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MagyarSamsung Galaxy XCover 5 Smartphone Review - Small improvements for the rugged smartphone
When you are exploring the great outdoors or doing heavy work, you have to constantly worry about your smartphone getting accidentally damaged. This is why, in such situations, it is preferable to have a ruggedised smartphone, which can withstand some accidental damage. Such a device can handle drops in water and dirt. What is more, ruggedised smartphones often have bumpers around the touchscreen, which can further protect the toughened glass from shattering if it does fall to the ground.
Samsung offers a few ruggedised smartphones in its XCover series. We are reviewing the 5th-generation model known as the XCover 5. The version that Samsung sells in Central Europe is known as the Galaxy XCover 5 Enterprise Edition. The EE model is primarily intended for construction and warehouse workers. The difference between the Galaxy XCover 5 EE and the Galaxy XCover 5 is negligible. The only advantage of the XCover 5 EE is that it can be managed remotely. The longer warranty period of the EE model should also be more attractive to large enterprises. Individual users should pay attention to the promise of extended software support, though.
The Galaxy XCover 5 retails for 300 Euros (~$365). This is a typical price for a ruggedised smartphone.
Likely Competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74.3 % | 04/2021 | Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 Exynos 850, Mali-G52 MP1 | 172 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 5.30" | 1480x720 | |
| 78 % | 03/2020 | Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro Exynos 9611, Mali-G72 MP3 | 218 g | 64 GB UFS 2.0 Flash | 6.30" | 2340x1080 | |
| 73 % | 08/2020 | CAT S42 Helio A20 MT6761D, PowerVR GE8300 | 220 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 5.50" | 1440x720 | |
| 73 % | 03/2020 | Blackview BV5900 Helio A22 MT6761, PowerVR GE8300 | 268 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 5.70" | 1520x720 | |
| 75.9 % | 11/2019 | Gigaset GX290 Helio P23 MT6763V, Mali-G71 MP2 | 279 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.10" | 1560x720 |
Case - Down-to-earth design and durable mid-frame
Most ruggedised smartphones have flashy resigns. For instance, metal accents, rubberised backs, and visible screws are things that most manufacturers opt for when making such devices. The Galaxy XCover 5 deviates from this trend slightly. It still has colour accents around the camera and the XCover button, though. All in all, its design is more down-to-earth than the designs that many other ruggedised smartphones feature. The mid-frame is made of plastic. It looks quite plain. The back is made of textured plastic, which makes the smartphone grippier.
The smartphone is relatively compact, and it is comfortable to hold in the hand. There are bumbers around the touchscreen and the camera. Because of huge bezels around the display, the XCover 5 does not look modern. It has a screen-to-body ratio of only 69%. The smartphone feels very rigid. The only flexible area is around the ear-piece.
The back can be removed, which is why the battery can be replaced.
Connectivity - More memory
The ruggedised smartphone comes with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC memory, which is not bad for such a device. However, it is worth noting that non-ruggedised 300-Euro (~$365) smartphones offer more RAM and storage space.
Users can insert two SIM cards and one microSD card into the XCover 5. For this, the battery will have to be removed. SIM or SD cards cannot be hot-swapped.
Software - Android 11 and extended software support
The XCover 5 runs Android 11 with a custom launcher known as One UI 3.1. At the time of writing, the security patches were still quite recent. The user interface looks modern and simple. The XCover 5 comes with very few third-party applications pre-installed. However, there are a lot of first-party applications, many of which cannot be completely uninstalled.
There is a pre-installed application for the remappable button, which allows you to use the smartphone as a QR scanner or a walkie-talkie without any friction.
Samsung promises 5 years of software support for the Galaxy XCover 5 Enterprise Edition (until January, 2026)
Communication and GNSS - Stable Wi-Fi
The Galaxy XCover 5 supports 16 LTE bands, which is why it can operate in LTE networks in many parts of the world. The Wi-Fi module supports Wi-Fi 5, which is why data transfer rates with our reference-grade router Netgear Nighthawk AX12 are on a decent level. We did not encounter any issues with signal stability.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 1368, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (32.7 - 953, n=71, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
For geolocation, the XCover 5 relies on the following global navigation satellite systems: GPS, GLONASS, Beidou and Galileo. Outdoors, the Android smartphone has a small margin of error.
In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to navigation, we take it with us on a bike ride. During this ride, we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 520. There is no significant difference between the XCover 5 and the Garmin Edge 520. All in all, the ruggedised smartphone is suited for daily navigation.
Telephony and Call Quality - Samsung smartphone offers mediocre call quality
The XCover 5 comes with Samsung’s proprietary phone application, which is very intuitive and easy to use.
The quality of phone calls is on a satisfactory level. However, at high volume, the call partner starts to sound quite tinny. Howbeit, at normal volume, the voices are more intelligible. Background noise suppression works well. Whether it is good enough for an active construction site only practice can tell.
In loudspeaker mode, the user will have to speak loudly, because the built-in microphones are not particularly sensitive. However, the call partner always sounds intelligible.
Camera - Nothing new here
Most ruggedised smartphones offer mediocre cameras. The Galaxy XCover 5 is no exception. It has a 16-MP rear camera.
The images are properly lit, but not particularly sharp. The colours appear somewhat cool. Under low-light conditions, the photographs look blurry, but well-lit. The dynamic range is not very wide.
The front-facing camera takes passable selfies, which are not particularly well-detailed.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Hauptobjektiv PflanzeHauptobjektiv UmgebungHauptobjektiv Low Light
Under simulated low-light conditions (illuminance of 1 lux), nothing could be recognised on the photographs taken with the XCover 5. Under good lighting conditions, the images appeared muddy and washed-out.
The main shooter is good enough for occasional snapshots. For anything else you will need to get a smartphone with a better camera. There is no flexibility to speak of. The XCover 5 has only one camera on the back.
Accessories and Warranty - Highly repairable
Besides the smartphone itself, the box also includes a charger and a USB cable.
Samsung offers 24 months of warranty for the XCover 5. If the smartphone breaks, you can send it to a repair centre by mail. You can also deliver it to a service centre in person. In some regions, you can arrange for Samsung’s Express Repair bus to stop directly at your house. You can also find repair manuals and spare parts for many devices on Samsung’s website. However, at the time of writing, there were no spare parts or repair manuals for the XCover 5 on Samsung’s website.
Input Devices and Handling - Samsung smartphone with a remappable button
The touchscreen works without any issues. The sensitivity can be increased so that it could be used with the gloves on.
Just like its predecessor, the XCover 5 does not have a fingerprint sensor. The face unlock works well. However, Samsung’s software implementation is not particularly secure. Users will have to decide whether or not they want to store sensitive data on the XCover 5 on their own.
The remappable physical button is still here. It is large and very easy to use. It can be used to launch various applications or perform different actions.
Display - Mediocre brightness
The ruggedised smartphone comes with a PLS display, which has a typical brightness for this type of device. On very sunny days, the XCover 5’s screen is very hard to read. Furthermore, both the contrast ratio and the brightness distribution are not particularly good.
The PLS panel has a native resolution of 1480x720 pixels, which is acceptable given the relatively small screen size. All in all, the display is usable, but not impressive by any means.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 525 cd/m²
Contrast: 991:1 (Black: 0.53 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.54 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 6.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
93.2% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.318
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 PLS, 1480x720, 5.30 | Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro IPS, 2340x1080, 6.30 | CAT S42 IPS, 1440x720, 5.50 | Blackview BV5900 IPS, 1520x720, 5.70 | Gigaset GX290 IPS, 1560x720, 6.10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6% | 3% | 2% | -13% | |
| Brightness middle | 525 | 569 8% | 541 3% | 476 -9% | 635 21% |
| Brightness | 491 | 562 14% | 532 8% | 473 -4% | 615 25% |
| Brightness Distribution | 87 | 91 5% | 95 9% | 92 6% | 91 5% |
| Black Level * | 0.53 | 0.42 21% | 0.52 2% | 0.47 11% | 0.39 26% |
| Contrast | 991 | 1355 37% | 1040 5% | 1013 2% | 1628 64% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.54 | 6.14 -11% | 5.89 -6% | 6 -8% | 10.5 -90% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 10.23 | 10.92 -7% | 11.35 -11% | 10.09 1% | 17.9 -75% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.7 | 7.9 -18% | 5.6 16% | 5.4 19% | 11.8 -76% |
| Gamma | 2.318 95% | 2.256 98% | 2.272 97% | 2.092 105% | 1.86 118% |
| CCT | 8555 76% | 8696 75% | 7884 82% | 7661 85% | 9570 68% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18889 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
The screen does not exhibit any PWM flickering.
The colour reproduction is on a satisfactory level. The screen suffers from a bluish cast, though. The display is not suited for colour-critical work.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 34 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 17 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 89 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 60 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 31 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 29 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 95 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.2 ms). | ||
The screen content can be viewed at any angle without any distortions.
Performance - More power for the Galaxy smartphone
When compared to the predecessor model Galaxy XCover 4s, the XCover 5 offers a higher level of performance, because it comes with a new SoC. The Exynos 850 is a good solution for a mid-range ruggedised smartphone. Most applications run very well. However, demanding applications or heavy multi-tasking may bring the octa-core SoC to its knees.
The XCover 5 provides a decent level of GPU performance, according to our benchmarks.
| Geekbench 5.4 | |
| Single-Core (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (119 - 183, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (119 - 1885, n=241, last 2 years) | |
| Multi-Core (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (519 - 1087, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (473 - 5538, n=241, last 2 years) | |
| Vulkan Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (565 - 646, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (79 - 9992, n=178, last 2 years) | |
| OpenCL Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (543 - 672, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (368 - 10711, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (6929 - 7113, n=2) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9875 - 19297, n=4, last 2 years) | |
| Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Blackview BV5900 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (5433 - 5457, n=2) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5279 - 13282, n=28, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (22 - 35, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=187, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (24 - 25, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (19 - 497, n=187, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (14 - 29, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 161, n=188, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (15 - 16, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 331, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (8.2 - 20, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 143, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (9.4 - 9.4, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 223, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | |
| CAT S42 | |
| Gigaset GX290 | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (119981 - 133391, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (101336 - 725649, n=40, last 2 years) | |
In the browser benchmarks, the Samsung smartphone performs as expected. Websites load quickly and scrolling feels smooth. However, images and other media content can sometimes take a while to load.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 282, n=165, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro (Chrome 80) | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (18.4 - 23, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 (Chrome 89) | |
| CAT S42 (Chrome 80) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (26.7 - 414, n=79, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro (Chrome 80) | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (27.1 - 32.5, n=4) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 (Chrome 89) | |
| CAT S42 (Chrome 80) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.3 - 375, n=154, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro (Chome 80) | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (15 - 16.7, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 (Chome 89) | |
| CAT S42 (Chome 80) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - --- | |
| Average of class Smartphone (28 - 292, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro (Chrome 80) | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (35 - 39, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 (Chrome 89) | |
| CAT S42 (Chrome 80) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 74261, n=194, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro (Chrome 80) | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (4875 - 5904, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 (Chrome 89) | |
| CAT S42 (Chrome 80) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score | |
| CAT S42 (Chrome 80) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 (Chrome 89) | |
| Average Samsung Exynos 850 (8327 - 9397, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro (Chrome 80) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (414 - 10797, n=168, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
The XCover 5 uses eMMC memory, which is the slowest type of memory currently used in smartphones. Nevertheless, it is good enough for day-to-day use.
The Android smartphone achieves acceptable transfer rates with our reference-grade microSD card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501. It has a somewhat faster microSD card reader than comparable devices.
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro | CAT S42 | Blackview BV5900 | Gigaset GX290 | Average 64 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 116% | -3% | -20% | -11% | 17% | 489% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 268.5 | 508 89% | 287.9 7% | 179.6 -33% | 275.6 3% | 273 ? 2% | 1180 ? 339% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 273.6 | 181.1 -34% | 121.1 -56% | 101.7 -63% | 33.77 -88% | 177.2 ? -35% | 741 ? 171% |
| Random Read 4KB | 121 | 108.6 -10% | 51.6 -57% | 40.9 -66% | 33.33 -72% | 59.4 ? -51% | 207 ? 71% |
| Random Write 4KB | 14.7 | 100.5 584% | 14.8 1% | 7.6 -48% | 10.95 -26% | 31.9 ? 117% | 217 ? 1376% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 64.3 ? | 72.4 ? 13% | 83.1 ? 29% | 83.1 ? 29% | 81.1 ? 26% | 77.4 ? 20% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 38.7 ? | 59.4 ? 53% | 62.5 ? 61% | 63.2 ? 63% | 74.3 ? 92% | 58.3 ? 51% |
Gaming - Is the XCover suitable for gaming?
The Galaxy XCover 5 cannot always achieve 30 FPS in modern titles. We had to lower the graphics settings considerably to achieve playable frame rates in Asphalt 9.
The HD present cannot be selected in PUBG Mobile on the XCover 5. Howbeit, the smartphone was able to maintain decent frame rates in PUBG Mobile on the low preset. We use GameBench to measure frame rates.
Both the touchscreen and the motion sensor worked well during our gaming sessions.
Emissions - Mediocre speakers
Temperature
The smartphone does not become hot or throttle under load, as the results of our 1-hour stress test show. The XCover 5 always stays cool.
The XCover 5 is able to maintain its full performance in GFXBench and 3DMark Wild Life.
| 3DMark - Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 | |
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.7 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 34.9 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 52.9 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 37.9 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.2 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 32.6 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The mono-speaker offers a decent volume. However, the lows are almost completely missing. At full volume, the mono-speaker sounds rather unpleasant. All in all, the audio quality is on a typical level for such a device.
You can get a better sound quality if you connect a set of headphones to the XCover 5 via either the 3.5-mm audio jack or Bluetooth. Both Bluetooth and wired headphones work without any problems.
Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 32% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.8% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 76% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 84% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 12% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.2% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 54% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 34% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 72% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Battery Life - Bigger, replaceable battery
Energy Consumption
When idle, the ruggedised smartphone is very energy-efficient. Under load, the power consumption of the Samsung smartphone is on a normal level. We are glad to see that the XCover 5 does not consume any power when it is turned off.
| Off / Standby |   / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle |  1.3 / 1.9 / 2.7 Watt |
| Load |
4.3 / 6.2 Watt |
    
| |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 3000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro 4050 mAh | CAT S42 4200 mAh | Gigaset GX290 6200 mAh | Average Samsung Exynos 850 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 3% | 1% | 9% | 10% | 16% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.3 | 0.9 31% | 1.5 -15% | 0.89 32% | 1.2 ? 8% | 0.884 ? 32% |
| Idle Average * | 1.9 | 1.8 5% | 2 -5% | 2.09 -10% | 1.733 ? 9% | 1.485 ? 22% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.7 | 2.3 15% | 3 -11% | 2.15 20% | 2.28 ? 16% | 1.699 ? 37% |
| Load Average * | 4.3 | 5.4 -26% | 3.6 16% | 4.49 -4% | 3.83 ? 11% | 4.27 ? 1% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.2 | 6.9 -11% | 4.9 21% | 5.78 7% | 5.73 ? 8% | 7.08 ? -14% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
The Samsung smartphone comes with a relatively small 3000-mAh battery. However, the XCover 5 comes with a feature, which has become increasingly rare in the smartphone world. It has a replaceable battery. So if its battery dies, you can pop another one in and keep using the smartphone.
The Samsung smartphone lasted about 11 hours in our Wi-Fi test. This is not a bad result, given the small battery capacity. The Gigaset GX290 lasts twice as long as in our Wi-Fi test, but it weighs more than 100 grams more.
The battery takes about 90 minutes to fully charge with the included 15-W charger.
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 3000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro 4050 mAh | CAT S42 4200 mAh | Blackview BV5900 5580 mAh | Gigaset GX290 6200 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 14% | 19% | 75% | 100% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1246 | 1259 1% | 1243 0% | ||
| H.264 | 689 | 802 16% | 902 31% | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 657 | 731 11% | 836 27% | 1153 75% | 1316 100% |
| Load | 213 | 268 26% | 253 19% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - New features, missing features
The Galaxy XCover 5 is not a quantum leap forward for the XCover series. It is a small step forward. It has a faster SoC, which does not throttle under load, a somewhat bigger battery and a new design.
However, the redesign also has a few drawbacks such as the fact that the hardware buttons for OS navigation were removed. The gesture support has gotten better, but if you use the XCover 5 with the gloves on you will certainly miss the physical buttons.
If you need extended software support, but do not need hardware buttons and a fingerprint sensor, then you should take a close look at the Galaxy XCover 5.
We were rather disappointed with the predecessor model, because it did not make any real progress. This time around, though, you will get more memory. This is something that makes the XCover 5 more competitive than its predecessor. However, its single rear camera looks antiquated in this day and age.
Samsung promises 5 years of software support and 2 years of availability for the XCover 5. This is good news for enterprise customers.
The Wi-Fi module is quite fast and the remappable hardware button is also a nice-to-have feature. Unfortunately, the ruggedised smartphone still does not have a fingerprint sensor. Samsung should have included it a long, long time ago.
All in all, the XCover 5 is a ruggedised smartphone, which does not have any weaknesses, except that it looks somewhat outdated.
Price and Availability
Currently, the Galaxy XCover 5 can be purchased on Samsung’s website for £329.00 (~$460).
Samsung Galaxy XCover 5
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04/22/2021 v7
Florian Schmitt
Pricecompare
