It seems like Samsung is planning to announce a new rugged smartphone this year. Some of you are probably heard of Samsung’s Xcover lineup of smartphones, a lineup of rugged devices that Samsung has been releasing for years… though they do not arrive every year, more like every two years or so.
Considering that the company did not announce one last year, a new one was expected this year, and a new listing that was spotted in The Netherlands more or less confirms that. The company had introduced the Xcover 3 back in 2015, the Xcover 4 arrived in 2017, so by sheer logic, Samsung should announce the Xcover 5 in 2019, right? Well, not exactly, at least not according to this listing.
According to the listing spotted by the GalaxyClub, the device will be called the Xcover 4S, at least in some regions. This may not be a major upgrade over its predecessor due to its name, in fact, Samsung may stick with the same design of the device.
The listing claims that the Xcover 4S will cost €250, at least in The Netherlands, which is to be expected, as the Xcover series was never Samsung’s premium series of devices, or anything of the sort.
This listing does not reveal the design of the phone, nor its specifications. One tidbit has been revealed, however, the phone’s launch timeframe. According to the listing, the device will become available in the first week of June, which means that Samsung will probably announce it really soon. It is quite possible that this will be a quiet launch, without a proper press conference or anything of the sort.
This phone is expected to include 3GB of RAM on the inside, claims the source, while Android 9 Pie will also be included in the package. The Exynos 7885 64-bit octa-core processor may fuel this phone, while the device will probably be both IP68 and MIL-STD-810G certified, which essentially means that it will be both water and dust resistant, and that it will be able to handle drops.
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 featured three physical keys below the display, and it’s possible that the same will happen with the Xcover 4S as well, as that is something that Samsung prefers when it comes to rugged phones, and it makes sense.
The Galaxy Xcover 4 featured a 5-inch HD display, and it’s possible that the Xcover 4S will ship with that same panel, though if Samsung wants to modernize the phone a bit, the device may include a slightly larger display with a taller aspect ratio.
The phone is expected to include a single camera on the back, though Samsung may surprise us in that regard. The Galaxy Xcover 4 included a 2,800mAh battery, and the Xcover 4S’ battery pack size will depend on the size of its display, primarily, of course. The device is expected to include a 3.5mm headphone jack, just like its predecessor, while Samsung probably will not offer many color options, in fact, the device may end up shipping in a single color variant.