Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro, Tab Active5 Pro arrive with faster chips, bigger batteries

Samsung is launching Pro versions of the rugged Galaxy XCover7 and Galaxy Tab Active5 from last year. The Pros bring higher performance and larger battery capacities, plus upgrades to display brightness, the sound system and more.

These are aimed primarily at enterprise and government customers – hospitality and construction workers, first responders and others. As such, they have been designed to work in tough environments and have bespoke features for workplaces not found on common phones and tablets.

The Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro is now powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is twice as fast as the Dimensity 6100+ in the original XCover7. This is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB built-in storage, plus a microSD slot for cards up to 2TB.

Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro

The battery capacity has increased to 4,350mAh, up from 4,050mAh on the original. Charging is done over USB-C (3.2) or via the pogo pins, which are intended to work with a variety of docks.

The Galaxy XCover7 Pro is dust and waterproof with an IP68 rating (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes) and is MIL-STD-810H compliant. Also, it has been tested with common sanitizers (ethanol, Clorox, Medilox), so it can be used in workplaces where regular cleaning and sanitization is a requirement.

The phone has a 6.6” LCD with 1080p+ resolution (20:9) now with 120Hz refresh rate. It has Vision Booster (brightness) and Touch Sensitivity modes (can work with leather gloves up to 2mm thick). Like before, the display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+.

XCover7 Pro with brighter display with GG Victus+ and stereo speakers

The Pro model now has stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. There are customizable keys, Top Key and XCover Key, which can be assigned to various functions, e.g. push-to-talk mode to use the phone as a walkie-talkie or code scanning.

There is a dual camera on the back, 50MP main and 8MP ultra-wide, plus a 13MP front-facing camera. Connectivity includes 5G (sub-6GHz, SIM+eSIM), Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro has a larger 10.1” 1,920 x 1,200px LCD (16:10) with 120Hz refresh rate and Touch Sensitivity. This is up from an 8.0” display on the regular Tab Active5. The new panel is brighter too with 600 nits and has improved protection with Gorilla Glass Victus+ (up from GG5).

The Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro has a larger 10.1” LCD with S Pen support

The tablet also uses the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, which can be configured with 6/128GB or 8/256GB memory. This is expandable with microSD cards up to 2TB.

The Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro has double the battery capacity of the vanilla model and its power system is quite interesting. The 10,100mAh battery is hot-swappable (i.e. you can replace it without powering off the tablet first). And it can run in No Battery Mode, powered directly from the wall. This is intended for semi-permanent installation in vehicles, as a kiosk or a workstation without worrying about a lithium battery that is plugged in 24/7. The tablet supports USB-C (3.2) and pogo pin charging.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro

Both the phone and the tablet support the Samsung DeX desktop experience. They also feature fingerprint and face unlock, plus Samsung’s security suite with Knox and Knox Vault.

Like the phone, the Tab Active5 Pro is rated IP68 and MIL-STD-810H, the included S Pen is also IP68. It has been tested with sanitizers too.

The Tab Active5 Pro has another neat trick – the NFC reader can work through the display, which simplifies its use as a mobile Point-Of-Sale (mPOS) setup. Additional connectivity includes 5G (sub-6GHz, SIM+eSIM), Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are stereo speakers too with anti-feedback technology, which ensures clear voice communication.

The customizable Active Key can be set up to launch the mPOS system, barcode scanning, etc.

The Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro and Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro will be available later this month, though the US launch is set for early June. In Europe, the XCover7 Pro will cost €610 and the Tab Active5 Pro (128GB) will be €810.

Samsung forecasts that the rugged smartphone market will grow to 4.46 million by 2028, while the rugged tablet market will go up to 1.89 million as demand from retail, government, logistics, healthcare and manufacturing fields grows.

“At Samsung, we understand that frontline professionals need technology that adapts to their fast-paced and demanding work environments. The Galaxy XCover7 Pro and Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro combine ruggedized durability, enterprise-grade security, seamless connectivity and intuitive AI-driven features to help businesses operate efficiently in harsh conditions while maximizing productivity and minimizing downtime,” said Jerry Park, EVP and Head of Global Mobile B2B Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics.

Source

Samsung Galaxy XCover7