Samsung Rugby Smart unboxing and hands-on

Back in December, we had the fine opportunity of checking out the ruggedized Samsung Galaxy Xcover, but as we’ve seen, it’s only available overseas and doesn’t seem likely it’ll be coming stateside any time soon. Luckily, something similar to that is hitting AT&T’s lineup starting on March 4th, thus, giving people something that’ll endure even some of the harshest of punishments. The Samsung Ruby Smart might not have the beloved Galaxy branding behind its name, but nonetheless, it bears some of the qualities and characteristics we've seen on the Galaxy Xcover.

Not surprisingly, the packaging for the Samsung Rugby Smart follows in usual form as it boasts the typical AT&T elements that we’ve come to expect – such as its white, orange, and a splash of blue theme. On the front and rear of the packaging, we find images of the smartphone in question, though, neither one actually alludes to the handset’s rugged form factor. Inside, there’s nothing out of the ordinary as it’s packaged along with its usual set of documentations, microUSB cable, and wall charger. Honestly, it’s not all that shocking considering that this one is sporting a $99.99 on-contract price.



Holding onto the handset for the first time, it’s quite indicative of being ruggedized device of some kind – thanks to its thick rubbery sides and lock mechanism used for its rear cover. By no means is it a fashionable looking device, but overall, solid construction is undoubtedly favored more than anything else with this one. Of course, it’s made evident by its patterned rear plastic cover that requires a latch mechanism to keep it in place, and pushy set of physical Android buttons beneath its display. It’s actually worth mentioning that this meets 810F standards, which means that it’ll guarantee toughness through a myriad of things, and if that’s not enough, it’s also waterproof up to 3.3 feet (1 meter) under water.





As for the rest, it features a 3.7” WVGA Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, HSPA+ connectivity, 1,650 mAh battery, aGPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and the TouchWiz UI on top of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. From what we can gather, it’s fitting for a mid-range device by today’s standard, but beyond that, we’re certain that its rugged form factor will be the main attraction with this one. Frankly, we’ll be putting it through some brutal testing over the next few days to see if we can somehow break its will, therefore, expect our in-depth review soon!