Samsung ranks among thebest flagship smartphonemakers in the world, with the company currently gearing up to release three newGalaxy S24phones next week. Since 2011, however, the company has also been making smartphones designed for extreme conditions under the Galaxy XCover range, with the last model arriving in 2022. We’re now getting more info on the next-generation model of Samsung’s ruggedized phone lineup, dubbed theGalaxy XCover 7, thanks to details published on a Czech Samsung reseller’s online storefront.
As Winfuturereports, the Galaxy XCover 7’s existence has been well known, thanks to the phone’s appearance in renders back in November, while another report in late December told us what to expect in terms of pricing. However, this new leak spills all the hardware-related info, as well as its cost in the Czech Republic, with the details coming straight fromSetos, Samsung’s sales partner in the region.
First things first, the Galaxy XCover 7 (SM-G556B) is slated to cost less than theGalaxy XCover 6 Pro, which debuted for $600 in the US. According to Setos' page, the Galaxy Xcover 7 will cost 9,000 Czech Koruna, which translates to approximately $400. There’s enough reason to slash the phone’s price tag, given the hardware compromises made by Samsung.
The phone is said to feature a 6.6-inch FHD+ (2408 x 1080) screen, with the prominently visible notch housing a 5MP selfie camera. It’s likely that Samsung is sticking to an LCD panel here, much like its predecessor. Meanwhile, the dual camera setup on the back is gone, with the company using a single 50MP sensor, per the retailer’s listing and the corresponding images.
On the processing front, Samsung is going with the MediaTek MT6835V/ZA, also known as Dimensity 6100+. This octa-core SoC comes with 5G support and is split into two Arm Cortex-A76 cores at up to 2.2GHz and six Arm Cortex-A55 cores at 2.0GHz. The Galaxy XCover 7 will also feature 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, which can be increased using the onboard microSD card slot.
Android 14is supposedly going to be the software of choice, paired with Samsung’s One UI 6 overlay. All of this is capped off by a decent 4,050 mAh battery pack, per the Czech retailer’s listing. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy XCover 7 also gets IP68 and MIL-STD-810H certifications, offering excellent protection from the elements and overall durability.
The standard USB-C port is present for charging and data transfer, while Samsung has been kind enough to retain the 3.5mm headphone jack from the XCover 6 Pro for yourfavorite wired headphones. This model also keeps the user-configurable hardware button, also known as theXCover key, which can be assigned to open an app or perform another action on the device. However, the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro’s second customizable hardware button, orTop key, appears to be missing here.
It’s too early to tell if or when the Galaxy XCover 7 will make it to the US. But based on how Samsung handled thepredecessor’s launchin the region, interested customers may have to wait for a few months to get their hands on the device. Samsung doesn’t usually like to create a lot of fanfare for its rugged phones, so we expect the phone to quietly go live across Europe over the coming days.
