As of Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 Review, this is an attractive mobile device with an interchangeable power source. However, the necessity for battery replacement could be eliminated if it had a larger capacity. It appears to repeat some of the errors observed in the Galaxy Tab Active5 and intensify them.
Advantages
- Stylish device
- Exchangeable power source
- Satisfactory battery duration
Disadvantages
- Storage capacity of 128GB
- Power source of 4050 mAh
- WiFi 5 technology
- Unimpressive SoC
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 Review: Brief Overview
Simultaneously with the launch of the Galaxy Tab Active5 5G, Samsung introduced this corresponding smartphone that embodies many of the aesthetic elements and some functionalities.
The Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 is a budget-friendly device engineered to withstand outdoor conditions without the worry of dust and rain causing damage.
Among durable phones, this one resembles a regular phone as closely as possible, yet it possesses the resilience to withstand rough handling without instant failure.
It’s also equipped with 5G technology, operating on Android 14 with the Samsung OneUI 6.0 interface layered on top, making it as contemporary as can be.
For a phone with a brand name, a price tag of £350 seems exceptionally fair, but keep in mind that the cameras on the Galaxy XCover 7 don’t match up to the S series phones, and it comes with only 128GB of storage.
Nonetheless, the major advantage of this model over others, like the Motorola Thinkphone, is that the Xcover 7’s battery is user-replaceable. With just a fingernail, you can remove the back of the phone, and replace the battery, and that’s also how you access the SIM slot.
In principle, carrying multiple batteries could prolong the phone’s battery life, should you need to use it away from society for an extended duration.
The only hitch with this strategy is that, akin to the Galaxy Tab Active5 5G, Samsung hasn’t launched any accessories for the Galaxy XCover 7 at the time of this review, making it impossible to obtain batteries or any external charging solutions.
We hope that Samsung will supply these missing puzzle pieces soon.
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 Review: Cost And Accessibility
- What’s the price? Starting at £349
- When is it available? Presently
- Where can it be purchased? Directly from Samsung or via an online vendor
Exclusively in black, the Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 is priced at £349 in the UK and €359 in the rest of Europe.
At the moment, this device isn’t accessible in the USA, where Samsung continues to market the preceding Galaxy XCover 6 Pro for a substantial $600. We’re uncertain about the exact release date in the USA, but optimistically, it should be available for approximately $350 sometime this year.
When compared to other branded rivals, such as the Nokai XR21 ($500) and the Motorola ThinkPhone ($399), the XCover 7 appears to be a steal. However, it’s significantly less potent than the Motorola, which is merely $50 more expensive.
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 Review: Specifications
Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G
Graphics Processor: ARM Mali-G57 MP2
Memory: 6GB LPDDR4X
Storage Capacity: 128GB UFS 3.1
Display: 6.6-inch PLS LCD 60Hz
Resolution: 2408 x 1080
SIM: 1x Nano SIM, Embedded SIM, MicroSD card slot
Weight: 240g
Dimensions: 169.0 x 80.1 x 10.2 mm
Durability: IP68, MIL-STD-810H compliant
Main Camera: 50MP
Selfie Camera: 5MP
Connectivity: WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.3
Operating System: Android 14
Battery Capacity: 4050mAh (Max charge 18W)
Colour: Black
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 Review: Structure
- Comfortable to grip
- Detachable back panel
- Incorporated SIM
A lot of rugged phones lack appeal. They are often designed by individuals who either crafted props for unsuccessful 1970s Sci-Fi TV series or were inspired by stealth aircraft.
Fortunately, the Samsung designers who crafted the XCover 7 outperformed most. This sleek and functional design is comfortable to grip and doesn’t exaggerate the sturdy nature of this device.
All the buttons are located where you would anticipate them, it features a 3.5mm audio jack at the top for those who prefer passive headphones, and the flat bottom with a slight indentation ensures the phone won’t easily slip away.
The XCover 7 deviates from the conventional rugged phone as Samsung permits users to access the interior with a slim cover on the back that can be detached without any tools.
A tiny indentation provides a leverage point, and with a firm fingernail, the panel will, with a bit of coaxing, come off. Inside, you’ll find the battery and SIM card slots.
Our sole concern about removing the back is that the panel is exceptionally thin and made of plastic, and we question how many times it could be detached and reattached before the catches become damaged or misshapen.
Is it intended for owners to have several batteries to interchange, or is it merely a way to replace the battery when its charge is no longer adequate? We presume the latter.
The SIM card slot is another peculiarity as it only accommodates a single Nano SIM card and a MicroSD card for additional storage. The phone is marketed as a ‘dual SIM’ model, but in this scenario, the second SIM is integrated and can be configured using e-SIM technology.
In summary, from a design standpoint, the Galaxy XCover 7 possesses the attributes that consistently attract Samsung customers.
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 Review: Components
- MediaTek Dimensity 6100+
- WiFi 5
- Large display
The XCover 7 was constructed with a philosophy akin to the Nokia XR21. In that model, Nokia’s engineers opted for a comparatively low-power framework to produce a phone that wouldn’t deplete the limited battery life available for a weight of 240g.
However, we didn’t anticipate a Samsung device with a MediaTek SoC, a brand associated with Chinese durable phone brands.
The MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ (MT6835V/ZA) is an Octo-core SoC equipped with two speedy ARM Cortex-A76 cores to handle intensive tasks up to 2.2 GHz, and accompanying those are six energy-efficient A55 cores timed to 2GHz. Accompanying the processing package are two GPU ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU cores and an LPDDR4 memory controller.
In terms of computational power and graphics, this is a lower mid-range SoC, but it is effective. It also accommodates a 5G modem for those residing in areas where that technology is accessible.
What’s slightly peculiar is that the WiFi technology here is merely WiFi 5, implying that data transfers over that interface will be limited to around 300mbit/s. Samsung’s own XCover 6 Pro supported WiFi 6 with triple the performance, much more akin to the Nokia XR21 speeds.
Where this crosses an unusual line is that the 5G modem should be capable of up to 2.5Gb/s, and that’s bytes, not bits, making 5GB significantly quicker to download from than WiFi.
A notable feature of the XCover 7 is the display that Samsung endowed this phone with. The colors, contrast, and sharpness of this panel are outstanding. However, it’s only a 60Hz display, and 120Hz is the standard, so it comes with a few reservations for fluidity. The screen surface is notably glossy, which isn’t ideal for a phone used outdoors.
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 Review: Photography
- 50MP Primary sensor
- 5MP Front-facing
- Limited to 1080p video capture
The Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 is equipped with just two cameras:
- Back cameras: 50MP
- Selfie camera: 5MP
It’s unclear why some smartphone manufacturers believe rugged phones require less proficient cameras, but Samsung has equipped the Galaxy XCover 7 with sensors that are less remarkable than those found in its budget phones.
The main sensor is 50MP and employs the conventional pixel binning technique to deliver 12.5MP images with a certain level of color fidelity and contrast. The outcomes are average when compared to the most recent 108MP sensors or even some superior 64MP alternatives.
It’s not that this device captures poor images. Rather, they fall short of the standard now met by even budget phones, and some rugged phones from Chinese brands are offered.
It also only records 1080p video, but we conjecture that this is more related to the 128GB of storage and avoiding its rapid consumption than the sensor’s capabilities.
We won’t delve into the merits or demerits of the 5MP front-facing camera, but akin to the overall camera provision on the XCover 7, it’s somewhat disappointing.
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 Review: Efficiency
- Economical SoC
- Unimpressive GPU
- Acceptable battery duration
| Benchmark Examination | Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 | Nokia XR21 | Motorola ThinkPhone |
|---|---|---|---|
| GFX Manhattan 3.1 | 22 | 30 | 120 |
| Geekbench Single-core | 530 | 670 | 1314 |
| GFX Aztec OpenGL Norm | 13 | 19 | 117 |
| Passmark Total Score | 9364 | 9574 | 16525 |
| Geekbench Multi-core | 1707 | 1935 | 4259 |
| 3DMark Wild Life | 1225 | 1212 | 2840 |
| Battery | 17h 19m | 16h 38m | 15h 25m |
| 3DMark Slingshot Extr. OpenGL | 2384 | 2957 | Maxed Out |
| % gained in 30m charge | 28 | 25 | 55 |
| Geekbench OpenCL | 1471 | 1392 | 6357 |
| GFX Aztec Vulkan Norm | 12 | 19 | 126 |
| CPU Score | 4607 | 4397 | 8080 |
| 3DMark Slingshot Extr. Vulkan | 2353 | 2734 | Maxed Out |
| 3DMark Slingshot OpenGL | 3376 | 4154 | Maxed Out |
| GFX Car Chase | 12 | 17 | 85 |
| PCMark Outcome | 7939 | 9163 | 16474 |
The advantages of these benchmarks are that the XCover 7 has a longer battery life, and it’s comparable with the Nokia XR21 in some of the tests. But generally, it’s a step down from its Nokia equivalent, and it’s significantly behind the pricier Motorola model.
The GFX tests, in particular, highlight that this isn’t a gaming phone by any means.
Samsung has exchanged efficiency for performance and has presumed that its customers will appreciate that decision.
CONCLUSION
In terms of design and hand-feel, the Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 is an extraordinarily appealing device. The display is sufficiently large for viewing streamed content but not so extensive that it won’t fit in a pocket. It provides decent battery longevity, rapid charging, and an integrated SIM.
However, the interchangeable battery is somewhat perplexing as Samsung hasn’t backed it with additional batteries for purchase or any system to charge them independently of the phone. It’s unclear what the intention was there, but the same erroneous reasoning was evident with the Tab Active5.
Another notable concern is that the selected battery wasn’t substantial by rugged phone norms, compelling Samsung to employ a less powerful SoC to maximize its capacity. Those who don’t engage in gaming or use demanding applications won’t notice, but the XCover 7 delivers the performance of a budget phone costing half the price.
We sincerely hope that Samsung introduces a Pro variant with enhanced power, superior cameras, and 5G connectivity in the same appealing casing because the XCover 7 doesn’t fulfill the expectations set by its design.