Skip to main content

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 Review

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4 Review

Introduction

The rugged smartphone is, by all accounts, a form factor of interest to a tiny consumer niche, and as such isn’t a popular choice with manufacturers. Among the big players, Samsung has been the most supportive of the idea, with the best-known example being the “Active” spins on its mainline flagships.

But one might consider its Xcover line, in this case represented by the latest Xcover 4, to be in an even tighter niche: where the Active series offers top-of-the-line specs if a sturdier body, the Xcover family is firmly and unashamedly planted into the low end. Thus, when taking into consideration whether such a phone is “good”, one has to shift their expectations and judge it more based on whether it meets its own, offbeat set of goals, over whether it suits the everyday consumer’s needs.

So with that in mind, let’s take a closer look at this quirky beast.

Design and display

Durability entails some sacrifices in the looks department


You couldn’t call the Xcover 4 pretty if your life depended on it – every design decision on this phone simply screams “function over form”. Visually, this is a classic Samsung but with a couple of necessary changes due to its form factor, such as the all-plastic back and the three physical buttons on the front.

This, however, quickly proves itself to be a quite nice little package: the grippy outer shell feels amazingly comfortable in the hand while also doing its job quite well. And somewhat surprisingly, the Xcover 4 carries a US military MIL-STD-810G rating (as well as the more standard IP68), which means it’s resistant to extreme environmental conditions: these include water, dust, shocks, low and high pressure, and extreme temperatures.

The display is nothing to write home about with its 720 x 1280 px resolution spread across a 5-inch screen, but is, on the other hand, more than bright enough for outdoor use. However, the auto brightness rarely works particularly well in certain conditions, so you might be better off disabling it if it doesn't feel particularly good for you too

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch Review

Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch Review Introduction This is the part where we normally introduce our readers to the device being reviewed, but seriously, does the iPad need an introduction? Not really. Six years ago, it single-handedly defined what a modern tablet should look and feel like. Today, it is the only tablet that matters in a segment of the mobile industry clutched by stagnation. And the  iPad Pro 9.7  – the newest member in the lineup – further solidifies Apple’s position as a leader on the tablet scene. Bearing a “Pro” in its name, the iPad Pro 9.7 adopts most of what we loved about the 12.9-inch model from last year – the duet of productivity-oriented accessories, the outstanding 4-speaker sound setup, the performance of Apple’s most powerful mobile processor, to name a few examples. With this new model, it all comes at a size that’s more manageable, more portable, more familiar to users, sprinkled with a few extra bits we’re going ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 camera review

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 camera review DPReview smartphone reviews are written with the needs of photographers in mind. We focus on camera features, performance, and image quality. The Note 4 is the latest iteration of Samsung's top-end line of so-called 'phablets'. In terms of design the new model is very close to its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 3, including a similar faux-leather material on the back cover. Under the hood, however, things have been upgraded significantly. In the camera department the Note 4 has gained an optical image stabilization system which makes it the first Samsung smartphone with this feature. With a 1/2.6-inch 16MP BSI CMOS image sensor and F2.2 maximum aperture the rest of the rear camera specification is identical to the Galaxy S5. At the front you'll find a 3.7MP camera with a fast F1.9 maximum aperture for selfie-shooting and video chats. It comes with a selfie-panorama mode.  Howe...
Post a Comment
Read more

LG G5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

LG G5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Introduction In the world of Android devices, Samsung and LG are the two giants that make some of the most recognizable products. The smartphone philosophies of both companies have recently undergone some huge changes: Samsung did much of the changing last year with the radically new design on the  Galaxy S6 , while LG is doing it this year with the  LG G5 . The G5 tries to bring something different to a mature market: a phone with modular design and a brand new metal look. How does it compare with the curved-screen  Galaxy S7 edge , and is that modular design something that brings meaningful change? And then, what about the new, dual-camera system on the G5 with its secondary wide-angle lens? A gimmick or genuinely useful? We compare two of the best Android phones at the moment: the 5.3” G5 with all its bells and whistles against the more familiar yet still modern, 5.5” Galaxy S7 edge. Let’s see which one c...
Post a Comment
Read more