Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2 Smartphone

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

+
Looks nice
+
Rugged features
+
Well protected microSD card slot
+
Torch part
+
Gorilla Glass screen

Cons

-
Low screen resolution
-
Some water seepage in our under the tap exam
-
Poor camera
-
On the big side
-
No Flash support

Nosotros all know that Samsung isn't exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to smartphones. It has a wide range of handsets, spanning all price points and covering Android, Windows Phone and even its ain Bada operating system.

Samsung has been in the rugged mobile phone arena before, although merely with 'impaired' phones such equally the Solid Extreme B2100. Now, though, Samsung seems to have finally noticed the success Motorola has had with its Defy and Defy+, and has decided to jump onto the bandwagon with a rugged handset of its own.

The event is the rather heavily named Samsung Milky way S5690 Xcover Extreme, which you lot'll probably meet referred to every bit either the Samsung Galaxy Xcover or the Samsung Galaxy Extreme. We're opting for the Samsung Milky way Xcover for this review.

Samsung galaxy xcover extreme s5690 review

The Samsung Galaxy Xcover is IP67 certified, meaning information technology'due south able to survive under a meter of water for up to 30 minutes, and can withstand dust too. Clearly it needs to be well sealed to perform these feats. The sealing looks relatively subtle, only nosotros'll test it later.

Both the headset slot on the superlative and the USB slot forth the bottom are protected by hinged covers. The USB slot is besides quite recessed, and we had trouble getting our usual 'one size fits all' connector to fit into the hole.

The power button on the right and the volume rocker on the left are fairly flush with the chassis, and presumably well protected underneath.

The backplate is held business firm with a screw-type lock, and even when y'all release this you need to prise it away. There'due south a secondary seal around the bombardment for double protection. The Samsung Milky way Xcover'south screen, of course, is made from Gorilla Drinking glass.

The handset is a somewhat mesomorphic beast, measuring 121.v x 65.9 10 11.95mm and weighing 135g. There is a lot of unused infinite above and beneath the screen that makes it seem a scrap over-engineered, and the three.65-inch screen looks a little lost.

Beneath the screen are iii fairly big buttons for Home, Dorsum and Menu. Yes, they're well sealed against water and grit, but this doesn't in whatsoever way touch their comfy feel under the fingers.

Look closely at the book rocker, incidentally, and you lot'll see a torch icon. Agree this end of the rocker downward and you can toggle the photographic camera LED for use as a, well, as a torch.

Specs-wise, Samsung hasn't really pushed the boat out with the Milky way Xcover. Android is version two.three Gingerbread. The 800MHz processor isn't what we'd call land of the art, and with merely 150MB of costless storage you lot'll demand a microSD carte du jour almost immediately.

The camera is some other letdown, offering just 3.1MP of shooting power.

Considering that Clove (opens in new tab), who supplied our review sample, is selling the Samsung Milky way Xcover for £226.80 SIM-gratis in the UK, then mayhap these specs are to be expected. In the The states, we found it priced at $385 SIM-free on Amazon.