Samsung's Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro and Galaxy XCover 6 Pro are rugged devices designed for frontline workers, businesses, and those who work outdoors.
Samsung is bringing two new rugged devices to the U.S. – the Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro and the Galaxy XCover6 Pro. While Samsung may have just launched its first rugged smartwatch in form of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, it has been making rugged phones and tablets for years. Many folks will remember the now-defunct Galaxy S Active smartphones which were rugged variants of the Galaxy S flagships.
The Galaxy S Active smartphones featured a metal frame, reinforced corners, shock resistance, a shatter-resistant display, IP68 dust and water resistance rating, and MIL-STD-810G certification. The phones were sold exclusively by AT&T in the U.S. Unfortunately, Samsung discontinued the series after the launch of the Galaxy S8 Active in 2017, but has retained the XCover series as an alternative.
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The Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro was first announced in August while the XCover 6 Pro was unveiled in June. Samsung had previously confirmed that the tablet would get a U.S. launch, and it is now available to buy in the U.S. via Samsung Business, Samsung.com, Amazon Business, and Samsung's tier one and two IT channel partners. The rugged tablet has a starting price of $649. On the other hand, the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro will be available starting Oct. 20 through select carriers and the aforementioned channels. Samsung hasn't revealed the smartphone's price yet.
The Galaxy XCover 6 Pro has a 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD screen with Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection. It is powered by the Snapdragon 778G processor and comes in a single 6GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. There is also a microSD card slot so users can add up to an additional 1TB of storage. It has a 50MP f/1.8 main camera paired with an 8MP ultra-wide camera, while a 13MP camera is placed in the front. The phone has an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating and is MIL-STD-810H compliant. For connectivity, it has a USB-C 3.2 port, sub-6GHz 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.2. It also has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and a headphone jack. Unlike other Samsung phones, the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro's 4,050AmAh battery is replaceable and users can charge via the USB-C port or POGO pins. Samsung ships it with Android 12 and promises it will receive four OS upgrades.
The Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro has a 10.1-inch LCD display with Gorilla Glass 5, an unnamed octa-core processor, up to 6GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of expandable storage. It has a single 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. It also has a removable 7,600mAh battery and charges via USB-C and POGO pins. What is even more interesting is that it can be connected directly to a power source without the battery inside. There is NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, and sub-6GHz 5G for connectivity. Samsung will offer it in Wi-Fi and 5G variants, with the latter having dual SIM support. It will also run Android 12 out of the box and comes with an S Pen that has an IP68 rating like the tablet.
Both devices have some features in common such as increased touch sensitivity, support for gloves, and enhanced speakers. Samsung's rugged devices can function as a mobile POS (mPOS) and support CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) so businesses can use them for their private network service.
Habeeb has years of experience covering consumer technology and has written for multiple publications. As a Senior Writer at Screen Rant, he enjoys writing about wearables, smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks. Several of his articles include guides and comparisons that help users get the best out of their devices or choose the one that bests suits them. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows. He considers The Crown as peak drama and Castlevania as one of the best game-to-screen adaptations. And on days when there is nothing to watch (is that even possible?), he sneaks in a few hours of games on his PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.