Of course, Samsung is one of the leaders in the mobile phone market. Among the entire rich assortment of a wide variety of models, there are specially protected Samsung phones. They boast not only advanced technical characteristics, but also high safety.
Protected Samsung phones. C3350 (Xcover 2)
The device with a physical keyboard Samsung C3350 is designed specifically for calls. But it also stands out with its rugged IP67 housing. Thus, the phone does not pass liquid and has anti-shock properties. An interesting design element is a kind of "ear" for the belt on the back. Therefore, Samsung C3350 can be attached to clothes, accessories, bags and backpacks. Samsung C3350 has a 2.2-inch TFT display (320x240), a 2-megapixel camera (PictBridge, maximum photo resolution 1600×1200, 2x digital zoom) and a 1300 mAh battery.
Protected Samsung phones. GT-B2710 (Xcover)
The B2710 is one of the first truly rugged phones from Samsung. This mobile device can withstand very serious loads, and we also practically do not kill. The safety standards MIL-STD-810F, IP6X and IPX7 also speak about its strong body. Falls, dirt, water and much more will not harm him. Other features of the Samsung GT-B2710: 2-inch TFT screen (320 by 240 pixels), 2-megapixel camera (maximum video resolution - 320x240, photo - 1600x1200), 30 MB of internal memory (microSD support), 1300 mAh battery. It also has 3G, a compass and a flashlight.
Protected Samsung phones. Galaxy xCover GT-S5690
Samsung's first waterproof touchscreen smartphone was the Galaxy xCover GT-S5690. The device has a familiar and recognizable design line Galaxy. Water tightness is provided by rubberized plugs. At the same time, the smartphone is based on a full-fledged Android 2.3 operating system, and also has a 3.65-inch TFT touchscreen display with a resolution of 480x320. The Samsung Galaxy xCover GT-S5690 has a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash (maximum video resolution is 640x480), a Marvell MG2 single-core processor (800 MHz clock speed, Adreno 200 video accelerator), 512 MB of RAM and 150 MB of free space and a 1500 mAh battery.
Protected Samsung phones. Galaxy xCover 2 GT-S7710
Smartphone Samsung Galaxy xCover 2 GT-S7710 is a modified version of its predecessor. The case turned out to be even more secure, and also has an IP67 certificate. Other features have also been improved: 4-inch TFT screen (800x480, 233 ppi), 5-megapixel camera (maximum video resolution 1280x720, auto focus, LED flash), 0.3-megapixel front camera, dual-core processor (1000 MHz), 4 GB user and 1 GB of RAM, as well as a 1700 mAh battery. Samsung Galaxy xCover 2 GT-S7710 runs on Android 4.1.
Protected Samsung phones. Galaxy S4 Active (GT-I9295)
The recent flagship Galaxy S4 received its protected version. The model is called Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (GT-I9295). This device has all modern functions and degree of safety IP67. The filling of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active really inspires respect: Android 4.2 platform, LTE, 3G, GPS (GLONASS), NFC, IRDA, 5-inch TFT touch screen (1920x1080, 441 ppi), 8-megapixel camera (auto focus, flash, maximum video resolution - 1920 by 1080 pixels), 2-megapixel front camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor (four cores, 1900 MHz, Adreno 320 graphics accelerator), 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, 2600 mAh battery.
Protected Samsung phones. Galaxy S5
The latest flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy S5 immediately received not only impressive technical specifications, but also acquired an IP67-class protected case. However, it still remained plastic and received a similar design to its predecessors. Security was achieved with the help of rubber inserts and plugs. The device does not allow dust and water to penetrate, but it is better not to lower it to a depth. As for the filling, it is simply the best today: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor (clock frequency 2500 MHz, Adreno 330 graphics chip, four cores), 5.1-inch display (Super AMOLED, 1920x1080), 2-megapixel front and 16-megapixel camera, 2 GB of RAM, battery capacity 2800 mAh, operating system Android 4.4 KitKat (Google).
08.11.2012
Introduction
Recently, "protected" phones are becoming more and more in demand, and demand, as you know, gives rise to supply. And today, indeed, there is plenty to choose from:
- 3 rugged phones from Texet - TM-502R (with protection class - IP65 and with a removable gray protective cover that is worn over the phone), TM-503RS (the same as the previous model, but with a solar battery on the back cover and a casing already yellow) and a new model - TM-510R (orange with a beautiful keyboard, external compass on a cord and IP67 protection class, but having serious complaints about the build quality!);
- Fly OD1 (in two colors - black and green, and IP54 protection class);
- Discovery Expedition from the well-known company Huawei (protection - IP57; if you follow this link, you can see an interesting crash test of this phone on the Onliner website!);
- Outfone BD351G (with a very interesting bundle, which, for example, includes: a second spare battery, a removable external antenna and a flashlight to charge the phone itself!);
- several phones from iTravel (they even have a floating model - IM121B!);
- 4 models from the new company Senseit (with a protection class - IP67, with a class - IP57, - IP57, and - IP57, - the latter can even be called "the first protected grandfatherphone"!);
- and several "armored cars" from Sonim (these are the most expensive rugged phones, their cost starts from 10 thousand rubles and reaches about 30, although they differ little from some other similar phones at a much lower cost! By the way, the first two models from Texet outwardly very similar to Sonim phones).
And smartphone lovers also have plenty to choose from:
- Samsung 5690 Galaxy Xcover (protection class - IP67);
- Motorola Defy and Motorola Defy+ (both are not officially shipped to our country);
- Senseit P4 (protection - IP67);
- several rugged smartphones from Sony, which is actively undertaking to produce such devices: Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (with an IP67 protection class and a case more suitable for travel than other similar smartphones), Sony Xperia go (with protection - IP67) and Sony Xperia acro S (protection - IP57);
- and also - Texet TM-3200R (the only smartphone today that has a truly protected case against falls, but in terms of technical characteristics it is weaker than other rugged smartphones!).
Photo gallery of protected "all-terrain vehicles":
But all of them are surpassed by the last two secure Samsung phones - B2710 and C3350! They bypass some in terms of functionality (Fly and all models of Texet, iTravel and Senseit), the second - in price (Discovery Expedition, Outfone BD351G and especially Sonim), the third - in protection and operating time (these are all protected phones with weak batteries and protection class lower than IP67, as well as all smartphones - they are not protected from serious falls, except Texet TM-3200R, and have weaker batteries, so they are more suitable for use in the city - you can talk on them without fear in the rain and press the displays with wet fingers) .
Therefore, this review will be devoted to a detailed comparison of the previous secure phone from Samsung - B2710 - and the new one - C3350. First of all, the review will be of interest to those who already have a B2710 (they will find out what to expect or not to expect from a new phone), and to those who, on the contrary, do not have a previous phone and are going to purchase a new one - C3350 (for them - detailed description of the phone and its capabilities).
In general, this review, with the same success, could be published on the page of the B2710 phone, but I have already devoted two admiring reviews to it ( and ) and therefore decided to publish it here, on the page of the C3350 phone, especially since I have not yet written about it told. [The review is available on the pages of both phones. - Approx. ed.]
If someone is interested to know how the numbers indicating the protection class of phones (IP54 / 67 and others) are deciphered and which manufacturers of such phones love to show off so much, then you can follow this link - detailed information is given there! I also note that these figures only speak of protection against dust and water, but not about the protection of the case during falls! In this case, you need to look at the case itself, if it is large and has various linings made of different materials, then it is well protected! So far, there are no special criteria and numbers by which it would be possible to determine how strongly the case itself is protected, so each manufacturer makes them as he sees fit.
Story
Well, first things first, and for starters, a little digression into history. In 2008, Samsung decided to meet users halfway and release its first secure phone, and in order not to take risks (because it was their first such experience), it was decided to take a proven budget model as a basis (according to one information she became C140, and according to another - C170) and turn her body into a protected one. So saw the light (or rolled off the assembly line) of the first secure phone company "Samsung" - M110. And although it had the highest protection class at that time - IP54 (good protection against dust and sand, but weak against water - by the way, the modern Fly OD1 has exactly the same!), Some professional reviewers of mobile equipment considered its protection rather weak and called it - "pseudo-defence" (or "parody of defense"). But this circumstance did not in the least prevent the company from selling it in Europe in large quantities (apparently, the shortage of such phones at that time affected), which was a complete surprise for the company itself, because. they did not believe in this idea from the very beginning!
It was produced in two colors (black and green) and had the following parameters: size - 109x48x17.9 mm, weight - 95 g, screen diagonal - 1.52 inches, battery - 1000 mAh, bluetooth version 1.2 (now it is already old, slow version), radio, camera - 0.3 megapixel with a flash that could work as a weak flashlight, also included was a strap with a carabiner. The starting price of a phone in our country was too high (a common thing for Samsung devices!) and amounted to about 4,000 rubles.
Encouraged by the sales of its first "protected" phone, the company "Samsung" in the same 2008 releases its next such phone - B2700. It had 3 colors (gray, blue and red) and the following specifications: dimensions 115x52x18 mm, weight - 107 g, screen diagonal - 1.9 "and resolution - 176x220, internal memory - 30 MB plus a slot for memory cards (up to 8 GB), a 2 megapixel camera, a 1300 mAh battery, as well as a radio, a pedometer, a compass, an altimeter and a flashlight (functions that are not superfluous on a hike and even necessary for a protected phone!), And the kit included a strap with a carabiner, a headset and a device for removing the back cover.The protection class remains the same - IP54, but the body of the device has become stronger and more protected, withstanding serious falls!
A year later, in March 2009, Samsung released its next secure phone - B2100, which again had 3 colors (red, dark gray and green), and its characteristics were as follows: dimensions 113x48.9x17.4 mm, weight 103 g, screen diagonal - 1.77 "and resolution - 120x160, battery - 1000 mAh, camera - 1.3 megapixels, and a flashlight. In general, it has become a little smaller and lighter than the previous model, but at the same time, it lost in all other respects, except for the protection class, which it already had quite decent - IP57, that is, it was protected from water as well as modern "protected" phones!
Then came the turn of the E2370 phone, released in 2010 (that is, also a year later). Its screen parameters were the same as those of the previous model, the dimensions of the steel case were 112x49x19 mm, and the weight was 117 g, the camera resolution decreased to mocking 0.3 megapixels (as in the very first secure phone of the company!), the built-in memory became only 9 MB (but, as before, it was possible to use memory cards), only a flashlight remained of the functions necessary for secure phones, and the protection class decreased and became the same as it was with the very first secure phone (M110) and the B2700 (released 2 years ago) - IP54!
In general, it would have been a complete failure if not for one circumstance - it had the record-breaking 2000 mAh battery among all rugged phones, thanks to which it became famous in the first place (even now, many phones cannot boast of such a battery! ), he allowed him to be in standby mode up to 1600 hours (according to other sources - 1040 hours) and work up to 22 hours in talk mode! And it is precisely because of such a powerful battery that the phone weighs more than all other secure Samsung phones of all time!
In the same 2010, Samsung released (the starting price in our country is about 4790 rubles) another secure phone - it was a brutal handsome B2710, which had 2 colors (black and red) and surpassed all previous secure phones of the company in functionality, and even now many multimedia phones don't have the capabilities they had at the time (although usually rugged phones are made less functional than "simple" mid-range phones)!!!
Its technical characteristics were as follows: dimensions - 120.7x53x17.9 mm, weight - 115 g, the screen diagonal increased to 2.0 inches, and the resolution became 240x320 (i.e. the screen became larger than on all previous protected phones of the company ), the battery is 1300 mAh, which allowed you to talk up to 14.5 hours (according to other sources, up to 19 hours!), And in standby mode it could last up to 600 hours, the camera became 2 megapixels (also more than on all previous phones !), internal memory became - 34 MB and support for memory cards up to 32 GB appeared (according to other sources - up to 16 GB, but usually, as practice shows, the manufacturer greatly underestimates this figure), the compass, pedometer, flashlight appeared again (yes such as you won't find on any other phone!!!), a radio with the ability to record (and immediately into the main music format - MP3), as well as navigation - GPS and GPS + (or a-GPS)!
It had the maximum protection class at that time - IP67 (now some protected Sonim phones already have IP68 protection class, but in reality 67 is quite enough!). This means it is completely dust/sand resistant and can be submerged in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, and it can withstand extreme temperatures - proven by extreme users! Although these figures, of course, are underestimated and are only the guarantee that Samsung can confidently give that nothing bad will happen to the phone in such conditions and it will continue to be fully operational!
I remember reading one review by a happy owner of this phone, who told how he drowned this phone in a river, the depth of which was not a meter at all (recommended by the manufacturer), and he lay there not for 30 minutes, but for a day or even two, during which he looked for him at the bottom. As a result, he found him and they were very happy to meet each other again, especially the phone ☺ was happy, which continued to please its owner with its trouble-free operation! Another user reported that he generally dived into the sea with this phone, to a depth of 15 meters - and the phone did not care! It makes no sense to list all the amazing records of this phone, many of us have seen them on the Internet, seen what it is really capable of. But, of course, it’s not worth repeating such experiments (especially since others have already done them for you!), Of course, if you want him to continue to please you! But when some force majeure happens, he will definitely not let you down! Yes, Samsung has come a long way, especially considering their very first "secure" phone!
And now, again, a year later (in October 2011), Samsung again distinguished itself and released a new secure phone - C3350 - thereby preventing everyone from enjoying the previous phone! It had, unlike all the previous ones, only one color (officially - "gray steel") and at the start of sales it cost about the same as the previous phone, but I managed to save a lot - writing it out of the online store " Ozone"! I was one of the first to purchase this phone, because. I thought that it would be better than the previous one, and judging by its characteristics, it turned out that way: dimensions - 122x53x17.9 mm, weight - 110 g, screen resolution remained the same - 240x320, but now the diagonal increased to 2.2 "camera and the battery also remained the same - 2 megapixels and 1300 mAh, respectively, although the operating time increased (which is strange with a larger screen, maybe somehow improved energy saving) and now it could work up to 19 hours of talk time and up to 1000 hours in standby mode, the internal memory also increased - up to 50 MB (plus, of course, a memory card up to 32 GB), the radio began to work without headphones!
But the main thing is that the protection class remains the same - IP67, so all those fantastic protection capabilities that the previous phone had were extended to this one!
If you look at the technical specifications, you can see that the new phone surpasses the previous one in almost all respects, I was even surprised myself while listing them! But if you work a little with them, then a completely different picture opens up, not so rosy! This is the comparison we are now going to do!
Minuses
I will do the opposite and first talk about its disadvantages in order to end the story on an optimistic note! The package bundle for both phones turned out to be completely the same (one to one, even the USB cable for connecting to a PC was “forgotten” to put in again!), except for the instructions that the previous phone had in the form of a thick booklet of small sizes (with a detailed description of the functions of the phone and with color pictures), the new phone is just a folded sheet, which is usually put on budget phones (up to 1000 rubles) - a phone worth almost 5 thousand rubles should not have such an instruction!
The box has also become much smaller, more similar to the one that the E2370 had - although this circumstance cannot be considered a minus, saving paper (and therefore saving our forests) is only welcome!
But if you pay attention to the dimensions and the same inscriptions on the boxes of the E2370 and C3350 phones ("Xcover" and "Xcover 2", respectively), then we can assume that the C3350 model is a direct continuation of the E2370 model, then a lot falls into place and a lot can be explained , for example, why is C3350 worse than B2710 but better than E2370! It was just necessary to swap the time of the release of the B2710 and C3350 phones, then everything would become logical and each new phone would become better than the previous one!
The first time when I just bought my first rugged phone - Samsung B2710, it made a shocking impression with its size, especially against the background of my favorite ultra-thin one - Nokia 5310 (my review about it), but then I quickly got used to it, and now it is very fits comfortably in the hand, you don’t even want to let go!
The new model, although it has become a little lighter in weight, but it looks larger in width and this makes it uncomfortable in the hand, as if it does not fit in it! But what is most interesting is that the dimensions of both phones are completely the same (only the height of the new phone is higher, and then only by 2 mm)!!! I didn't even believe this information in the technical specifications and measured both phones - indeed, the numbers turned out to be correct and both phones have exactly the same dimensions, even amazing! Apparently, due to the increased diagonal of the screen, as well as the metal-like body painted in a certain way, an optical illusion is created and the C3350 looks wider and thinner, which in turn affects the perception of its weight in the hand - it feels heavier, although in fact In fact, it is even lighter than the previous one by 5 g!
The keyboard has also become less comfortable, especially the entire center key (on the previous two phones, the keyboards were much better, with high split keys!). And as the advertisement for the B2710 phone said - "you can type SMS even with gloves on!" - this is unlikely to be done on the new phone!
Conclusion
Well, that's all I wanted to tell you about these phones! Read, think, choose! Although you don’t really have to choose, since the B2710 has long been discontinued and it’s almost impossible to find it in stores (only in some little-known and dubious online stores, although I even saw it in the well-known SotMarket, but there it now it costs even more than it cost 2 years ago at the very beginning of sales, the store justifies its status - "one of the most expensive stores in the network"!), Another option is to purchase it "from hand" from a good friend.
Samsung B2710 is the best phone among all rugged phones released of all time!!! But if I didn’t have it and there would be nothing to compare with, then I would probably be satisfied with the functionality and protection of the C3350! Therefore, if you do not have a B2710 at your disposal and you have a need to purchase a "protected" phone, then look towards the "Samsung C3350"! And if you compare it with "protected" phones from other manufacturers, then it will bypass them in terms of price-functionality-quality ratio! Therefore, he has no competitors now, take him - he will not let you down! And the title of this review reflects only a comparison of these two phones, but not them separately!
If in my first reviews I rated the B2710 phone at 8 points, now I would give it all the maximum 10 points, but I can’t give the C3350 more than 7 points, and this is only for its powerful protection, excellent player and good camera.
Dmitry
And during the first months of operation they take care of it, buy various covers, they are afraid to drop it. For many years, we were similar users and were quite sensitive to our mobile devices. All this continued until the receipt of the Samsung GT-B2710 Xcover mobile phone for testing, which is ready to work in the most incredible conditions for a mobile phone.
Before getting to know the telephone, I could never afford to try to destroy the phone - it was always a pity to destroy a working device. But it often happens that the mobile phone slips off, falls on the floor, or we fill it with some kind of drink from a glass. It is especially scary to take expensive smartphones with you on trips, hiking, often when visiting the gym we left the device in the car so as not to accidentally damage it. The new mobile phone Samsung GT-B2710 Xcover is designed to be close to the user in all life situations from the beginning of a visit to the gym to the shower after it.
The good news is that if the phone falls, there will be no problems with its warranty service. Many have come across a situation where the appearance of one scratch on the screen leads to a complete rejection of the manufacturer's warranty. You can carry the new mobile phone Samsung GT-B2710 Xcover in one pocket with keys, nails and nothing will happen to it.
Many of us like to visit crowded places, concerts, clubs and always try to stay in touch. Most of us have already lost our mobile friends after a successful visit to such places and thought about the lost funds. The new mobile phone Samsung GT-B2710 Xcover does not belong to this category. The cost of a mobile phone does not exceed $ 150 even in the most expensive mobile phone store in the capital, so many of us will be able to purchase several of these phones instead of one expensive premium smartphone. New in the range of rugged mobile phones
Unfortunately, the secure solutions that previously existed on the mobile phone market managed to discourage users from purchasing these devices. Suffice it to recall the tourist variants of mobile phones from Nokia, which, despite being bulky enough, did not have either full protection from external physical factors, or any necessary functionality, and the need to pay extra for pseudo-protection scared away many potential buyers.
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Perhaps that is why, having received a new mobile phone Samsung B2710 Xcover for testing, we treated it rather coolly. A big phone, without a touch screen, and even costing less than $150, caused indifference in the happy owner of the HTC Desire HD2 smartphone, purchased for $800. So our test participant lay in the glove compartment of the car for a long 1.5 months, until at one fine moment, a day of active use of the HTC Desire HD2 smartphone completely discharged it and it let me down at the most inopportune moment. The new Samsung B2710 Xcover turned out to be at hand, and its place was replaced by the discharged HTC Desire HD2, which still serves as a fashion mobile phone, and only the participant of our review Samsung B2710 Xcover is suitable for everyday use 24/7. Until now, this phone is used with particular enthusiasm, in the last month it has been visited by ten different users, six of whom have already purchased a similar device as a second mobile phone.
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The new phone is absolutely not afraid of bathing in the bath and manages to make and receive calls right in the water. After filling the speaker with water, it starts to wheeze a little, which is easily corrected by the usual shaking and the phone becomes like new. After falling on tiled surfaces, there were no injuries on the walls of the phone. There was one incident with the plastic cover of the battery compartment coming off after falling from the second floor of the building onto concrete - otherwise everything is fine.
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The specifications of the device indicate that the device can withstand thirty minutes of being under water. We kept it in a bowl of water for three hours - the device remained alive without any hint of water getting into the electronics of the device. Device Specifications
1. Type: mobile phone
2.GSM standard 850/900/1800/1900; UMTS
3. Case: Samsung GT-B2710 Xcover
4. Screen: TFT
5. Diagonal 2"
6. Resolution 240 x 320 pixels
7. Memory: 15MB built-in memory, microSD cards
8. Address book: 1000 numbers
9. Support audio formats: MP3; i Melody; eAAC+; AAC; AAC+; WMA
10. Picture formats: MPEG-4; H.263; H.264; 3gp
11. FM tuner: present
12. Data transmission: WAP 2.0, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS A-GPS, E-mail client, GPRS, SMS, predictive text input, MMS, EDGE, EMS; SyncML
13. Camera and Video: 2MP, 1600 x 1200
14. Battery: Li-ion (Li-Ion), capacity 1300 mAh, talk time 14.5 hours, standby time 610 hours
15. Dimensions and weight: width 52.1 mm; height 120.8 mm; thickness 17.9 mm; weight 116 g. Mobile phone external inspection
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The outer casing of the mobile phone is made of black plastic. As already noted in the article, our employees purchased six such devices, four users chose a black mobile phone, two chose an orange phone, which is not available in every store in the capital.
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On the back side of the body of the device there is a recess for attaching a carrying strap, but this is only at first glance it is intended for this. This notch opens bottles well, while defects on its surfaces remain minimal.
Below is a two-megapixel camera protected by glass. The glass is apparently armored, as falls from a height and physical scratches are not terrible for it.
Opposite the camera window is a speaker grille.
Below all is the latch of the battery cover of the phone. It is made in silver colors. It would make more sense to make it the same color as the phone.
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On the side wall of the phone there is a button to turn on the flashlight of the phone. The flashlight is LED and emits a point beam of light. At the beginning of using the phone, it was difficult to find a use for it, every now and then it turned on in your pocket unnecessarily. The situation changed dramatically after it was necessary to find the lost part in the car. A point beam of light quickly helped to find the lost item, after which the phone flashlight began to be used almost daily.
Below the phone is a plugged micro-USB port for connecting a headset, charger or data-cable.
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On the opposite wall are buttons for adjusting the volume of the speakers. It is convenient to use them, but not in talk mode. In the conversation mode, it is quite difficult to differentiate them from each other.
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The LED mentioned above is located on the top wall of the mobile phone.
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A 3.7 volt battery is hidden under the back cover of the phone. The battery life is enough for several days when used for 2 hours a day. For two months of use, the quality of the battery did not deteriorate in any way, but, on the contrary, improved. Today, we charge it once a week, and not because it starts to signal a low battery, but because it is not convenient for us to walk with the phone for a week and not charge it.
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Hidden under the battery is a SIM card and a microSD memory card. Hot swapping of the memory card is not supported, which is understandable given the need for water resistance.
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The battery compartment cover is reinforced with an elastic band, which provides a hermetic closure of the battery compartment.
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The menu of the device is standard. Multitasking is well supported. For example, you can launch a music player and do any work on your phone. The phone has a browser installed, including Facebook and Twitter clients""""""""a. Web surfing works fine, although with a small screen size it is not convenient enough.
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The loudspeaker volume is sufficient, the device is equipped with a good vibrating alert, which is an order of magnitude better than phones of the same price level. There is a wide possibility of working with contacts. In particular, this is a false call, the creation of blacklists. At the same time, everything works clearly and without any complaints.
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Special attention deserves the high ergonomics of the buttons of the mobile device. They are very easy to manage even in severe frost in winter. There were frequent moments when dialing a number, messages was carried out in a twenty-degree frost with gloves on and without a single mistake.
In the course of reviewing the functions of the device, a pedometer and a compass were found. The compass needs to be calibrated every time it is used, so it can only be started when the user is stationary.
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The quality of pictures of the 2 megapixel camera does not cause any complaints. The image quality is at the level of devices in a more expensive price segment.
The device has a built-in FM tuner. Unfortunately, we were unable to test it, as we were not provided with a headset for testing. Special attention deserves the work of GPS using Google Map. The device finds a point not quickly, but finds it without fail.
Conclusion
Telephone Samsung B2710 Xcove r has high quality and a wide range of functions that will not be in demand by everyone. At less than $150, the device has no direct competitor in the market. The phone is perfect for both children and adults. Many people buy it as a second phone for 24/7 use.
We were allowed to try to destroy the phone - we did not achieve this goal, and to run over it with a car - "there was no hand raised" in any way.
Our Mega Review portal gives the device a gold medal and recommends it to any of our users for purchase - no one will be disappointed.
Rugged smartphones, by all accounts, are of interest to a tiny consumer niche and are not popular. One such smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4.
Visually, the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 is a classic Galaxy, with a few tweaks, an all-plastic back and three physical buttons on the front.
In practice, it turned out to be a good little smartphone: due to the rough body, it is surprisingly comfortable in the hand, and it also does its job well.
The Galaxy Xcover 4 meets US military rating MIL-STD-810G (as well as IP68), meaning it is resistant to extreme environmental conditions, water, dust, shock, low and high pressure, and extreme temperatures.
Its 5-inch display has a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The screen is quite bright even for outdoor use.
Xcover 4 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system. Simply put, you get the full suite of Samsung home apps, including Health, Secret Folder, and Internet, plus six bonus Microsoft apps. However, in a typical Samsung smartphone model, third-party apps cannot be disabled, so if you don't like them, you're out of luck.
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 smartphone is very weak in terms of specifications: its Exynos 7570 SoC and 2 GB of RAM are frustrating to say the least. During testing, it dropped background apps and occasionally stuttered. In addition, the phone comes with 16 GB of storage, and without the use of an SD card, you can hardly do without.
phone camera
The Galaxy Xcover 4 has a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. Under normal shooting conditions, they can take good photos. However, there are a number of issues, including less than ideal dynamic range and detail.
The Camera app is standard, as it is on all Samsung Android devices, and offers most of the day-to-day features, including pro mode, panorama, burst, sports, night mode, and more. There are no Galaxy S8 sticks and filters here.
Video shot with the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 is of good quality, but the camera lacks stabilization and autofocus, so shooting on the move can be problematic.
Call quality
The durability of a phone often requires compromise - in the case of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4, call quality suffers the most. The speaker is loud, but the sound is not entirely clear, and the microphone is a bit quiet.
Samsung Galaxy X cover 4 battery
On the other hand, the battery life is impressive: the removable 2,800 mAh battery, thanks to the low-resolution screen and low-powered processor, can hold a charge for 10 hours and 43 minutes.
But, charging will take more than 2 hours (more precisely, 132 minutes).
Outcome
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 is an entry-level smartphone aimed at people who want a basic device that can withstand extreme conditions. It is comfortable, durable and completely usable, even considering the weak performance.
If you're in the target audience for rugged phones, then the $290 Galaxy Xcover 4 might be a worthy choice.
Advantages
- Resistant to water, dust and harsh environments
- Extremely comfortable in the hand
- Comes with the latest version of Android
