Important update on XCover Key at 06:50 You can choose any app you want for the XCover Key just like a top key in my video! At the time of shooting my review, it was true Samsung limited the app selection for the XCover key. (My video is the evidence😂) They did an update after I shoot my review and you can choose any app for the XCover key. I got this answer from a Samsung service center and checked I can choose whatever app I want for the XCover key. Sorry for causing a confusion but I had to make my review based on what I had at the time of filming. I do 100% Genuine Honest review 😁
I own the 2020 Xcover Pro and thought it was weird that only talk apps worked with that button since I made it so that I can use that key to activate my camera bypassing the pin lock for situations when I want to take a picture or record real fast.
Do tou think that a phone around 500$ with no stereo speakers,no always on display,no fast charging, no amoled display, no radio ,and a drop off failure on 7 feet ,plus dubious water proof test it deserves to be bought??
They had me at removable batteries, I have had so many phones, laptops and electronics with none removable batteries expand and damage the touch screen, keyboard etc one even caught fire......... I need removable
Using Xcover 6 oro for 7 months. No problem. Used it in whirlpool and made some under water videos in my garden fish pond and some swimming videos with myself and kids. Never dropped it....but have a rugged rubber case anyway. Better grip. Updates every month. Works like a charm. Try the shake test with a s23 and see what happens. Probably screens breaks or whatever. Great review by the way.
Thank you for making this video. I appreciate the minimalistic production value and the straightforward evaluation of each feature. I can't stand content creators that overlay music and too much VFX into their videos. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to purchase this phone or not. The major gripe for me that you mentioned in this video is the inaccuracy of the fingerprint sensor. This is what frustrates me most about my current phone-iPhone SE 2nd gen. I was optimistic that a side mounted sensor might be more accurate. As it stands, mine doesn't work when I'm sweating or if my thumb is covered in even a small amount of grease. The other problem I have is the lack of case options. I would purchase this with the intention of having it for about 5 years, so I'd want to protect the body and the screen as much as possible. I only found one case with a ring on the back and it doesn't look good. You mentioned that they don't include an extra battery. That actually makes sense to me. I believe the battery replacement is an option because people just want to be able to replace them when they lose capacity without ungluing the screen. Lithium-ion batteries still degrade even when they aren't in use. So, if they gave you two, the other would degrade as well over time even though it's not in-use. I don't think they implemented the swappable battery with the intention of it being used to get more use out of the phone in one day. The other concern that this brings that you didn't mention is the availability of new batteries years into the future. How much are they going to cost? It would be pointless to buy this phone with the intention of replacing the battery as it ages if you can't buy them at a reasonable price 2, 3, 4 years from now.
Why did samsung just forget to market these when they came out? I'm not a tradie or boomer and this is my dream phone, instead I get ads for soe £1700 phone that will bend in half when I sit with it in my pocket, thanks apple for actively de-innovating the whole industry.
I might have bought a Fairphone 5 if they included a headphone jack, but I might buy one of these instead. Not even because of the "rugged" design, or water resistance, but because it is the *only* phone with a modern 5G capable SOC that has a headphone jack, microsd reader, and removable battery as far as I know.
1000% right! Headphone jack, micro sd slot, and removable battery are rare these days and it's hard to find even one of these features in today's smartphones. And yet Xcover 6 Pro has it all.
@@Technoliath i guess that plus the drop test. Anyways I really tried to like these rugged phones but I ended up with 2 conclusions: 1. A lot of marketing without actual proof. 2. I don't really need extra roughness. A rough case and a screen protector will do the trick. And again, your effort is appreciated.
Overall, it was a good video and good analysis of the phone. One question, though. What shipyard did you spend time at as a Naval Officer? US Naval Shipyards do not allow camera enabled cell phones. If I decide to get this rugged phone, the first thing I will do is remove/disable the cameras. The camera means nothing to a shipyard worker.
I'm sold on the removable battery alone. The only way to not be tracked everywhere you go is to remove the battery. I figured the government must have banned removable batteries in cell phones. I'm glad I was mistaken.
The only real problem with having a removable battery is that Samsung can engineer the same disposability into the XCover 6 by stopping production of the battery. Not being able to get batteries is the same situation as losing battery capacity, just more frustrating..
It might be a pain but just do the regular battery safety tips if you want to keep the longevity of your battery: Never fully charge or delete your battery, keep it a range of 30 to 80% of the battery, and don't put the phone through extreme temperatures.
if this is a consumer phones there will be a good third party battery brand that will make battery for this phone. But yeah, it is an enterprise phone.
@@farisroy_ This phone isn't really mean for the masses. It sits in a niche segement for field workers who want a rugged phone or for a business that would buy these phones for their workers. I think a quick search and maybe a battery would cost somewhere from $30 to $50. It's a big difference when most smartphones on the market had removable batteries. I remember a getting a battery for my Note 4 which was only $10 on Amazon. It was from a reputable brand. Since there are a lack of third parties it rises the cost of making and selling batteries.
The batteries will continue to be produced for at least as long as the phone gets software support, and I've seen talk that it's the same battery they used in the last gen and newer gen xcover devices. Considering that the main consumers of this are companies that absolutely need replacement batteries to keep using the devices, I don't think they'll cut it off anytime soon. My work has used the same handheld devices for the last 4 years, and batteries are still readily available.
Think of this as the lesser of US market phone evils. My 5 was a piece of junk, but durable. So went for the 6. Battery life for a business was a couple of hours on the 5, curious if the 6 is better. I disagree with the reviewer. The NUMBER 1 problem with cell phones today is battery life. When being used a half day takes conservation. Not seen a phone that can do any better in the US market.
the fun thing about this phone, is that it's been what I've been waiting for for years. A nice camera would be nice, but if I want to film things in real life, a quality camera is ultimately what I'm going to need to invest in. While I am a music producer, I'm actually okay with the shitty speakers. It allows me to listen to my mix on speakers that are awful, which is great for reference. I, personally, have been waiting for a removable battery and headphone jack for years now. (FYI, for some reason the international version ahs only 15 watt charging. The us version has 25 watts.)
I consider buying this phone (i got XCover 5 in my work, and even without AMOLED display it's pretty good device) but lack of stereo speakers and wireless charging in the "pro" model with even DEX is disappointing.
Yeah, mono speaker could be a deal-breaker if you listen to music without headphones. I guess wireless charging for removable battery needs sometime to happen but not having it is inconvenient. The display is better than I thought for an LCD.
Since this video was made, the model is now available in the USA on Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T. The problem is that if you don't have a "business account", those carriers won't sell it to you. Those with "consumer accounts" might be able to buy a new one directly from Samsung (or a third party seller) in any of the 3 carriers' versions, or unlocked, but the carriers might give you a hard time and say it doesn't work on their network. If anyone has experience with this, please reply here with which carrier you approached, and whether the version you brought to them was unlocked or the carrier's version.
AT&T sold one to me, no questions asked. Nothing about needing a business account or anything like that. So far, I have been happy with it (after ~two monhts).
I bought directly from samsung unlocked & got acct with a local t-mobile spin off, but that was after first going to verizon and seeing that while I could get the phone online from them, they 'required' the phone to have one of their business plans. Didn't want to overpay for a business plan, so opted for a no-frills purchase directly as found at this point of time t-mobile network giving ok to the make model for their system with no restrictions. While I could have bought from att, I didn't want to make a 3-yr commit to them just to get the phone, why I decided to get straight from samsung, then find a prepaid carrier. Was concerned would have trouble, but except for verizon, didn't find that.
Thank you so much for reviewing this phone! Not a lot of information out there yet. I am buying this in USA as soon as I can for Verizon. I hope that I can find a charging cradle for the extra batteries. This is the only upgrade from the LG V20 that has released in 6 years. Looking forward to it!
There is (was) a nice charging cradle for the V20 although it was very expensive (>$100 including accessories). I have looked in Europe for a charging cradle since this phone was available there first, but nothing so far. So I decided to keep my previous XCoverPro and use it as a charging station for the 6.
@@douglasjensen8986 That is an interesting idea. If the xcover 6 pro battery fits in the xcover (old) then i wouldnt see any problem with buying an xcover (old) external battery charger right? I am still waiting for my backorder from samsung. I ordered October 24 and it keeps getting delayed. Dec. 6 now.
The XCover 6 Pro brings so much nostalgia of the Samsung Galaxy S5, the removable battery with the similar back cover design. I am also somewhat disappointed with the water breach, even though it survived. As a delivery driver, I am very interested get this phone for work for the ruggedness. I currently own a Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 tablet, a rugged tablet, and it's been working out pretty well for the past half year. Great review, I like your style of presentation, pretty down to earth, the slight humor and straight forward. At least I know what I am getting into for purchasing this phone. I do not plan to throw the phone over 6 ft. 😂
Yeah, I thought of S5 too. The waterproof test result is disappointing but my test was a bit extreme. It was okay with just dipping into the water for a short period so it should be okay with drizzle or mild rain. I'm glad my review gave you some info and that you liked my video. Thanks for watching!
I was holding on right with a S5 since ages. Waiting for a 5G capable device with removable battery. And waited... and waited... and waited! I hate sealed phones without this possibility. I always peat on people dragging on with a powerpack and a connecting cable protruding from their pants (or anything else). And then the XCover6 came. I jumped on it, though I do not specifically need a rugged phone (and its added costs), and I am liking it in these very days of use. It shows some compromises, this is the price for the removable batteries, but all in all I am satisfied till now. A thing I am still missing from the very old days? A small slot for a necklace. The exploitation of any little space has made it disappear from all devices. But I have cooked a inexpensive remedy that works fine, though not everybody might like it. A necklace however really makes a device a rugged device. You will never fear your smartphone slip from your hands, though it does not hurt easy of handling and use. Hopefully this also will reappear sometime somewhere.
Oh yeah! There was a time when we had a lanyard hole for every phone! I remember people used to wear their phones on their neck like a necklace. I'm suddenly very curious now why we don't wear our phones like a necklace anymore. Some phone cases have a lanyard hole and it's not hard to find them. Interesting! Having a removable battery is really rare these days and I think it's worth paying for. No need to hunt for a power source outside.
I've never seen a test where the phone is put in a closed container of water and then shaken. Perhaps you should just put it in water for the water depth and time it is rated for and take it out and show your observations. I truly don't know why you were surprised that water made it in to the battery, that seal is only going to do its job if it makes solid contact with the inside of the phone. If you allow that contact to be disturbed by forcing impact multiple times then the water will find a way of ingress.
In hindsight, I think I was kinda overboard. Samsung launched this phone as a rugged phone and I just wanted to test how rugged it is. So I pushed it beyond the limit and it broke lol. Besides, the IP rating on this phone is not designed to protect from a turbulence in water so I get your point. I'm gonna do a follow up video soon and your input gave me an inspiration. Thanks a lot for your comment 👍
I've had the Xcover pro for a few years now and yes, the Exynos chipset is bad. RAM management is terrible and if it uses too much the phone just crashes and restarts. Also if the RAM Plus option is on (it's a horrible feature, never have this on, on ANY phone), the phone crashes daily. Good to see Xcover 6 has Snapdragon.
I love my xcover pro 2020, dual sim and the extra hardware buttons are so handy for me in my job. However, I have this crashing problem sometimes twice or three times a day It's always at the worst times too, happened to me just moments ago, so I finally decided to move onto the xcover6 pro. Looking forward to the extra ram and Snapdragon
@@solidice5660 Good choice. XCover 6 Pro is the best version right now. My XCover Pro still runs well. There's a few things i do like RAM Plus off and not letting it drop below 600MB. And also using apps like SD Maid and Good Guardians App booster. They have been very helpful.
@@Scott-M1what do you think about its camera? i have to take a lot of photos so i really hope the camera is good and fast enough to take photos quickly
@@chaule3814 The camera is decent for a mid range phone. 25MP i think. Xcover 6 pro has 50MP. You can also assign the camera app to the side or top button as well to take quick photos.
@@solidice5660 Yes the crashing isn't good on the 2020 xcover. It just doesn't have enough ram and constantly needs cleared when it drops below 600mb. good guardians is a great app to use. Has app booster, thermal guardian and memory guardian. Which made a big difference to phone crashes. I upgraded recently to the xcover 6 pro, great phone. With snapdragon and 2gb extra ram, no more crashing. I still switched off ram plus, not taking any chances. Constant read/write cycles to phone storage is bad and not as fast as standard ram anyway.
They reused the battery from the 2019 xcover pro, which is why. If you have batteries from the older one, this upgrade is easy. So in the end, it's a decision made to make upgrading easier. I have 2 extra batteries so I'm good to go from day 1.
A rare and happy pro consumer side effect of corporate cost cutting. Very good to hear. Being able to buy one battery for years of phones is very cool.
I live in Kenya and I have discovered that it may cost me a minimum shipping fee of 250$ to ship a replacement battery from Samsung via sea because stand-alone lithium batteries are prohibited in air shipping (which would only cost 15$). I agree withh you, Samsung not including an extra battery is a bummer! Anyways, still waiting for my phone.
As a Galaxy Z Fold4 user, I could see myself getting an xCover Pro as a backup phone someday. The xCover Pro is basically Samsung returning to their roots of what made the Galaxy phones great in the first place. The Galaxy S series in its current state is not good due to Samsung constantly removing features while charging premium prices. If Samsung can bring S-Pen support, better cameras, more RAM, and stereo speakers, than the Galaxy S and A series will be in trouble.
Yeah, absolutely. Xcover 6 pro will be a true terminator with all those features. The price is not really affordable but, in my opinion, it’s pretty reasonably priced when we think about S series costing $1,000. We get more features like removable battery and headphone jack by paying less.
I love your clearness talking with NO entertaining graphicanmimations or Soundeffects during your Videos! I think the water Test shows me that this Phone here is not usefull for me during a kajak tour! I hope you do another review of the Gigaset GX6, an outdoor smartphone that is currently on a par with the x Cover pro 6. In Germeny there was a review that campares both Phones. Greetings from Munich and much thx for that Video here!
Glad that you liked it! Yeah, I specifically had water sports in my mind cause you mentioned kayak. Your comment on my unboxing video was really helpful. Gigaset GX6 review will take some time cause I am flying to Korea this upcoming Monday. Thank you for watching my video. Vielen Dank!
The lack of samsung hardware support is upsetting. No docking station and different pogo pin placement compared to the xcover fieldpro are a real bummer. I wish it had rubberized sides like the old galaxy active series phones and covered ports like the xcover fieldpro.
Absolutely and totally agree with you on the docking station. It's a bit mystery to me why Samsung doesn't make a charging dock for this device. Although XCover 6 Pro has some room for improvement, you will like it since you are coming from Xcover FieldPro. Enjoy!
How would you say the internal DAC compares to the LG V20? To date, I don't think any phone has matched the V20 in quality. I'm very much interested in upgrading from it.
I haven’t used V20 so I’m not sure whether it’s comparable to V20. Xcover 6 Pro supports LDAC and Hi-Res audio. With 3.5mm headphones with low impedance, you are gonna enjoy the sound it makes.
I haven't yet upgraded from oneplus 3t for 5 years because I hated the sealed battery experience and glass back in flagship phones. Finally, the xcover 6 pro with the midrage 778g will significantly outperform the 821 in the op3t and most importantly has removable battery and plastic back cover. I believe with good care it will last much much longer than 5 yrs. Thank you for the detailed review!
Thank you so so much for being honest about OLED burn in. It's blows my mind how so many people literally deny their own eyes, and try to tell me NE deny mine. Why do people think they get he tell me that I've never seen burn in on my phones with bad burn-in?
Great review, I agree with all your points except one. Samsung is really loosing a lot by saving the 5$ (maybe more???? anyway...pennies) a piece needed to provide a better casing. I would be willing to pay the higher price for solid aluminium chassis, twist lock and full watertight coverage on the back and upgraded screen protector for that 3m daily jump onto concrete we all need in our lives. I think you need to adjust the water test, a phone is not meant to endure high frequency bumps in a plastic container full of water, the backcover I bet is not that bad. Thank you for your work, I will be upgrading my 4s now.
Yeah, this phone could've been more rugged with better casing. I think water is the biggest enemy to this phone but I'm pretty confident that this phone will be safe from external shock. Thanks a lot for your thoughtful comment! You won't be disappointed since you are upgrading from 4s.
I don't really understand why a removable battery phone doesn't have super fast charging. You have a rare situation where really fast charging doesn't reduce the lifespan of the phone and they purposefully REMOVED those advantages?
Since this review was done, have you done a firmware update on this phone to latest version? If so have you noticed any improvements / changes on this phone since last review? Does the fingerprint sensor work better now?
I did one update before taking to a service center and that gave the Xcover key more apps to choose. That was early November and my phone is still at the service center. It's taking way too long and I haven't been able to follow up any updates (if there is any).
First the good, then the huge shortcoming: Heavy device with over 200 g, but compared to other outdoor phones that's okay. The weight is not due to the (replaceable) medium-sized battery but to the construction and the glass. In fresh water you should be able to dive to a depth of 1.5 m. Voice quality is very good, speakers are also quite good. Processing top, operating system (A 12) excellent. Display is sufficient, good reaction! However, I would never have bought the phone if I had found out about the adventurously high SAR value in time. Contrary to the practice at Samsung, this is a gigantic 1.48!!! This drops the device - for me - from 5 to 3 stars.
It is a measure of the rate of radio frequency energy absorption by the body. Higher number means more exposure but it doesn’t provide a whole picture as to total amount of exposure. Please refer to FCC website to learn more about this at www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/specific-absorption-rate-sar-cell-phones-what-it-means-you
Awesome video! Looks like it's not as good of a successor as we would have liked for the LG V20, but I need a phone with 5G and removable battery, and it looks like this one will at least be good enough (assuming I keep only dropping phones from 1m high, not 3m 😂 ). Thank you so much!
@@Technoliath the only things that aren't are the lack of AOD, a much worse screen resolution with presumably smaller color gamut (V20 screen is a 1440p quantum dot LCD, great colors but has temporary image retention issues) and a worse DAC. I do actually use the IR Blaster too, but I know that's relevant to almost nobody.
Thank you! Yeah, you're right. Samsung doesn't make a charging dock so there's third party options only. The one I would consider to buy is Koamtac but it's expensive. I haven't used it so I cannot vouch for its quality but it looks okay.
@@Technoliath koamtac is recommended for the spare battery charger which is the same as the xcover pro battery. They really should have included a docking station like they did with the xcover fieldpro along with a spare battery. Apparently koamtac will be releasing a docking station at some point 😒.
I really wish you would have dropped it chest height (1.5m) at a few different angles to see how it works as designed instead of after 1 drop going to drops that it is not designed for.
I really like your review. Totaly unbiased. I just want to add ,that if you find yourself in such "storm",your phone would be the last of your concerns 🤣
Thank you! This review really helped me, I just want to get the phone for my dad. He likes to go out into the woods, and he doesn’t have to be super careful with the phone.
I'm so glad that my review could help you and thanks for your comment. Yeah, this phone is for those don't baby their phones. I hope your father will like it.
The only thing keeping me from wanting this phone was when I heard about the lcd display. Glad to see it's adequate! I like my phones uncased and long lived! Helpful vid!!
I wouldn't even be considering this phone if it didn't. Remember, this phone's LCD will look as good as new in 5 years after heavy use. If it had an OLED, it could very well be ussuable in 5 years due to burn in. Samsung made the right choice for a phone designed for long-term use.
Hello, nice review. I want know does is this a upgrade over the samaung A52? I had a Xcover4 and Id liked it. I want go back in the Xcover series. But need your advise first. Thanks.
a shame that the phone didn't fully survive that water test, but shaking it around and making it contact hard edges like that seems like a worse case scenario really, the shocks probably weakened the sealant. how long was the phone underwater in the beginning? I am more worried about prolonged exposure to calmer water and battling rain and weather than something much more extreme like this.
It was in the water for about 5 minutes. It worked just like before but I could see some water inside when I opened the back cover. I guess the selfie lens got hit due to the shaking. Nevertheless, I am not confident about the water resistance of this phone.
@@Technoliath Did you try any water testing without the banging? I'm curious what the result would be with gentle sloshing or spraying it with a showerhead. Something to mimic accidentally jumping into a pool with the phone in your trunks. (which my Galaxy s7 survived multiple times)
I dipped the phone into water couple of times and it was okay then. There was very few water drops except the seal-protected battery area when I opened the back cover but the selfie camera didn't fog up. I think this phone can handle spraying water or jumping into a pool for a short time.
I have s22+ and xcover 6 pro and i like xcover more. I dont remember getting 2 batterys when buying mobile. You dont even get a charger, why 2 batterys?
XCover is a unique phone. Feels more sturdy and tough. There was a time when a removable battery was the norm and we usually got 2 batteries. It was a PCS phone or we call it dumb phone nowadays.
Thanks for the interesting review. One question: did you test or compare the GPS accuracy? I read in one review, that its only average. As I'm planing it to use as a bicycle computer, this would be a crucial point...
Due to the lack of dual frequency support, I would agree with this phone being just average for GNSS accuracy. I haven't used a bicycle computer but, after looking into it, I guess dual frequency is a must for this kind of device. This phone doesn't support dual frequency GNSS. I have turned on 'force full GNSS measurements' in the development options and failed to get L5 signal. And Samsung says nothing about this phone having dual GPS band on its website while Tab Active 4 Pro is clearly indicated to have dual band support. You can check this out at here (the spec table is at the bottom) ; news.samsung.com/us/samsung-rugged-galaxy-xcover6-pro-galaxy-tab-active4-pro/ IRL situation, for example navigating as a tourist, I haven't noticed any difference from S22 Ultra, which has dual frequency (L1/L5) GNSS. But I think that's not the kind of accuracy that you need as a measuring device.
Thanks so much I have been waiting for a review like this, I currently have an iPhone 11 Pro Max and might be getting this phone next because I want to come back to Android and have removable storage and battery. The speaker quality and water getting in is a slight bummer but hey I’ll take those trade offs. I know this is probably not going to happen but I hope someone finds a way to root the device! One thing I would like to see which I personally loved from the original Note 1-4 series is the IR blaster!
The removable battery is a very unique feature these days for a smartphone. Xcover can handle a dip into water so it's going to be okay. My test was definitely a bit too much. I'm not sure whether Samsung will bring back IR blaster but let's see!
My question is...can the batteries be charged without being in the phone? Is there a charging station for the batteries? Removable batteries are so awesome.
Well to be honest all phones would still have removable battery when they started that sealed up crap you should have stopped buying them you're the people you control the market you get what you want if you hold out
@@1010109999999I voted with my wallet but the millions who bought sealed battery phones, iphone alone, made my boycott insignificant. The makers follow the money. Even Fairphone now screw their batteries and took out the 3.5mm jack to sell their wireless headphones.
Ich selber besitze das Xcover 6 Pro und kann folgendes sagen: Positiv: Sehr gute "Haupt" Kamera (wenn man bei Fotos stark vergrößert sieht man jedes Detail detail so gut wie gestochen scharf) Lautsprecher absolut top (sehr guter lauter weicher angenehmer Klang trotz mono Lautsprecher) Sehr guter und stabiler (Victus)Bildschirm mit 120 Hz trotz fehlender Amoled Technik Sehr gute Sprachqualität (man hört den Gesprächspartner komplett klar weich und ohne Störung) Gewicht einmalig leicht für ein robustes Handy Trotz 15W Ladung kann man mit einem 30 Watt Ladegerät laden da es intelligent gedrosselt wird. Keine nervigen Klappen bei den Ladebüchsen Wechselbarer Akku der 1-2 Tage hält 5 Jahre Absicherung was Updates betrifft Negativ: Schlechte Preis/Leistung Relativ kleiner Akku Kein Amoled Display Kein Stereo Lautsprecher Es hätte locker noch mehr Leistung sein können auch wenn die eingebaute Leistung reicht. Fazit: Das Xcover 6pro ist ein sehr gutes und stabiles Handy mit vielen guten Eigenschaften! Leider spart Sansung an den falschen Stellen somit passt das Preis/Leistungsverhältnis nicht Trotzdem gibt es von mir eine klare Kaufempfehlung
The water test result is so disappointing... N shattering glasses at 3m height, how some frontline workers can confidently use this? Truly disappointing
Well, it was only rated for 1.5 meters onto concrete, which is from ear height when talking on the phone for most people. It passed that test. I suspect it would pass a 3 meter drop as well, but throwing it up into the air isn't the same as dropping it. A lot more velocity and energy there. It wasn't a fair or accurate test. Expecting any phone to be okay after a drop from a construction scaffold onto concrete is a little contradictory to the laws of physics. I suppose that's possible if you build a whole shock-proof foam layer over it but then it wouldn't be a regular smartphone that you can easily handle. You'd have a point if there was another model out there that could survive being thrown 3 meters into the air and then dropped onto concrete.
Super review! How's the default apps situation? Are there many (usually unwanted) apps that you can't remove? I personally prefer stock Android so I was curious how close the phone is to it
Sorry that I couldn't reply earlier. I have been spreading myself too thin in the past week. No need to worry about unnecessary default apps. There are not many apps by default. The only apps you cannot uninstall or disable are Samsung Free and AR Zone. It's not a stock Android because it has One UI but pretty close to clean Android. Very few apps out of the box.
Thanks for the testing and review. 👍 Hmm. How would the XCover 6 compare to my Galaxy S10? I use my S10 a lot every single day; mostly for TH-cam videos and music. I'm worried about the speaker on the XCover 6 as you described it. Are additional cases and screen-protectors available for the XCover 6?
S10 is still a good phone, in my opinion. Snapdragon 855 in S10 has better performance than the Snapdragon 778g in Xcover 6 Pro. But you are gonna have better battery life because your S10 must be old and Snapdragon 778g has better battery life than Snapdragon 855. I think old stereo speaker is better than modern mono speaker. The mono speaker on this phone is not for entertainment for sure. You are gonna be disappointed if you expect S10 level speaker to this phone. Case is unnecessary but there's a few products on Amazon. I think a screen-protector is almost a must and you can find many products easily on Amazon.
Xcover 6 Pro is faster than Galaxy S8. It's Snapdragon 778g vs Snapdragon 835 and 778g is a lot better in every way. Xcover 6 pro has 2gb more ram than S8, which is 6gb in total.
From your experience how well do you rate the sound quality on this phone when watching videos, games or listening to music? and the call quality when making and receiving calls? Compared to Samsung S22 is it on par?
The quality is absolutely below average because it has mono speaker. It's embarrassing sometimes when I think of the price that I paid. It doesn't make satisfying sound for movie, game, and music. However, it makes very clear sound for voice so you're not going to be hard-pressed to talk to someone. S22 is way better for music, video, and game but call quality would be probably the same.
@@Technoliath Thats interesting because the Xcover Pro 6 has dolby atmos sound which is much higher quality than regular stereo sound. It is a very expensive sound system. Dolby atmos is essentially cinema threatre 3D surround sound so not sure why below average sound. Dolby atmos sound on mobile phones is usually only available on flagship phones. It might be that dolby atmos sound wasn't activated on the phone during testing?
The Dolby atmos works only when the earphones is plugged in. It doesn't work due to mono speaker. It would've been better if it were stereo speaker. Then, Dolby would've worked on speaker.
Koamtac makes one and you can find more about it at here; koamtac.com/power-charging-accessories/charging-cradles/xcover6-pro-charging-cradles/ I've never used it but it looks good and the company has been making a lot of charging docks for Samsung device.
whats the difference between the 6 Pro and the 6 Pro enterprise? it seems like the enterprise variant is only available if you buy in bulk for commercial purposes
It seems like there's no meaningful difference except the one you mentioned. I bought mine on Amazon Germany and it happened to be an enterprise edition.
Haha I think the phone could survive but display won't stand it. The display is a glass and every glass breaks at some point, you know. But other than that, I feel pretty confident with this phone. It exceeded what Samsung advertised in my drop test (14:10) and I'm impressed.
Could very well be a regional thing though... But same here, never heard of a smartphone with a second battery. Did have a Samsung featurephone around 2003 or so once with a second battery.
Good review! I might be looking at selling my 12 Pro Max and getting this instead. I miss my headphone jack and expandable storage that I would tend to use quite a bit ;).
The only feature missing is wireless charging. I have a bunch of generic wireless chargers on my tables. Awesome review by the way. The water resistance is disappointing.
I'm so sorry but there's no FM radio tuner or receiver in this phone. It does come with Radio FM app by default but it relies on the internet to listen to the radio. There are so many conflicting information on the internet whether this phone has FM radio tuner or not, but after several hours of research, I found out that Snapdragon 778G (the processor of this phone) has no FM tuner. You can still listen to the radio but only when you have internet access.
Ahhhh, while watching this review I was wondering about this too, since I currently have the Galaxy J7 Prime, which has the FM tuner in it. I was hoping that since this phone has a jack that they would bring back the tuner; that would have been sweet.
The waterproof test looks nice on the video but it's completely useless. The conditions under which you tested the phone simply do not exist in real life. You might drop it to water or expose it to rain. Closing the device in a box and shaking it heavily for a minute does not simulate any on real life conditions xD So yeah, water inside the phone is no surprise.
Yeah, in hindsight, the test was unnecessarily rigorous. I did more realistic test again and you can check it out at here; th-cam.com/video/r4w0hDDPfSg/w-d-xo.html.
Thank you for the informative review. I am in the process of selecting my next phone and XCover 6 Pro is in the final duo. This video did give some interesting insight into this device.
The Waterproofing on this phone was a big let-down for me. An IP68 "Rugged" device should perform better than this. Thank you very much for this THOROUGH review.
This phone is not bullet proof. One year down and my power button has failed. To remove it you have to completely disect the phone to bare frame! A replacement button is impossible to find! Anyone looking to buy this just look elsewhere. The replaceable battery isn't worth the hassle associated with unique/uncommon phones.
Important update on XCover Key at 06:50
You can choose any app you want for the XCover Key just like a top key in my video!
At the time of shooting my review, it was true Samsung limited the app selection for the XCover key. (My video is the evidence😂)
They did an update after I shoot my review and you can choose any app for the XCover key.
I got this answer from a Samsung service center and checked I can choose whatever app I want for the XCover key.
Sorry for causing a confusion but I had to make my review based on what I had at the time of filming.
I do 100% Genuine Honest review 😁
It would be nice if the top or side key would switch on the flashlight when the screen is off.
@@lenanaH I agree. There's actually an option to have the top and side Key operate with the screen off but it does not work on my phone ):
I own the 2020 Xcover Pro and thought it was weird that only talk apps worked with that button since I made it so that I can use that key to activate my camera bypassing the pin lock for situations when I want to take a picture or record real fast.
Do tou think that a phone around 500$ with no stereo speakers,no always on display,no fast charging, no amoled display, no radio ,and a drop off failure on 7 feet ,plus dubious water proof test it deserves to be bought??
Is it really 120hz because others say it's 60hz
dont care about ruggedness but sd card + headphone jack + removable battery = instant buy
Haha yeah it’s hard to find this combination on a phone.
Yes. Will buy as soon as possible 🙆. It is hard to find batteries 🔋 for the phone but it is possible. I will buy 6 batteries. 😊
On top of the headphone jack, SD slot, and removable battery, I also like having heavier and thicker phones. I like beefy stuff, what can I say.
They had me at removable batteries, I have had so many phones, laptops and electronics with none removable batteries expand and damage the touch screen, keyboard etc one even caught fire......... I need removable
Huge mistake 😅
Removable battery is very important and im happy they still make it an option
Using Xcover 6 oro for 7 months. No problem. Used it in whirlpool and made some under water videos in my garden fish pond and some swimming videos with myself and kids.
Never dropped it....but have a rugged rubber case anyway. Better grip.
Updates every month. Works like a charm.
Try the shake test with a s23 and see what happens. Probably screens breaks or whatever.
Great review by the way.
Yours is the first practical review for this phone, and I've looked at a few, good job.
Thank you very much for your comment.
Thank you for making this video. I appreciate the minimalistic production value and the straightforward evaluation of each feature. I can't stand content creators that overlay music and too much VFX into their videos.
I still haven't decided whether I'm going to purchase this phone or not. The major gripe for me that you mentioned in this video is the inaccuracy of the fingerprint sensor. This is what frustrates me most about my current phone-iPhone SE 2nd gen. I was optimistic that a side mounted sensor might be more accurate. As it stands, mine doesn't work when I'm sweating or if my thumb is covered in even a small amount of grease.
The other problem I have is the lack of case options. I would purchase this with the intention of having it for about 5 years, so I'd want to protect the body and the screen as much as possible. I only found one case with a ring on the back and it doesn't look good.
You mentioned that they don't include an extra battery. That actually makes sense to me. I believe the battery replacement is an option because people just want to be able to replace them when they lose capacity without ungluing the screen. Lithium-ion batteries still degrade even when they aren't in use. So, if they gave you two, the other would degrade as well over time even though it's not in-use. I don't think they implemented the swappable battery with the intention of it being used to get more use out of the phone in one day. The other concern that this brings that you didn't mention is the availability of new batteries years into the future. How much are they going to cost? It would be pointless to buy this phone with the intention of replacing the battery as it ages if you can't buy them at a reasonable price 2, 3, 4 years from now.
Why did samsung just forget to market these when they came out? I'm not a tradie or boomer and this is my dream phone, instead I get ads for soe £1700 phone that will bend in half when I sit with it in my pocket, thanks apple for actively de-innovating the whole industry.
I might have bought a Fairphone 5 if they included a headphone jack, but I might buy one of these instead.
Not even because of the "rugged" design, or water resistance, but because it is the *only* phone with a modern 5G capable SOC that has a headphone jack, microsd reader, and removable battery as far as I know.
1000% right! Headphone jack, micro sd slot, and removable battery are rare these days and it's hard to find even one of these features in today's smartphones. And yet Xcover 6 Pro has it all.
@@Technoliath yeah, this phone replaced the LG V20 i was using, and its a worthy replacement
And sadly missing the 60 fps 720 recording.
Finally someone tests that water label in a more realistic scenario. Thank you!
No problem. Glad you liked it! I sacrificed my phone though.
@@Technoliath i guess that plus the drop test. Anyways I really tried to like these rugged phones but I ended up with 2 conclusions:
1. A lot of marketing without actual proof.
2. I don't really need extra roughness. A rough case and a screen protector will do the trick. And again, your effort is appreciated.
I love that the headphone jack is finally back!
I love it too!
It never left, in the context of this market segment of smartphone. Likewise, it hasn't come back in the "regular flagship" market segment.
Overall, it was a good video and good analysis of the phone. One question, though. What shipyard did you spend time at as a Naval Officer? US Naval Shipyards do not allow camera enabled cell phones. If I decide to get this rugged phone, the first thing I will do is remove/disable the cameras. The camera means nothing to a shipyard worker.
On Samsung phones unlock developer mode and you can turn off external sensors and or cameras.
I'm sold on the removable battery alone. The only way to not be tracked everywhere you go is to remove the battery. I figured the government must have banned removable batteries in cell phones. I'm glad I was mistaken.
Cutting a power source completely does make you off-grid. 👍
EU is actually planning a mandatory feature for phones. They want to bring back removable batteries. So in the future, this feature might come back.
Wrapping foil around the phone effectively takes you off grid.
The only real problem with having a removable battery is that Samsung can engineer the same disposability into the XCover 6 by stopping production of the battery. Not being able to get batteries is the same situation as losing battery capacity, just more frustrating..
It might be a pain but just do the regular battery safety tips if you want to keep the longevity of your battery: Never fully charge or delete your battery, keep it a range of 30 to 80% of the battery, and don't put the phone through extreme temperatures.
if this is a consumer phones there will be a good third party battery brand that will make battery for this phone. But yeah, it is an enterprise phone.
@@farisroy_ This phone isn't really mean for the masses. It sits in a niche segement for field workers who want a rugged phone or for a business that would buy these phones for their workers. I think a quick search and maybe a battery would cost somewhere from $30 to $50. It's a big difference when most smartphones on the market had removable batteries. I remember a getting a battery for my Note 4 which was only $10 on Amazon. It was from a reputable brand. Since there are a lack of third parties it rises the cost of making and selling batteries.
The batteries will continue to be produced for at least as long as the phone gets software support, and I've seen talk that it's the same battery they used in the last gen and newer gen xcover devices.
Considering that the main consumers of this are companies that absolutely need replacement batteries to keep using the devices, I don't think they'll cut it off anytime soon.
My work has used the same handheld devices for the last 4 years, and batteries are still readily available.
Think of this as the lesser of US market phone evils. My 5 was a piece of junk, but durable. So went for the 6. Battery life for a business was a couple of hours on the 5, curious if the 6 is better. I disagree with the reviewer. The NUMBER 1 problem with cell phones today is battery life. When being used a half day takes conservation. Not seen a phone that can do any better in the US market.
the fun thing about this phone, is that it's been what I've been waiting for for years. A nice camera would be nice, but if I want to film things in real life, a quality camera is ultimately what I'm going to need to invest in.
While I am a music producer, I'm actually okay with the shitty speakers. It allows me to listen to my mix on speakers that are awful, which is great for reference.
I, personally, have been waiting for a removable battery and headphone jack for years now.
(FYI, for some reason the international version ahs only 15 watt charging. The us version has 25 watts.)
Did you get it, it's so hard to find a practical phone...
I consider buying this phone (i got XCover 5 in my work, and even without AMOLED display it's pretty good device) but lack of stereo speakers and wireless charging in the "pro" model with even DEX is disappointing.
Yeah, mono speaker could be a deal-breaker if you listen to music without headphones. I guess wireless charging for removable battery needs sometime to happen but not having it is inconvenient. The display is better than I thought for an LCD.
I wish this phone had stereo speakers.
Since this video was made, the model is now available in the USA on Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T. The problem is that if you don't have a "business account", those carriers won't sell it to you. Those with "consumer accounts" might be able to buy a new one directly from Samsung (or a third party seller) in any of the 3 carriers' versions, or unlocked, but the carriers might give you a hard time and say it doesn't work on their network. If anyone has experience with this, please reply here with which carrier you approached, and whether the version you brought to them was unlocked or the carrier's version.
AT&T sold one to me, no questions asked. Nothing about needing a business account or anything like that. So far, I have been happy with it (after ~two monhts).
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. I genuinely appreciate your comment.
I bought directly from samsung unlocked & got acct with a local t-mobile spin off, but that was after first going to verizon and seeing that while I could get the phone online from them, they 'required' the phone to have one of their business plans. Didn't want to overpay for a business plan, so opted for a no-frills purchase directly as found at this point of time t-mobile network giving ok to the make model for their system with no restrictions. While I could have bought from att, I didn't want to make a 3-yr commit to them just to get the phone, why I decided to get straight from samsung, then find a prepaid carrier. Was concerned would have trouble, but except for verizon, didn't find that.
Thank you so much for reviewing this phone! Not a lot of information out there yet.
I am buying this in USA as soon as I can for Verizon. I hope that I can find a charging cradle for the extra batteries.
This is the only upgrade from the LG V20 that has released in 6 years. Looking forward to it!
My pleasure! You are gonna love this.
There is (was) a nice charging cradle for the V20 although it was very expensive (>$100 including accessories). I have looked in Europe for a charging cradle since this phone was available there first, but nothing so far. So I decided to keep my previous XCoverPro and use it as a charging station for the 6.
@@douglasjensen8986 That is an interesting idea. If the xcover 6 pro battery fits in the xcover (old) then i wouldnt see any problem with buying an xcover (old) external battery charger right?
I am still waiting for my backorder from samsung. I ordered October 24 and it keeps getting delayed. Dec. 6 now.
@@tylerz3975 Technoliath has posted a review that the two phones' batteries are compatible with both phones.
Does Verizon support this phone? I have Verizon and I wanted to keep my old plan and get this phone on my own, not what they are offering.
I really happy to see removal battery from samsung i just wished the bettery could be 5000 or 6000
6000 removable battery is a terminator. I hope we can see it in the near future.
The XCover 6 Pro brings so much nostalgia of the Samsung Galaxy S5, the removable battery with the similar back cover design. I am also somewhat disappointed with the water breach, even though it survived. As a delivery driver, I am very interested get this phone for work for the ruggedness. I currently own a Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 tablet, a rugged tablet, and it's been working out pretty well for the past half year. Great review, I like your style of presentation, pretty down to earth, the slight humor and straight forward. At least I know what I am getting into for purchasing this phone. I do not plan to throw the phone over 6 ft. 😂
Yeah, I thought of S5 too. The waterproof test result is disappointing but my test was a bit extreme. It was okay with just dipping into the water for a short period so it should be okay with drizzle or mild rain.
I'm glad my review gave you some info and that you liked my video. Thanks for watching!
I was holding on right with a S5 since ages. Waiting for a 5G capable device with removable battery.
And waited... and waited... and waited!
I hate sealed phones without this possibility. I always peat on people dragging on with a powerpack and a connecting cable protruding from their pants (or anything else).
And then the XCover6 came.
I jumped on it, though I do not specifically need a rugged phone (and its added costs), and I am liking it in these very days of use.
It shows some compromises, this is the price for the removable batteries, but all in all I am satisfied till now.
A thing I am still missing from the very old days? A small slot for a necklace. The exploitation of any little space has made it disappear from all devices. But I have cooked a inexpensive remedy that works fine, though not everybody might like it. A necklace however really makes a device a rugged device. You will never fear your smartphone slip from your hands, though it does not hurt easy of handling and use. Hopefully this also will reappear sometime somewhere.
Oh yeah! There was a time when we had a lanyard hole for every phone! I remember people used to wear their phones on their neck like a necklace. I'm suddenly very curious now why we don't wear our phones like a necklace anymore. Some phone cases have a lanyard hole and it's not hard to find them. Interesting!
Having a removable battery is really rare these days and I think it's worth paying for. No need to hunt for a power source outside.
I've never seen a test where the phone is put in a closed container of water and then shaken. Perhaps you should just put it in water for the water depth and time it is rated for and take it out and show your observations. I truly don't know why you were surprised that water made it in to the battery, that seal is only going to do its job if it makes solid contact with the inside of the phone. If you allow that contact to be disturbed by forcing impact multiple times then the water will find a way of ingress.
In hindsight, I think I was kinda overboard. Samsung launched this phone as a rugged phone and I just wanted to test how rugged it is. So I pushed it beyond the limit and it broke lol. Besides, the IP rating on this phone is not designed to protect from a turbulence in water so I get your point. I'm gonna do a follow up video soon and your input gave me an inspiration. Thanks a lot for your comment 👍
this will be my next phone bcs of this video, second video i saw but best indepth and experience conveyed in a clear and concise way, thank you sir.
I bought one about 4 months ago and I hate how it responds to touch 😊most of the time it does not respond to what I'm typing.
Good job- best clearest precise cell phone review I've ever watched
Thanks a lot!
I've had the Xcover pro for a few years now and yes, the Exynos chipset is bad. RAM management is terrible and if it uses too much the phone just crashes and restarts. Also if the RAM Plus option is on (it's a horrible feature, never have this on, on ANY phone), the phone crashes daily. Good to see Xcover 6 has Snapdragon.
I love my xcover pro 2020, dual sim and the extra hardware buttons are so handy for me in my job. However, I have this crashing problem sometimes twice or three times a day It's always at the worst times too, happened to me just moments ago, so I finally decided to move onto the xcover6 pro. Looking forward to the extra ram and Snapdragon
@@solidice5660 Good choice. XCover 6 Pro is the best version right now. My XCover Pro still runs well. There's a few things i do like RAM Plus off and not letting it drop below 600MB. And also using apps like SD Maid and Good Guardians App booster. They have been very helpful.
@@Scott-M1what do you think about its camera? i have to take a lot of photos so i really hope the camera is good and fast enough to take photos quickly
@@chaule3814 The camera is decent for a mid range phone. 25MP i think. Xcover 6 pro has 50MP. You can also assign the camera app to the side or top button as well to take quick photos.
@@solidice5660 Yes the crashing isn't good on the 2020 xcover. It just doesn't have enough ram and constantly needs cleared when it drops below 600mb. good guardians is a great app to use. Has app booster, thermal guardian and memory guardian. Which made a big difference to phone crashes. I upgraded recently to the xcover 6 pro, great phone. With snapdragon and 2gb extra ram, no more crashing. I still switched off ram plus, not taking any chances. Constant read/write cycles to phone storage is bad and not as fast as standard ram anyway.
They reused the battery from the 2019 xcover pro, which is why. If you have batteries from the older one, this upgrade is easy. So in the end, it's a decision made to make upgrading easier. I have 2 extra batteries so I'm good to go from day 1.
That makes sense!
A rare and happy pro consumer side effect of corporate cost cutting. Very good to hear. Being able to buy one battery for years of phones is very cool.
Great testing and review! Subscribed!
Thanks a lot!
That was an awesome video! I know its hard to make it on youtube, but your videos are simple and informative. Thank you!
Thanks a lot for the comment! I appreciate it.
I live in Kenya and I have discovered that it may cost me a minimum shipping fee of 250$ to ship a replacement battery from Samsung via sea because stand-alone lithium batteries are prohibited in air shipping (which would only cost 15$). I agree withh you, Samsung not including an extra battery is a bummer! Anyways, still waiting for my phone.
OMG Samsung should've put two batteries in the box. 250 dollars! Dang!
@@Technoliath 😭
Great review! Thanks for doing this.
Thanks for watching!
Did you take out the battery when you were dying the phone? Did you turn it off? Great review
As a Galaxy Z Fold4 user, I could see myself getting an xCover Pro as a backup phone someday. The xCover Pro is basically Samsung returning to their roots of what made the Galaxy phones great in the first place. The Galaxy S series in its current state is not good due to Samsung constantly removing features while charging premium prices. If Samsung can bring S-Pen support, better cameras, more RAM, and stereo speakers, than the Galaxy S and A series will be in trouble.
Yeah, absolutely. Xcover 6 pro will be a true terminator with all those features. The price is not really affordable but, in my opinion, it’s pretty reasonably priced when we think about S series costing $1,000. We get more features like removable battery and headphone jack by paying less.
Is it still intact? Some users are complaining about it not being rugged like advertised.
And the new Xcover7 doesn't look like an upgrade.
Nvm, I saw your other video. 😅
Great video- all the info I was looking for! Thank you for putting in the work, testing, and documenting a quality review for us!
My pleasure!
I love your clearness talking with NO entertaining graphicanmimations or Soundeffects during your Videos! I think the water Test shows me that this Phone here is not usefull for me during a kajak tour!
I hope you do another review of the Gigaset GX6, an outdoor smartphone that is currently on a par with the x Cover pro 6. In Germeny there was a review that campares both Phones. Greetings from Munich and much thx for that Video here!
Glad that you liked it! Yeah, I specifically had water sports in my mind cause you mentioned kayak. Your comment on my unboxing video was really helpful. Gigaset GX6 review will take some time cause I am flying to Korea this upcoming Monday.
Thank you for watching my video. Vielen Dank!
@@Technoliath I'm glad I could help you too. I wish you a nice flight and a pleasant time. Until then, all the best to you and your channel, Alex.
The lack of samsung hardware support is upsetting. No docking station and different pogo pin placement compared to the xcover fieldpro are a real bummer. I wish it had rubberized sides like the old galaxy active series phones and covered ports like the xcover fieldpro.
I still purchased it anyway to replace my aging xcover fieldpro with a really inferior camera.
Absolutely and totally agree with you on the docking station. It's a bit mystery to me why Samsung doesn't make a charging dock for this device. Although XCover 6 Pro has some room for improvement, you will like it since you are coming from Xcover FieldPro. Enjoy!
How would you say the internal DAC compares to the LG V20? To date, I don't think any phone has matched the V20 in quality. I'm very much interested in upgrading from it.
I haven’t used V20 so I’m not sure whether it’s comparable to V20. Xcover 6 Pro supports LDAC and Hi-Res audio. With 3.5mm headphones with low impedance, you are gonna enjoy the sound it makes.
Beware of LG's bootloop
I haven't yet upgraded from oneplus 3t for 5 years because I hated the sealed battery experience and glass back in flagship phones. Finally, the xcover 6 pro with the midrage 778g will significantly outperform the 821 in the op3t and most importantly has removable battery and plastic back cover. I believe with good care it will last much much longer than 5 yrs. Thank you for the detailed review!
Yeah I’m pretty sure this phone will last. Thanks for watching my review!
What a great review! :D
You make very good videos! And they are funny! 🤣
Glad you think so! Thanks a lot 😊
I've had this phone for a while now, i wish it will be able to install Custom ROM's one day, what do you think of it after all this time?
Thank you so so much for being honest about OLED burn in. It's blows my mind how so many people literally deny their own eyes, and try to tell me NE deny mine. Why do people think they get he tell me that I've never seen burn in on my phones with bad burn-in?
Hi man, great video. Will you be making one for next-gen, the 7th?
Great review, I agree with all your points except one. Samsung is really loosing a lot by saving the 5$ (maybe more???? anyway...pennies) a piece needed to provide a better casing. I would be willing to pay the higher price for solid aluminium chassis, twist lock and full watertight coverage on the back and upgraded screen protector for that 3m daily jump onto concrete we all need in our lives.
I think you need to adjust the water test, a phone is not meant to endure high frequency bumps in a plastic container full of water, the backcover I bet is not that bad.
Thank you for your work, I will be upgrading my 4s now.
Yeah, this phone could've been more rugged with better casing. I think water is the biggest enemy to this phone but I'm pretty confident that this phone will be safe from external shock.
Thanks a lot for your thoughtful comment! You won't be disappointed since you are upgrading from 4s.
May be it's better to buy CAT S75 or Ulefone 18T Ultra?!
Nope
I don't really understand why a removable battery phone doesn't have super fast charging. You have a rare situation where really fast charging doesn't reduce the lifespan of the phone and they purposefully REMOVED those advantages?
Since this review was done, have you done a firmware update on this phone to latest version? If so have you noticed any improvements / changes on this phone since last review? Does the fingerprint sensor work better now?
I did one update before taking to a service center and that gave the Xcover key more apps to choose.
That was early November and my phone is still at the service center. It's taking way too long and I haven't been able to follow up any updates (if there is any).
why theres only some youtuber review this phone?i think this phone got something that others dont
Because I genuinely focus on what people want to know?! 😊
Thanks for the comment and yeah this phone has unusual features other phones don't.
First the good, then the huge shortcoming: Heavy device with over 200 g, but compared to other outdoor phones that's okay. The weight is not due to the (replaceable) medium-sized battery but to the construction and the glass. In fresh water you should be able to dive to a depth of 1.5 m. Voice quality is very good, speakers are also quite good. Processing top, operating system (A 12) excellent. Display is sufficient, good reaction!
However, I would never have bought the phone if I had found out about the adventurously high SAR value in time. Contrary to the practice at Samsung, this is a gigantic 1.48!!! This drops the device - for me - from 5 to 3 stars.
I guess nothing is perfect.
@@Technoliath more or LESS.. :-)
Sorry for my ignorance but what is SAR value?
It is a measure of the rate of radio frequency energy absorption by the body. Higher number means more exposure but it doesn’t provide a whole picture as to total amount of exposure.
Please refer to FCC website to learn more about this at www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/specific-absorption-rate-sar-cell-phones-what-it-means-you
Awesome video! Looks like it's not as good of a successor as we would have liked for the LG V20, but I need a phone with 5G and removable battery, and it looks like this one will at least be good enough (assuming I keep only dropping phones from 1m high, not 3m 😂 ). Thank you so much!
3m drop test was unnecessary but I wanted to test how tough it is.
I think it's a substantial upgrade from V20.
Thanks for watching!
@@Technoliath the only things that aren't are the lack of AOD, a much worse screen resolution with presumably smaller color gamut (V20 screen is a 1440p quantum dot LCD, great colors but has temporary image retention issues) and a worse DAC. I do actually use the IR Blaster too, but I know that's relevant to almost nobody.
Good review. How would you charge a spare battery when the other is in use? I couldn't find anything on Samsung website.
Thank you!
Yeah, you're right. Samsung doesn't make a charging dock so there's third party options only. The one I would consider to buy is Koamtac but it's expensive. I haven't used it so I cannot vouch for its quality but it looks okay.
@@Technoliath koamtac is recommended for the spare battery charger which is the same as the xcover pro battery. They really should have included a docking station like they did with the xcover fieldpro along with a spare battery. Apparently koamtac will be releasing a docking station at some point 😒.
I really wish you would have dropped it chest height (1.5m) at a few different angles to see how it works as designed instead of after 1 drop going to drops that it is not designed for.
25W Charging in USA Model
15W Charging for International Version
I really like your review. Totaly unbiased.
I just want to add ,that if you find yourself in such "storm",your phone would be the last of your concerns 🤣
Thanks so much for your comment and subscribing! I hope I won't wound up in a storm like this 🤣
Great test, very good informations. Did you make this video in Aachen?
Thank you so much for your comment! Yes, I made this video when I was in Aachen.
Thank you! This review really helped me, I just want to get the phone for my dad. He likes to go out into the woods, and he doesn’t have to be super careful with the phone.
I'm so glad that my review could help you and thanks for your comment.
Yeah, this phone is for those don't baby their phones. I hope your father will like it.
Great review man, very helpful thank-you
The only thing keeping me from wanting this phone was when I heard about the lcd display. Glad to see it's adequate! I like my phones uncased and long lived! Helpful vid!!
You won’t find any issue with the display because it is bright.
Thanks for watching 🙏
I wouldn't even be considering this phone if it didn't. Remember, this phone's LCD will look as good as new in 5 years after heavy use. If it had an OLED, it could very well be ussuable in 5 years due to burn in. Samsung made the right choice for a phone designed for long-term use.
Hello, nice review.
I want know does is this a upgrade over the samaung A52? I had a Xcover4 and Id liked it. I want go back in the Xcover series. But need your advise first. Thanks.
Thank you so much for honest review!
a shame that the phone didn't fully survive that water test, but shaking it around and making it contact hard edges like that seems like a worse case scenario really, the shocks probably weakened the sealant. how long was the phone underwater in the beginning? I am more worried about prolonged exposure to calmer water and battling rain and weather than something much more extreme like this.
It was in the water for about 5 minutes. It worked just like before but I could see some water inside when I opened the back cover. I guess the selfie lens got hit due to the shaking.
Nevertheless, I am not confident about the water resistance of this phone.
I wonder if the constant banging against the sides of the container caused leakage....
Could be a cause. I gave it the toughest condition I could.
@@Technoliath
Did you try any water testing without the banging?
I'm curious what the result would be with gentle sloshing or spraying it with a showerhead. Something to mimic accidentally jumping into a pool with the phone in your trunks. (which my Galaxy s7 survived multiple times)
I dipped the phone into water couple of times and it was okay then. There was very few water drops except the seal-protected battery area when I opened the back cover but the selfie camera didn't fog up. I think this phone can handle spraying water or jumping into a pool for a short time.
You still have the issue of needing to restart every time you have to change the battery, so bigger battery is preferable that can be replaced quick.
Thanks again for the super informative review. Do you think the LED notification light can eat up much battery power?
My pleasure and thanks for watching my review 😊
I don’t think it can because LED is very efficient source of lighting.
@@Technoliath Thank you
Now that I have the phone I concur the speaker is absolutely bad😄. There's crackling when in using loudspeaker in a call.
Samsung cut corners in some areas on this phone 🫠
I have s22+ and xcover 6 pro and i like xcover more. I dont remember getting 2 batterys when buying mobile. You dont even get a charger, why 2 batterys?
XCover is a unique phone. Feels more sturdy and tough.
There was a time when a removable battery was the norm and we usually got 2 batteries. It was a PCS phone or we call it dumb phone nowadays.
I understand. To be honest, the XCover6 Pro offers more value than Samsung’s flagship lineup despite having some compromises.
Thanks for the interesting review. One question: did you test or compare the GPS accuracy? I read in one review, that its only average. As I'm planing it to use as a bicycle computer, this would be a crucial point...
Due to the lack of dual frequency support, I would agree with this phone being just average for GNSS accuracy.
I haven't used a bicycle computer but, after looking into it, I guess dual frequency is a must for this kind of device. This phone doesn't support dual frequency GNSS. I have turned on 'force full GNSS measurements' in the development options and failed to get L5 signal. And Samsung says nothing about this phone having dual GPS band on its website while Tab Active 4 Pro is clearly indicated to have dual band support. You can check this out at here (the spec table is at the bottom) ; news.samsung.com/us/samsung-rugged-galaxy-xcover6-pro-galaxy-tab-active4-pro/
IRL situation, for example navigating as a tourist, I haven't noticed any difference from S22 Ultra, which has dual frequency (L1/L5) GNSS. But I think that's not the kind of accuracy that you need as a measuring device.
@@Technoliath Good to know. I need this feature. Unfortunately finding a comprehensive list of phones with dual band GPS is difficult
Thanks so much I have been waiting for a review like this, I currently have an iPhone 11 Pro Max and might be getting this phone next because I want to come back to Android and have removable storage and battery. The speaker quality and water getting in is a slight bummer but hey I’ll take those trade offs. I know this is probably not going to happen but I hope someone finds a way to root the device! One thing I would like to see which I personally loved from the original Note 1-4 series is the IR blaster!
The removable battery is a very unique feature these days for a smartphone.
Xcover can handle a dip into water so it's going to be okay. My test was definitely a bit too much.
I'm not sure whether Samsung will bring back IR blaster but let's see!
My question is...can the batteries be charged without being in the phone? Is there a charging station for the batteries? Removable batteries are so awesome.
Yeah, there is but it’s a third party product and, in my opinion, expensive 👿
store.koamtac.com/collections/xcover6-pro-charging-cradles
Well to be honest all phones would still have removable battery when they started that sealed up crap you should have stopped buying them you're the people you control the market you get what you want if you hold out
@@1010109999999I voted with my wallet but the millions who bought sealed battery phones, iphone alone, made my boycott insignificant. The makers follow the money. Even Fairphone now screw their batteries and took out the 3.5mm jack to sell their wireless headphones.
Ich selber besitze das Xcover 6 Pro und kann folgendes sagen:
Positiv:
Sehr gute "Haupt" Kamera (wenn man bei Fotos stark vergrößert sieht man jedes Detail detail so gut wie gestochen scharf)
Lautsprecher absolut top (sehr guter lauter weicher angenehmer Klang trotz mono Lautsprecher)
Sehr guter und stabiler (Victus)Bildschirm mit 120 Hz trotz fehlender Amoled Technik
Sehr gute Sprachqualität (man hört den Gesprächspartner komplett klar weich und ohne Störung)
Gewicht einmalig leicht für ein robustes Handy
Trotz 15W Ladung kann man mit einem 30 Watt Ladegerät laden da es intelligent gedrosselt wird.
Keine nervigen Klappen bei den Ladebüchsen
Wechselbarer Akku der 1-2 Tage hält
5 Jahre Absicherung was Updates betrifft
Negativ:
Schlechte Preis/Leistung
Relativ kleiner Akku
Kein Amoled Display
Kein Stereo Lautsprecher
Es hätte locker noch mehr Leistung sein können auch wenn die eingebaute Leistung reicht.
Fazit:
Das Xcover 6pro ist ein sehr gutes und stabiles Handy mit vielen guten Eigenschaften! Leider spart Sansung an den falschen Stellen somit passt das Preis/Leistungsverhältnis nicht Trotzdem gibt es von mir eine klare Kaufempfehlung
What is the difference between the standard version compared to the enterprise?
This phone only support original charger???
Third party charger works too.
The water test result is so disappointing... N shattering glasses at 3m height, how some frontline workers can confidently use this? Truly disappointing
I was disappointed with the waterproof test too. Apparently, it's not designed for active water sports.
Well, it was only rated for 1.5 meters onto concrete, which is from ear height when talking on the phone for most people. It passed that test. I suspect it would pass a 3 meter drop as well, but throwing it up into the air isn't the same as dropping it. A lot more velocity and energy there. It wasn't a fair or accurate test. Expecting any phone to be okay after a drop from a construction scaffold onto concrete is a little contradictory to the laws of physics. I suppose that's possible if you build a whole shock-proof foam layer over it but then it wouldn't be a regular smartphone that you can easily handle. You'd have a point if there was another model out there that could survive being thrown 3 meters into the air and then dropped onto concrete.
Super review! How's the default apps situation? Are there many (usually unwanted) apps that you can't remove? I personally prefer stock Android so I was curious how close the phone is to it
Sorry that I couldn't reply earlier. I have been spreading myself too thin in the past week.
No need to worry about unnecessary default apps. There are not many apps by default. The only apps you cannot uninstall or disable are Samsung Free and AR Zone. It's not a stock Android because it has One UI but pretty close to clean Android. Very few apps out of the box.
@@Technoliath Thanks for the info! Much appreciated 🙂
What about the newest XCover 7 ?
Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro - OR - Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 is better ?
@@atreides5249
Xcover6 pro you're paying for a better processor and screen.
혹시 같이 같이 발표된 탭 액티브 4처럼
노 배터리 모드가 되나요?
배터리 장착없이 외부충전선 연결만으로 구동이 되는지? 일단 소개페이지에 없는걸로 봐서 안되지 않을까 싶은데 혹시나해서 여쭤봅니다
Будет. Он двухконтурный.
(th-cam.com/video/93i-NHPhQQU/w-d-xo.html )
Thanks for the testing and review. 👍
Hmm. How would the XCover 6 compare to my Galaxy S10? I use my S10 a lot every single day; mostly for TH-cam videos and music. I'm worried about the speaker on the XCover 6 as you described it. Are additional cases and screen-protectors available for the XCover 6?
S10 is still a good phone, in my opinion. Snapdragon 855 in S10 has better performance than the Snapdragon 778g in Xcover 6 Pro. But you are gonna have better battery life because your S10 must be old and Snapdragon 778g has better battery life than Snapdragon 855.
I think old stereo speaker is better than modern mono speaker. The mono speaker on this phone is not for entertainment for sure. You are gonna be disappointed if you expect S10 level speaker to this phone.
Case is unnecessary but there's a few products on Amazon. I think a screen-protector is almost a must and you can find many products easily on Amazon.
@@Technoliath Thank you. 🙂👍
I got 2 s10's both took a shit on me when I dropped them.
@@pizza4prezident143 😔
hey, you use ZELLO too ???
Can you also use it as personal phone, not just work?
Sure. I used it as my phone until it died.
Does it have Samsung Wallet?
What is the specs vs the Samsung s8? Which is what I'm still stuck with
The Galaxy XCover6 Pro has the Snapdragon 778G processor with 6 GB of RAM.
Xcover 6 Pro is faster than Galaxy S8. It's Snapdragon 778g vs Snapdragon 835 and 778g is a lot better in every way. Xcover 6 pro has 2gb more ram than S8, which is 6gb in total.
Excellent review.. loved it.. very useful..
Thanks a lot😊
My pleasure. Thanks a lot for watching 😊
From your experience how well do you rate the sound quality on this phone when watching videos, games or listening to music? and the call quality when making and receiving calls? Compared to Samsung S22 is it on par?
The quality is absolutely below average because it has mono speaker. It's embarrassing sometimes when I think of the price that I paid. It doesn't make satisfying sound for movie, game, and music. However, it makes very clear sound for voice so you're not going to be hard-pressed to talk to someone.
S22 is way better for music, video, and game but call quality would be probably the same.
@@Technoliath Thats interesting because the Xcover Pro 6 has dolby atmos sound which is much higher quality than regular stereo sound. It is a very expensive sound system. Dolby atmos is essentially cinema threatre 3D surround sound so not sure why below average sound. Dolby atmos sound on mobile phones is usually only available on flagship phones. It might be that dolby atmos sound wasn't activated on the phone during testing?
The Dolby atmos works only when the earphones is plugged in. It doesn't work due to mono speaker. It would've been better if it were stereo speaker. Then, Dolby would've worked on speaker.
Do they make a charger just to charge a bare battery? My brother had one for an old phone years ago.
No, unfortunately Samsung doesn't make a charging dock. We have third party options only.
@@Technoliath but I can find one? Its just not Samsung?
Koamtac makes one and you can find more about it at here; koamtac.com/power-charging-accessories/charging-cradles/xcover6-pro-charging-cradles/
I've never used it but it looks good and the company has been making a lot of charging docks for Samsung device.
@@Technoliath well, based on your video, I bought the phone. I really appreciate all the hard work you have done.
Thank you so very much for your comment. It’s so rewarding to know this 😊
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro 128gb of storage with Removal Battery
Removable* not removal
@@Verdeniza 100% Removal Battery
@@stevesibaja3123 removable! Learn english!
@@Verdeniza I speak English🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@@Verdeniza United States of America
whats the difference between the 6 Pro and the 6 Pro enterprise? it seems like the enterprise variant is only available if you buy in bulk for commercial purposes
It seems like there's no meaningful difference except the one you mentioned. I bought mine on Amazon Germany and it happened to be an enterprise edition.
For this phones use case and target user I think a home button and little bit larger bezels would be better
Good idea! A physical home button and larger bezel make this phone easier to control with gloves on.
Can I drive over it with a Tractor or ATV? Thats important to us in the Industrial world.
Haha I think the phone could survive but display won't stand it. The display is a glass and every glass breaks at some point, you know. But other than that, I feel pretty confident with this phone. It exceeded what Samsung advertised in my drop test (14:10) and I'm impressed.
Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro - OR - Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 is better ?
Xcover6 pro better processor and screen.
XCover6 Pro - better.. but expensive.
6 is better.
I don't know what phones you have bought. I have never purchased a phone that included an extra battery.
Could very well be a regional thing though... But same here, never heard of a smartphone with a second battery. Did have a Samsung featurephone around 2003 or so once with a second battery.
@@OttosTheNameI don't think I recieved any extra either. Either way, the ability to remove them was nice.
Thanks for the great video really appreciate your effort 😊
the first x cover was the best and waterproof
Good review! I might be looking at selling my 12 Pro Max and getting this instead. I miss my headphone jack and expandable storage that I would tend to use quite a bit ;).
Thanks a lot for watching my review!
The only feature missing is wireless charging. I have a bunch of generic wireless chargers on my tables. Awesome review by the way. The water resistance is disappointing.
Xcover series can use without battery like tab active?
My phone is completely dead now so no way to figure this out. Sorry!
Watching in 2024
Thanks a lot for watching and leaving a comment 👍
Does it have Fm Radio?
Yes it supports FM radio.
I'm so sorry but there's no FM radio tuner or receiver in this phone.
It does come with Radio FM app by default but it relies on the internet to listen to the radio.
There are so many conflicting information on the internet whether this phone has FM radio tuner or not, but after several hours of research, I found out that Snapdragon 778G (the processor of this phone) has no FM tuner.
You can still listen to the radio but only when you have internet access.
Ahhhh, while watching this review I was wondering about this too, since I currently have the Galaxy J7 Prime, which has the FM tuner in it. I was hoping that since this phone has a jack that they would bring back the tuner; that would have been sweet.
Very nice video, thanks for publishing!
Thank you for watching!
The waterproof test looks nice on the video but it's completely useless. The conditions under which you tested the phone simply do not exist in real life. You might drop it to water or expose it to rain. Closing the device in a box and shaking it heavily for a minute does not simulate any on real life conditions xD So yeah, water inside the phone is no surprise.
Yeah, in hindsight, the test was unnecessarily rigorous. I did more realistic test again and you can check it out at here; th-cam.com/video/r4w0hDDPfSg/w-d-xo.html.
Thank you for the informative review. I am in the process of selecting my next phone and XCover 6 Pro is in the final duo. This video did give some interesting insight into this device.
What was the other phone on your short list and which one did you end up with?
The Waterproofing on this phone was a big let-down for me.
An IP68 "Rugged" device should perform better than this.
Thank you very much for this THOROUGH review.
Yeah, I was slightly disappointed too.
Thank you for watching my video 🙏
This phone is not bullet proof. One year down and my power button has failed. To remove it you have to completely disect the phone to bare frame! A replacement button is impossible to find! Anyone looking to buy this just look elsewhere. The replaceable battery isn't worth the hassle associated with unique/uncommon phones.
Had mine longer - no such problem.
Even a cheap phone cover fully protects it.