Rugged industrial settings and outdoor work environments used to be no place for a shiny new smartphone. Dust, rain, bumps, drops and other harsh conditions could bring an unprotected device to its knees — and a workers’ productivity along with it.
But that was before the introduction of a new wave of ruggedized smartphones, like Samsung’s Galaxy XCover Pro. These devices combine military-grade durability with the performance and functionality of higher-end consumer phones to keep work moving even in the toughest conditions.
Tested 22 different ways
To earn its standing as an essential tool for frontline workers in industries as varied as construction, public safety, transportation, retail and manufacturing, the Galaxy XCover Pro had to pass 22 MIL-STD-810 tests.
MIL-STD-810 is a detailed set of standards developed by the U.S. Department of Defense for testing the durability of electronic equipment. Today, it’s also become the gold standard for assessing whether mobile devices are tough enough for industrial use.
To prove its durability, the Galaxy XCover Pro was put through a grueling regime of environmental tests conducted in an independent lab. Here’s a quick run though of the harsh conditions it endured:
Repeated drops and vibration: All smartphones get dropped — but not usually 26 times in a row. The Galaxy XCover Pro survived those 26 drops from 1.5 meters up onto plywood, proving its ability to withstand the rigors of real-world work life. Technicians also put the device through six hours of vibration testing to validate its durability for use within vehicles and industrial settings. After all that, the rugged smartphone showed no signs of damage beyond normal scuffing.
High altitude and low temperatures: Conditions at 15,000 feet are pretty challenging; that’s high enough to need an oxygen mask. The reduced air density at high altitudes can also wreak havoc on typical consumer electronics and their internal components. Technicians performed extensive testing on the Galaxy XCover Pro at 15,000-feet atmospheric pressure, both in an operating state and powered off. The device was also tested against extreme cold, operating for two hours at −4 F and stored for a further two hours at −40 F. Based on this, a telecommunications worker servicing a cell tower on a snowy mountaintop a “mere” 9,000 feet up can be confident the device will live to tell the tale.
Solar radiation, rain and salt spray: Snow isn’t the only occupational hazard faced by field workers and their smartphones. For many outdoor jobs, rain, unrelenting sun and salt spray may all be part of a day’s work. To prove it’s a worthy companion, the Galaxy XCover Pro survived repeated cycles of exposure to all of the above — three continuous 24-hour cycles of solar radiation, 4 inches of blowing rain for 30 minutes and 24 hours of salt fog. And it still came out with no signs of damage, deformation, discoloration or corrosion.
Extreme heat: High temperatures can be tough on technology and the folks that use it. But the Galaxy XCover Pro can take the heat, sailing through testing by operating at temperatures as high as 160 F — and still working without a hitch. Technicians also validated the Galaxy XCover Pro can survive being left in a hot vehicle for several hours — with nonoperating tests taking it up to a blazing 176 F.
Dust, temperature shocks, humidity: The Galaxy XCover Pro was blasted with fine dust on each face for 12 hours, subjected to temperature swings between 90 F and 120 F and practically bathed in 95 percent relative humidity. Again, it still came out without damage beyond normal wear and tear.
Water immersion and icing: It’s hard for workers inspecting water lines or rescuing flood victims to do their job without getting wet. Same goes for their smartphones. The XCover Pro survived being immersed in 5 feet of water for 30 minutes and being coated with ice for more than six hours, proving it can work in whatever wet or wintry conditions its users take it to.
Works anywhere, without sacrifice
Being built to withstand punishing conditions is just the beginning. End to end, the Galaxy XCover Pro is designed with on-the-go workers in mind, so it’s loaded with features that make it an ideal companion. A 6.3-inch display with enhanced touch for gloved use, programmable buttons for rapid access to apps or push-to-talk, a long-lasting replaceable battery and pogo pin connectors for drop-in charging are just a few of the features that add up to a worker-friendly, productivity-enhancing rugged smartphone.
The Galaxy XCover Pro is built to stand up to challenges the real world dishes out. That’s why leading enterprises like Walmart are outfitting their teams with the Galaxy XCover Pro, the ideal rugged smartphone for a highly mobile frontline workforce.
Explore Samsung’s full range of rugged devices can support your workers anywhere. Then, take a deeper dive into how to improve connectivity in field services with this free white paper.
