Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4s: durability and performance

Samsung never ceases to delight users with new smartphones with unusual properties. In 2017, the South Korean company released the Galaxy XCover 4 phone, which became popular among users. It had a rough body and small dimensions. The handy phone fits comfortably in the hand. Despite its size, it had good characteristics. The main feature was its high strength. He was not afraid of blows, dust, water, pressure, etc.

Samsung Electronics has decided to update the XCover version. In Italy, the company first presented its new Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4s, which is not inferior to its predecessor in terms of strength. It has improved technical parameters, being the representative of the fifth generation of the XCover line.

On June 10, the presentation of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4s smartphone took place. The release date is currently set for June, but the exact date is unknown.

Specifications:

The shock-resistant smartphone has a classic design and is not much different from its predecessor. The display size is 5 inches (measured diagonally) with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The phone is easy to use, additional keys are located so that you don't have to change the position of your hand. In general, the model is fully tuned for convenience and protection. The device weighs 172 g. The phone is perfect for people who are often at risk of damaging their smartphone. It is bought by travelers, tourists, or people of extreme professions.

I especially want to note the design of the smartphone. The rubberized back cover protects the phone from water and dust penetration. The smartphone can easily withstand shocks. The design is complemented by a combination of gray with an orange button (Xcover Key). The button is customizable by the user. He can choose the application that will be called when pressed. The volume and unlock buttons are at a convenient distance.

Wide bezels surround the display and the brand logo is located on the back. On the bottom front there are three buttons (Recents, Back and Home). At the top is the speaker grill.

All these features give the phone the look of a powerful device that will withstand any extreme conditions. A rugged phone has a more powerful processor.

What is the phone capable of?

The user buys this model not to drop it on purpose, but he wants some kind of confirmation of its durability.

The phone meets the military MIL-STD-810G standard.

The American standard applies to radio communication equipment. It includes several tests. If the device passes them successfully, a certificate is issued. The phone has withstood mechanical shock, shock, vibration, humidity, prolonged exposure to the sun, dust, fog, salt, heat shock up to 60 ° C. All this set of tests makes the materials of the phone resistant to everyday tests.

The IP68 degree of protection indicates a high resistance against moisture and dust. This degree almost reaches its maximum (IP69-K). The phone guarantees complete elimination of dust penetration. The number 8 indicates that it can withstand immersion in water to a depth of more than 1 m. Moreover, at this depth, the phone can work for more than 30 minutes.

Screen

It has a 5-inch TFT display with HD resolution. This display is a TFT LCD. It is based on an active matrix. The matrix has high brightness and fast response time. It is perfect for active games, because the distortions when watching dynamic events are invisible. The smart device makes the image vivid and rich.

Gorilla Glass protects your phone from drops.

However, there are some downsides to such a display. Shows black with distortion to gray. Sharpness may decrease, and the color itself may become contrasting on the contrary.

CPU

The smartphone has a mid-range processor. It is part of the Galaxy A 2019 line. Many of the company's phones in the ranking of high-quality smartphones have this processor. The Exynos 7885 single-chip system is manufactured using 14-nanometer technology. It has 8 cores with a clock speed of up to 2.2 Hz.

These characteristics make the phone productive, the user can easily use it for games. Fast expectation of response, user-friendly interface will help the user to enjoy the smartphone. Here you can clearly see the combination of power and strength.

Memory

The smartphone includes 3 GB of RAM with 32 GB of internal memory. For standard functionality, such parameters are sufficient. The Xcover had 16 GB of internal memory and 2 GB of RAM.

The phone also has a slot for a memory card up to 256 GB supporting microSD, microSDHC, micro SDXC.

Camera

There are no dual cameras in the model, but there are also noticeable improvements. The rear camera has a resolution of 16 megapixels, in the Xcover 4 device - 13 megapixels. The main camera has a lens with a maximum aperture of F / 1.7. It determines exposure and depth of field. The matrix captures more light, which is why photos are of high quality even in low light.

The characteristics of the camera are important for the traveler. Thanks to the improved aperture, you can see how well the phone takes pictures at night. The camera collects even a small beam of light. It has LED flash and supports HDR. This range allows you to select a photo of the desired illumination and brightness. The system combines the final image from several variations in brightness and illumination. It turns out a better option. The 4s lacks a sensor for portrait mode. Only with user reviews can you understand how the smartphone is taking pictures.

The phone should have an autofocus with stabilizer, so it will outperform its predecessor. The sample photos make it clear that the Xcover 4 had a problem with shooting on the move due to the lack of stabilizer and fast focusing.

The review of the predecessor showed that the phone is not very convenient for watching movies. A high-quality picture cannot replace a wide screen, but the compactness of the phone is a plus for some.

The front camera has the same characteristics as the 4. 5 megapixel resolution with f / 2.2 aperture.

1080 (30fps) video. Thanks to the improved aperture, the video will have fewer defects with a bright picture.

Sound

Improvements to sound parameters are still a mystery. The previous model had a loud speaker, but not entirely clear sound. The microphone was quiet. Users complained about the call quality as they had to speak loudly due to the quiet microphone. You have to sacrifice something to create such a rugged phone.

Do not rely on greatly improved sound parameters, since this device does not pretend to be. However, the 4s will have active noise canceling.

Battery

The battery does not differ from the previous model and cannot please with long work. The battery capacity is 2800 mAh, it is enough for autonomous operation for 1-2 days.

The company said that it will be possible to replace the battery with a spare, but it is not known how much such a replacement will cost.

The device will lack a fast charging mode.

Completion and additional properties

The package includes instructions, a charging adapter and a usb wire. A removable battery may be included.

The phone supports NFC technology. The operating system of the device is Android 9 Pie, which is distinguished by advanced artificial intelligence. It individually adapts to the user.

The phone has Bluetooth 5 wireless adapters, a 3.5mm headphone jack. The device supports FM radio, GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS). Internet GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A Cat. 4.

The smartphone supports Wi-Fi types 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac.

Price

Samsung Electronics is trying to make popular models at an average price. The improved model will cost less than its predecessor. If Xcover 4 costs 26,000 rubles, then Xcover 4s - 22,000, taking into account the improved characteristics.

The budget model will be more affordable.

Where can you buy a novelty profitably? At the Italian store, you can already see the price of the smartphone, but it is more profitable to buy it directly from the official store.

In any case, the criteria for choosing a smartphone should be based on the user's preferences. Usually it is bought by people who care about the security of their information. Usually, on hikes, travel, the phone often falls, gets under the weather conditions. If the user chooses which company is better to give preference to the strength of the smartphone, then the availability of certificates must be directly assessed. Samsung meets safety standards.

Advantages and disadvantages

From user reviews, it can be understood that the lack of a fingerprint sensor on the 4s makes the model less stylish. The previous model also did not have this option. In principle, this style of a rugged phone would perfectly complement a fingerprint scanner.

The phone does not support dual sim. Has one nano sim card

It is especially worth noting the presence of USB Type-C instead of MicroUSB, as in Xcover 4. Now you can connect an unrelated cable to this connector. The previous model had average cord length.

• Robust case, water and dust resistant. Has military grade certifications;
• Improved main camera (16 MP + autofocus);
• Performance. Improved processor (Exynos 7885);
• Memory card slot;
• Inexpensive for the price.

• Unclean sound;
• Low capacity battery;
• Lack of a fingerprint sensor;
• Not a big screen;
• No fast charging mode.

Users believe the wide top bezel could have been made more graceful. LG has long been making rugged smartphones with the same certification without wide bezels. It can interfere with viewing videos, photos. If the device did not have it, then the smartphone would look more elegant and modern.

It could be reduced, made so that the front camera did not have cutouts.

Output

Samsung has significantly improved the XCover lineup with the XCover 4s smartphone. Its performance is matched with quality and durability.

At the moment, the best manufacturers are trying to equip smartphones with huge screens, powerful processors. However, it is important to release devices individually for each user. Some people prefer a rugged smartphone over a large and thin but vulnerable device.

The XCover 4s brings together the features you need most. It claims to be among other popular durable models.