A Samsung-made device that may be the upcoming Galaxy Xcover 5 leaked online earlier this week, with a real-life image of it being shared by industry insider Roland Quandt. The photograph that can be seen above depicts a rugged handset with a single-lens camera setup accompanied by what appears to be a triple-LED flash unit, with the black body of the smartphone having a textured rubber finish, much like the previous members of the Galaxy Xcover lineup. While triple-LED flashes aren’t unprecedented in the mobile industry, they’re still a rare feature that has so far only been reserved for niche offerings. With the exception of Microsoft’s Lumia 950 series from 2015, not a single smartphone with a triple-LED flash has ever been available for purchase on a global level.
The Galaxy Xcover 5 is also unlikely to enjoy worldwide availability, with Samsung only being expected to retail the handset in select European and Asian markets, as well as Canada, as was the case with all previous members of the rugged smartphone family. The Galaxy Xcover 4 officially launched in March of 2017 and became available for purchase a month later. Much like its predecessor, the Galaxy Xcover 5 is expected to feature internal specs that place it in the lower end of the mid-range market and is likely to be powered by Samsung’s own Exynos chip from the 7000 series. The 2017 handset had 2GB of RAM and its follow-up may improve on that memory configuration, in addition to doubling the 16GB of internal flash memory found inside the last official Galaxy Xcover-branded offering.
Ever since its inception in 2011, the Galaxy Xcover lineup has been advertised to budget-conscious consumers looking for a smartphone that’s both affordable and extremely durable. While the original S5690 Galaxy Xcover retailed for approximately $100 and subsequent iterations of the concept had their prices increased, the Galaxy Xcover 5 is still expected to feature a price tag in the ballpark of $300. Samsung is likely to announce the handset without much fanfare this spring, presumably introducing it with the same 5.0-inch LCD panel featured on its previous rugged mid-ranger. The company unveiled its most powerful flagships to date last Sunday, having launched them in the form of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus which officially became available for pre-orders earlier today.