Rugged Samsung Smartphones

Defence-grade durability, built for business.

In industries like manufacturing, construction and logistics, there’s a long-standing perception that consumer smartphones aren’t tough enough for frontline use. But that’s now changing with the advent of ruggedised smartphones that comply with MIL-STD-810 (the US Department of Defense’s gold standard for mobile survivability and endurance).

The MIL-STD-810 standard was created to ensure technology is tough enough for soldiers on the battlefield, but it’s also a good benchmark for evaluating use on the manufacturing plant floor, the construction site, in the shipping warehouse and other challenging working environments.

For businesses looking to move beyond single-purpose barcode scanners, two-way radios and bulky data terminals, MIL-STD-810 smartphones offer the ideal combination of rugged durability, mobility and powerful performance. Here’s a deeper dive into MIL-STD-810 and how Samsung has used the standard to validate the durability of its Galaxy XCover 5 smartphone.

What is MIL-STD-810?

The armed forces need mobile technology that can withstand a wide variety of intense operating conditions. The technology standard MIL-STD-810 prescribes an array of testing criteria to simulate harsh operating environments. Issued by the U.S. Army’s Developmental Test Command, this standard helps ensure that rugged devices are tough enough for battlefield use.

To meet the latest MIL-STD-810 specifications, a smartphone must keep functioning in low-pressure altitudes, extreme temperatures and high humidity and resist water, dust, shock and even salt fog.

The MIL-STD-810 specification is a rigorous standard that asks developers to identify deficiencies and shortcomings in equipment design, materials, manufacturing processes, packaging and maintenance methods. This industry-standard is the best available evidence for proving that a device will be capable of withstanding the rigours of field operations, and in recent years has been adopted by technology manufacturers to design tests for rugged smartphones, tablets and laptop PCs.

Samsung’s Galaxy XCover 5: Making the grade

In developing its rugged new Galaxy XCover 5 smartphone, Samsung used the MIL-STD-810 methodology to assess the device across 22 durability tests. Here’s the complete list of tests conducted on the Galaxy XCover 5 in an independent testing lab:

  • Repeated drops from 1.5m
  • Continuous vibration
  • Vibration combined with high temperature
  • Storage at high altitude
  • Operation at high altitude
  • Storage at low temperature
  • Operation at low temperature
  • Solar radiation
  • Blowing rain
  • Dripping rain
  • Salt spray
  • High-temperature storage (constant)
  • High-temperature storage (cyclic)
  • High-temperature operation (constant)
  • High-temperature operation (cyclic)
  • Settling dust
  • Blowing dust
  • Temperature shock
  • Humidity
  • Altitude combined with humidity
  • Icing
  • Immersion in water

In addition to MIL-STD-810 tests, the Galaxy XCover 5 earned an IP68 rating — the standard international certification of resistance to dust, dirt, sand and water.

Ruggedness beyond durability

Durability isn’t the only advantage of the Galaxy XCover 5. Another crucial element of ruggedness is battery life. For field workers, a reliable mobile device is one that they know will turn on and stay on for as long as they need it. The Galaxy XCover 5 delivers a 4,000mAh battery, support for wireless fast charging and a maximum power-saving mode to extend battery life. Heavy-duty pogo pin connectors make it quick and easy to drop the device into a gang charger or attach accessories.

The Galaxy XCover 5 also features programmable physical buttons that can be set to open a specific app or perform another device function frequently used for a particular job. This is ideal when the device is used with a push-to-talk (PTT) application or for barcode scanning. It also features ‘glove mode’, which provides enhanced touch sensitivity.

For a convenient device unlock, the XCover 5 includes facial recognition and a fingerprint sensor built into the power key. Like all Samsung smartphones, Knox security protects the device from the chip up.

Simply put, it’s a MIL-STD-810 smartphone that’s field-ready for the demands of any job — and customisable to your customers business’s unique needs.

The XCover 5 wasn’t just handed its military-grade qualification; it earned it. 

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