume of the set melody. The protected smartphone easily passed the moisture resistance test after spending half an hour in a container of water. The smartphone has a durable body made of durable plastic, and all connectors where moisture or dust could get in are closed. Durable screen protection in the form of Gorilla Glass ensures that the display can easily survive rough handling. It turns out to be a universal solution for those who want both functions and a mobile device that will not fail in bad weather conditions. The idea behind a sports Android device is twofold. It seems that there is protection, and you can install special applications like a pedometer, but given the problems with the autonomy of Android devices, a traveler or tourist will most likely buy either professional equipment or a simple but durable phone. There are such models, they are cheaper. Taking into account all the characteristics of the smartphone, we can say the following. Samsung Galaxy Xcover is one of the few representatives of a small class of rugged Android models. It does not have any outstanding features today; all indicators are quite average: speed, screen, battery life. An ordinary player, but a very decent camera, albeit only 3 megapixels. I think that it may appeal to big fans of secure devices, since the choice today is not at all great. Prices range from 9000-11000 for this smartphone. Compared to models with similar characteristics, the surcharge is not that big. After all, the confidence that you can drop your phone in a puddle or go to the sea with it and not ruin it also costs money. The author expresses gratitude to the Sotmarket online store for providing the Samsung Galaxy Xcover smartphone for testing. © Alexander Pobyvanets, Test laboratory Article publication date: May 25, 2012

A waterproof Android smartphone that can spend half an hour underwater at a depth of up to a meter

Ingress Protection Rating(shell protection degree) - a system for classifying the degrees of protection of the electrical equipment shell from the penetration of solid objects and water in accordance with the international standard.

The hero of today's review belongs to a rare “type” of secure smartphones. This type is rare precisely because it is in demand by a very small percentage of users overall. These are the people who lead, as they say now, an active lifestyle: off-road, snow, dirt, dust and often water - these are the conditions that constantly surround them. However, oddly enough, they also need mobile communications, and an ordinary average mobile phone in such conditions will not last even a day. Accordingly, for such extreme sports enthusiasts, manufacturers from time to time offer mobile terminals with an increased level of protection. Some of them are only slightly more adapted to unusual operating conditions, most often having simple protection against scratches, splashes and dust. But there are products that have undergone special certification and can boast of official compliance with certain standards and protection classes. Such specialized devices include the new smartphone from the Korean manufacturer - Samsung Galaxy Xcover (model GT-S5690), which officially meets the IP67 protection class.

Marking 67 according to the IP standard in this case means the following: the first digit, indicating the degree of protection provided by the shell, promises dust resistance, that is, complete protection of the inside of the device from contact with dust and dirt.

The second number indicates the degree of protection of the equipment from the effects of water, which is provided by the same shell: in our case, it is able to prevent water from entering during short-term (not permanent) immersion. The maximum protection for this classification could be IP68 (dustproof device that can withstand prolonged immersion in water), but this is not our case. When complying with IP67 class, it is generally accepted that the device can spend no more than half an hour at a depth of no more than a meter.

To finish with the topic of security of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover and move on to describing the capabilities of the device itself, I’ll tell you that when I went on vacation to the sea, I took with me a couple of these new “extreme” smartphones (about the second of them - Sony Xperia go - the story will be published in very soon) in order to test their dust and moisture resistance under conditions, so to speak, as close as possible to real ones. Therefore, photographs of the phone itself, and videos and pictures taken using its camera - everything was brought “from there”.

I dipped it in the sea waves, gave it to children to play on the beach, buried it in the wet sand of children's castles, and even swam a little, putting my smartphone in my swimming trunks pocket - to the buoy and back. Absolutely nothing bad happened to the phone, everything worked then and continues to work as normal now - the protection promised by the manufacturer has fully justified itself.

When using the Samsung Galaxy Xcover in such conditions, there is only one thing to remember. More precisely, about two: the first and most important rule is that after contact with salt water, you need to rinse the surfaces of the phone with fresh water in order to wash off the salt that “tans” and spoils the rubber plugs covering the connectors and sockets. Well, secondly: these same plugs must always be tightly closed before use :) However, these simple rules are probably obvious to most users even without undergoing special instructions.

Characteristics

• CPU Marvell PXA968, 800 MHz, ARMv7, single core
• GPU Marvell GC800
• Operating system Android 2.3.6
• Touch screen LCD TFT, 3.65″, 320×480, capacitive, multi-touch
• Random access memory (RAM) 512 MB, internal memory 150 MB
• MicroSD card slot up to 32 GB
• Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communication 3G HSDPA/WCDMA 900, 2100 MHz
• Bluetooth v3.0 + EDR
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• GPS, AGPS
• FM radio
• Camera 3.2 MP, LED flash
• Protection class IP67
• Lithium-ion battery 1500 mAh
• Dimensions 121.5×65.9×12 mm
• Weight 142 g

Appearance and ease of use

The appearance of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover fully corresponds to its purpose: the design is rough and even somewhat aggressive, which is expressed in everything from slanting notches on the sides to a not at all delicate, brick color. There is also a gray version on sale; it is less provocative, but looks no less brutal. Despite the fact that the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover is not that large by modern standards, the phone itself has quite impressive dimensions and weight. However, it will fit into your pocket quite well, only the breast pocket of your shirt will be noticeably pulled back under such weight.

It's surprising that the device is so heavy, because its body is made entirely of plastic - this can be clearly seen if you remove the back cover. The black plastic is brick-colored on the outside, remaining unpainted underneath the lid. The plastic itself is extremely hard and thick, which obviously explains the considerable total mass of the device, which feels like a weighty block in your hand. It is curious that on the official website the description includes a figure of only 100 grams, but the scales of our own laboratory measured as much as 141 grams, so I put this figure in the description.

In general, the Samsung Galaxy Xcover case looks very reliable, the parts fit tightly together and are assembled tightly - nothing creaks or plays when twisted or squeezed. Thanks to the matte surface of the case, the ribbed rough back cover and the side notches along the vertical edges, the phone is held in the hand extremely securely and is unlikely to slip out even from wet fingers. Obviously, a secure phone for extreme sports enthusiasts should be like that.

As for the back cover itself, its design is not very usual and not at all familiar. The fact is that the lid has not only a decorative function, covering the inside of the device, but also a protective one: inside there is a soldered ring, which, when closed, fits into its own groove, pressed out in the body, and thus blocks access from the outside to anything foreign. Behind the protective ring, the battery terminals and slots for the SIM card and memory card remain intact.

The slot for a microSD memory card is designed in a unique way: it does not have a gripping mechanism; the card must be inserted inside, much like a cartridge into a holder, where it is held only due to the fact that spring-loaded contacts from below push it upward to the edges of the slot. The SIM card is standardly pushed into a deep slot, which becomes not very convenient when using a microSIM with an adapter.

The lid itself is not only traditionally attached to several plastic latches, but is also equipped with a round lock that can be easily opened with a coin or even just a fingernail. The surface of the lid has a ribbed structure and, believe it or not, four legs, which makes the overall appearance of the device even more rough and even somewhat industrial.

Concluding the description of the back of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover, it remains to add that in its upper part there is a digital camera window and next to it there is an LED flash. The flash can also serve as a flashlight, which is quite logical for an “SUV”.

The front surface is completely covered with glass protecting the display, in which holes are cut out for the earpiece grille and buttons. There are only three keys under the screen that control the system, and, lo and behold, they are all mechanical! Their functions are familiar: going back, going to the home screen and calling the context menu. There is no separate search key, although the platform here is based on the second, not the fourth version of the Android OS. The hole for the microphone is located here, at the bottom of the front panel.

As for the controls and connectors, they are all traditionally located along the edges and ends and are convenient for operation by both right and left hands. The power key is on one side, and the volume control key (two-position rocker) is on the opposite side. The latter has a soft ride and a clear response. Like all other keys on the Samsung Galaxy Xcover, it is easy to find, comfortable to press and can be used blindly. This smartphone has very convenient controls, and special thanks to the Koreans for the mechanical buttons on the front panel.

Both connectors at the ends - Micro-USB and 3.5 mm audio output - are covered with plugs with rubber stoppers. As practice has shown, they quite reliably cover the insides of the phone from moisture and dust getting inside. Each of them has a convenient grip groove, so opening and closing these caps is quite easy.

In general, everything in the design and arrangement of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover is thought out and arranged conveniently; there are practically no complaints about the external part of the smartphone. The phone is attractive, does not have provocative or protruding elements, is easy to operate with the fingers of one hand and is suitable for representatives of both sexes, especially when they are dressed in a “sports style”. The level of protection of this phone, which I tested in practice, confirmed the ability of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover to get away with it.

Screen

The display in the Samsung Galaxy Xcover is nothing special. This is a fairly budget solution in the form of a TN-type TFT matrix with low resolution and small viewing angles. If there is a large deviation from the normal to the screen in any of the four directions, the colors are greatly distorted. The screen is not so small in its physical dimensions - almost 3.7 inches diagonally, but the resolution is such that grain is clearly visible to the eye (PPI = 158). Accordingly, the picture on the Samsung Galaxy Xcover screen is not very smooth; small details and fonts are drawn with visible flaws around the edges. Roughness and blurriness in small details are clearly visible.

The brightness reserve is quite enough for any situation; another thing is that in the bright sun the display glares strongly due to the mirror substrate, turning almost into a mirror. There is no option in the settings to enable or disable automatic brightness adjustment - it is only manual.

In numbers, the physical parameters of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover screen are as follows: dimensions are 52x78 mm, diagonal - 93 mm (3.65 inches), resolution - 320x480 pixels. This is a very small resolution by modern standards, and I don’t see a reasonable justification for it. With a diagonal of almost 3.7 inches, the display resolution of a modern smartphone that is comfortable for the eyes should be no lower than 480x800 - manufacturers have already taught us this. The pixel density per inch (PPI) here is only 158 pixels, this value is low, and the grain, as I said, is quite noticeable to the eye.

The screen can be controlled with multi-touch gestures and is quite responsive. There is also a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your head.

Sound

Here, fortunately, there is something to please the potential owner of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover. Both speakers (auditory and external) produce loud, bright and rich sound. Not to say that this is a top-end solution, but for its class it is very good. On a noisy street you won’t miss the ringing signal; the sound at full power is loud, clear and not choking.

The same pleasant, frequency-rich sounds are heard from the auditory speaker. The interlocutor’s speech is clearly distinguishable, as well as his timbre and intonation. Juicy sound, in a word.

The speaker hole, thanks to the very legs that lift the phone above the table surface, is not blocked when the phone is lying face up, and nothing interferes with the propagation of sound.

As for the sound in the headphones, I never saw a complete headset, since the phone arrived at our editorial office without a kit. Connecting your own high-quality headphones gave quite an acceptable result - the Samsung Galaxy Xcover can well be used as an audio player. The settings are standard, it is possible to influence the sound quality using an equalizer and even expand the stereo base due to the built-in virtual 5.1-channel sound technology, which only works when headphones are connected.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy Xcover is equipped with only one digital camera module. This means that you won’t be able to organize a video call or photograph your loved one on your own against the backdrop of conquered peaks.

The single camera module is equipped with a 3-megapixel matrix, and its quality is difficult to withstand criticism. Although everything is equipped competently: there is automatic focusing and an LED flash. However, the quality of the images leaves much to be desired, as you can see for yourself by clicking on the thumbnails below. Why the Koreans equipped a modern smartphone with such a poor camera remains a mystery. But one thing is clear: this can in no way be related to either pricing or the “off-road” purpose of the phone. Next on the site will be a review of a similar rugged phone, the Sony Xperia go, and you will see for yourself that SUVs can also be equipped with good cameras capable of taking excellent pictures. The prices for both devices do not differ much.

With the default settings, shooting is carried out at the highest possible resolution, and the pictures are 2048x1536 pixels in size, which is equivalent to 3.2 megapixels.

Thanks to the built-in macro function, close objects, as well as text from paper or the monitor screen, can be perfectly captured by the camera; you just need to remember to switch the settings to macro mode (otherwise autofocus will not work and the pictures will turn out blurry).

The camera can shoot video in 480p resolution. Below are a couple of videos, up to 15 seconds long, shot at maximum settings at 25 frames per second. The videos are saved in MP4 format and have a resolution of 640x480 pixels. The factory settings are initially set to this resolution.

• Video No. 1 (5.85 MB, 640×480)
• Video No. 2 (2.48 MB, 640×480)

Settings - a minimal set, only the most necessary. The only good thing is the ability to attach geotags to pictures. There is no improvement with HDR technology here.

Software and telephone part

Samsung Galaxy Xcover went on sale and initially runs the old version of Android OS 2.3.6. Samsung put a self-made shell on top of it. Its home screen consists of three horizontally scrolling tables and a fixed panel of four icons at the bottom (exactly the same interface accompanies working with installed applications). Their composition and location can be changed, but I still haven’t found any options for searching and sorting among programs.

The communicator comes pre-installed with several extremely useful programs that really make communicating with the Android system easier. Here the user will find an application manager, which is used to close programs running in the background and thus save battery power, as well as a file manager, necessary for working with files of any type - an analogue of a regular computer file manager.

True, unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the office suite right away. In order to start using this application, you will first have to perform a lot of unnecessary steps: register in your own Samsung Apps application store, going through many steps, then, finally getting to the application store, download from there and install Polaris Office for free. So you want to quickly open a Word page, but you not only have to urgently look for a Wi-Fi point, but also enter logins/passwords, and more than once. At the same time, for starters, the Samsung Apps client itself wanted to update... A completely uncomfortable and unpleasant decision on Samsung’s part.

The Samsung Galaxy Xcover copes well with telephone functions. There is one radio module, one SIM card. The smartphone can operate in four frequency bands GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, so it is quite suitable for travelers, because it will receive a signal in any corner of the world. There is also support for HSDPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz. The operation of the radio part of the communicator is stable, in this sense the phone is reliable. During testing, no freezes or spontaneous reboots/shutdowns were noticed.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Xcover hardware platform is based on the Marvell PXA968 chip. The central processor here is a single-core ARMv7 operating at 800 MHz. It is supported in graphics processing by the Marvell GC800 video accelerator, all of which is serviced by 512 MB of RAM. There is simply no storage available initially for the user to upload their own files. Of course, there is system memory in the smartphone, but it is used only for the system and installed programs. That is, if you connect a smartphone without a memory card to a computer, nothing will happen. The disk is mounted only if you insert a memory card. That’s why the kit comes with a 2 GB microSD card; without it, even the camera will refuse to take pictures. From all this it follows that the vast majority of owners will have to purchase a larger memory card for the Samsung Galaxy Xcover smartphone.

In Quadrant Standard, Samsung Galaxy Xcover scored 1001 points. The result was at the level of the decisions of the year before last. According to the results of the comprehensive AnTuTu benchmark, the Samsung Galaxy Xcover also did not outperform any of the smartphones known to me.

We traditionally tested graphics performance in NenaMark2 (v2.2). Based on the results of several runs, the Marvell GC800 graphics accelerator in this device showed a very modest result of 18 fps.

Battery life

The lithium-ion battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy Xcover is replaceable and has a capacity of 1500 mAh. This is quite a decent capacity for a telephone battery today. And if you consider that such a weak smartphone in terms of performance cannot be loaded with anything special (it is not very comfortable to use in multimedia tasks), then the Samsung Galaxy Xcover can survive as a protected phone for a couple of days. About poor performance - these are not empty words and not bare numbers in benchmarks. Even opening a page in a browser requires patience. Working with Google Play is painful - everything takes a very long time to open.

If you start checking the Samsung Galaxy Xcover battery in various everyday operating modes, the results will not be very pleasing. Continuous reading in the FBReader program in room lighting with a reduced brightness level lasted about 9 hours. MP3 playback with the screen off lasted ridiculously short on a single charge - only 22 hours. Video in an MKV container with a resolution of 720p, which we usually use in testing modern smartphones, naturally, the phone did not “pull”. The smartphone played a regular AVI file with a resolution of 480p with hardware support for 6 hours, which is also not enough. For example, the same Sony Xperia go without hardware support, with serious heating of the case, “puffed” with this file for more than 7 hours. And he played music for the entire 35 hours, while his battery capacity was only 1305 mAh.

A full charge of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover takes 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Prices

The average retail price of the device in rubles in Moscow at the time of reading the article can be found by moving the mouse to the price tag.

Bottom line

As for my own impressions, after a month of using the Samsung Galaxy Xcover, I became convinced that I did not need such a smartphone. Essentially, this is just a rugged phone with the addition of smartphone functions that are not very convenient to perform on the Samsung Galaxy Xcover. The device is recommended only for those people who lead an active lifestyle, move around a lot and look “athletic.” And to reproaches like: “But he’s slow!” - such people answer: “I can’t watch movies on it!”

The phone is officially sold in our country at a price of more than 9 thousand rubles. Is such a purchase justified? Only if you fell in love with his appearance at first sight. The phone really looks attractive, sporty, brutal, “off-road”. Very well protected - except that you can't hammer nails with it. If you don't use it as a multimedia computer or camera, it will do just fine. If you need entertainment, games, a fast browser and good photos, then this is not the place for you. Samsung Galaxy Xcover can only be used comfortably as an audio player. Sony's new SUV, the Xperia go, which replaced the Xperia Active, is now a little more expensive, and I would opt for it. It has a much better camera, smaller dimensions and weight, a brighter screen with a pleasing image to the eye, and a much faster platform with an extremely long battery life. Read a review of this secure smartphone in the very near future.

What I didn't like

A small battery will go to zero in 1 day with minimal load. Weak screen, small amount of built-in memory, terrible lags in new games. I don’t recommend buying it. Oh yes, the shock resistance is low.

What I liked

I bought the phone after reading reviews. I was upset, the only + is its waterproofness.

What I didn't like

Slows down. The sensor is not very responsive when answering a call - you have to move your finger across the screen 2-3 times. The battery is not very durable, although it charges quickly. Sometimes the network disappears (although, as I understand it, this is not only a problem with this model).

What I liked

Shockproof, waterproof - something that very few modern smartphones can boast of.

What I didn't like

The screen seemed better to me when I bought it than during use - its quality is not special. Not in the sense of production, but in the quality of picture transmission.

What I liked

Waterproof and shockproof - what you need for an active life, I don’t understand how you can walk around with huge fragile shovels that are so fashionable now. In terms of functions, it is quite normal for an Android smartphone - all standard applications. There is a built-in GPS navigator. The battery life is not very good, but it is normal for an android.

What I didn't like

small RAM, screen resolution

What I liked

During six months of operation, there are no complaints, reliable and unpretentious like a Kalashnikov assault rifle, convenient, USB at the bottom, which is convenient in a car, robust body, good camera for a 3, communication quality

What I didn't like

WEAK battery.. sometimes slows down..
and in principle it’s not a bad phone))

What I liked

large screen, which is very convenient) flashlight) well, it seems sturdy, I’ve already fallen a couple of times and nothing))

What I didn't like

Holds the charge very poorly. It’s inconvenient to receive and drop a call - it’s immediately placed on the unit - you can’t see who’s calling. The quality of communication is good only in silence.

What I liked

appearance, large screen, strong.

What I didn't like

The firmware is not updated, there is little internal memory, Android applications are gradually getting fatter, some internal logs are being written, the memory is being consumed. Despite the fact that there is still space in the /data section, there is none in the /system section - I cannot install any large application, because... even if it is placed on the card, it is apparently deployed in the system partition, which is tiny here

What I liked

indestructible, fell into puddles, while both the microphone and the speaker work normally, dust and dirt are not scary. I use it without a case, I carry it with the keys in my pocket - only a couple of scratches on the screen after a few years I read in the shower without any problems I haven’t taken underwater photos yet, I’ll do it when I buy a replacement

What I didn't like

Yes, with active use the battery lasts for a day. As I understand it, this is a problem with all new Android smartphones. Of course, there are some models that hold more, but there are not many of them.
Indeed, as has already been said here, they should of course have made the case a little thicker and inserted a larger battery. Let's hope that they will take this wish of ours into account in the next models.
You can buy an 1800 battery for $8. Not much more than my own, but still.

What I liked

You can safely swim with him :) He’s definitely not afraid of water. A very good flashlight. Smartphone. Many different functions and applications. Since this is my first smart phone, I am immensely happy. Nothing slows me down, there is enough memory to install all the applications I need.

What I didn't like

the stupid sensor even reacts to water, which makes water resistance a minus, bad battery (with the Internet on it runs out in 2-3 hours), the unlock and screen lock button sticks, very little memory (not even 200 MB), constant brake (lags, works slowly )

What I liked

water resistance and durability are the main plus for me, since I am very clumsy.

What I didn't like

Battery capacity! Lasts a maximum of 1.5 days with normal working use. Let them borrow technology from Philips so that they don’t have to feed for weeks;)
- Memory, even so, in the new model I would like to see at least gig.

What I liked

Normal "masculine" design, not polished-varnished bullshit. Fits perfectly in the hand. - The build quality is above all praise. Compared to the previous Nokia C6-01, whose body moved apart by 2 mm in the upper right corner and creaked in my hands, I couldn’t be happier. - Repeatedly mentioned moisture and dust protection. There is definitely no dust inside the battery compartment; I didn’t dip it in water. - A separate external button for the flashlight turns into an irreplaceable thing. I remember with horror the shamanic dances on previous smart phones. - The glass still looks like a gorilla’s eye; in some reviews it was said that it is just plastic with a hardening coating. I carry it in my pocket with the keys, I drove the screen a couple of times on sand with small gravel - no scratches. - Little memory forces you to think before installing a program. Thinking this is good plus the phone only has the necessary programs.

What I didn't like

It scratches easily, to everyone who has had it for almost a year! may start cutting out with a full charge!

Samsung Xcover is the first smartphone from this Korean manufacturer that boasts protection against dust and moisture. Subsequently, two more generations of this device appeared on the market. A mobile phone was also released, which also belongs to this series of devices. It is these four gadgets that will be discussed in detail in our material.

Niche

People leading an active lifestyle need special smartphones that can boast high protection from dust and moisture. It is for them that the Xcover series of devices has been developed. It includes 4 devices. Initially, in 2011, the S5690 smartphone and the Samsung B2710 Xcover cell phone went on sale. In 2013, the second generation of the Xcover 2 smartphone was released, which was designated S7710. The next update to the device in this line occurred in 2015, when the Xcover 3, or SM-G388F, appeared on store shelves. It’s worth noting right away that these devices cannot boast of a high level of performance. And their autonomy is not at a very high level. Their main advantage is the high degree of housing protection. Therefore, this line is of greatest interest to those who want to get a high-quality “smart” phone with protection from moisture and dust. At the same time, you will have to overpay for this feature and lose some functionality compared to a regular device.

Set

All devices in this series, including Xcover 2, boast the following equipment:

• The device itself.
• Rechargeable battery.
• Charger.

Other additional accessories (case, protective film, stereo headset and flash drive) will have to be purchased additionally.

Design, ergonomics and control

All devices in this series come in reinforced plastic cases. All communication ports are protected by special rubber plugs. The buttons in these devices are mechanical. There is also a separate button to control the camera. This design solution allows you to shoot, for example, using the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2, even while in the water. The display diagonal size of the largest smartphone in this series, Xcover 3, is 4.5 inches. All control buttons on the side faces of the gadget are grouped. As a result, controlling this device with just the fingers of one hand is not difficult. The same statement is true for the rest of the representatives of this line of gadgets.

CPU

Regarding the Samsung B2710 Xcover cell phone, there is no specific information about the type of chip used, one can only guess about it. The first generation of smartphones in this series was based on the Marvell MG2 processor. It consists of only one computing core, capable of accelerating to 800 MHz under the most intense load. The second generation Samsung Xcover is built on the basis of the NovaThor U8500 dual-core chip developed by Ericsson. Its clock frequency can be increased to 1 GHz. The most productive chip is installed in Xcover 3 - ARMADA PXA1908, designed by Marvell. It consists of 4 computing modules, which accelerate to 1.2 GHz in the heaviest load mode. As can be seen from the given specifications, only the third generation of this device can boast an acceptable level of performance today.

Display and video card

Each smartphone in the XCover line is equipped with a graphics accelerator. This smart engineering solution can significantly reduce the load on the central processor due to the fact that graphics processing falls on the video adapter. The most modest graphics accelerator is installed in the Samsung Xcover S5690. This is AdrCG800. Its computing capabilities are quite enough to process images in a resolution of 320x480 (this is the resolution of the display of this gadget). The screen is based on a TFT matrix. Accordingly, when you deviate from the right viewing angle, the image on the display is distorted. Moreover, this remark is true for all devices in this series. The technical specifications of Xcover 2 are significantly better. It already has a display diagonal of 4 inches and a resolution of 800x480. In this case, image output is provided by the Mali 400MP graphics adapter. The parameters in Samsung Xcover 3 are even better. It has a Vivante GC7000UL graphics chip. The screen diagonal in this case is increased and is 4.5 inches. But the resolution is exactly the same as its predecessor - 800 x 480. The B2710 cell phone has the most modest graphics system parameters in this family of devices. The screen diagonal is 2 inches, and its resolution is 240x320.

Cameras, photo and video capabilities

All gadgets in the Xcover line have the ability to take photos and record videos. The camera in the Samsung Xcover GT-B2710 has the most modest characteristics. It has a 2 megapixel sensor. There are no additional technologies (autofocus, stabilization system, backlight). Therefore, the photo quality is very, very modest in good lighting. Well, in the dark the situation will be even worse. The situation is similar with video recording. The device can record videos in 160x128 resolution. The camera in the first generation Xcover is slightly better. It already has a 3.2 megapixel sensor and has LED backlighting. And in Xcover 2 the sensor is already 5 megapixels, there is LED backlighting and autofocus. Photo quality is acceptable. This device can record video in 720p format. An identical sensor element is installed in the Samsung Xcover 3. Everything is the same with photos, but it can record video in 1080p format. There is also a 2 MP front camera with which you can make video calls.

Memory

Only 40 MB is installed in the Samsung Xcover cell phone. This is clearly not enough for comfortable work, and to solve the problem of lack of memory, the owner of this gadget will have to install an additional flash card, the maximum size of which can reach 32 GB. Moreover, the problem of insufficient capacity of the built-in storage is typical for all devices in this series. This can only be solved using an external drive. The first smartphone in this series has 512 MB of RAM and 150 MB of built-in storage. The second generation Xcover 2 is already equipped with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of integrated storage (of which only 1 GB is allocated for installing programs and storing the user’s personal data). The situation with memory is even better in Xcover 3. There is already 1.5 GB of RAM and 8 GB of built-in storage (in this case, the owner of the gadget can count on 3 GB).

Autonomy

The cell phone of this line boasts a high degree of autonomy. Its battery capacity is 1300 mAh. We add just one SIM card and a 2-inch diagonal and we get 4-5 days of battery life in “dialer” mode (that is, only for calls and SMS). If the device is used as a compass, then the specified number of days will be reduced to 3. Well, in maximum economy mode, this device can last 7 days. The battery capacity of 1500 mAh allows you to count on 2-3 days of operation on one charge at an average load level. In the most intensive mode, this value will be reduced to 1 day, but in the maximum saving mode, this gadget can work for 4 days. The proportional increase in the Xcover 2 battery capacity to 1700 mAh and the screen to 4 inches allows you to count on exactly the same autonomy parameters. The battery in the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 is even larger - 2200 mAh. But it uses a more powerful central processor and increases the screen diagonal to 4.5 inches. As a result, the autonomy indicators of this smartphone are almost completely identical to those of its two predecessors.

Data exchange

The most modest set of interfaces in a cell phone of this series. It only has Bluetooth (for exchanging information with similar devices), GSM (provides making calls, receiving and receiving SMS and MMS and connecting to the Internet), GPS (allows you to use the gadget as a full-fledged navigator) and MicroUSB (synchronization with PC, a stereo headset is also connected to the same connector). Smartphones in this series boast the following interfaces:

• One slot for installing a SIM card. The first smartphone supported only GSM networks, but the Samsung Galaxy Xcover S7710 expanded this list to 3G. Well, Xcover 3 also added LTE. All this allows you to make calls, exchange SMS and MMS, and receive information from the Internet.
• “Wi-Fi” is the main wireless interface that allows you to receive and send information from the World Wide Web.
• Bluetooth allows you to connect a wireless headset to your smartphone and exchange files with similar mobile devices.
• The presence of GPS sensors and support for A-GPS technology allows you to quite accurately and very quickly determine the location of the device.
• The micro-USB port allows gadgets in this series to be synchronized with a PC. It is also used to charge the battery.

System software

The cell phone in this series uses an operating system with a minimal set of functions. All smartphones in this series use the most popular software platform for mobile devices - Android - as system software. The first device operates under version 2.3. The second gadget has version 4.1 installed. Well, Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 is equipped with a fairly recent version 4.4. From the standpoint of software compatibility, it is the 3rd revision of this gadget that looks most optimal. All existing applications should be installed on it without any problems.

Price

It is no longer possible to purchase the first generation Samsung Galaxy Xcover. It has been out of production for quite some time, and its warehouse stocks have been sold out. The same is true for the B2710 mobile phone. This is not surprising. After all, their sales started more than four years ago, and during this time they have become outdated both morally and physically. Xcover 2 is still available from stock. Its current value is $180. This is a fairly high price for a device with such hardware characteristics. But, as noted earlier, this cost is due to the special design of the case. The same is true for Xcover 3, sales of which started relatively recently. The cost of this device is $250.