Mainstream high-end smartphones can do a lot of cool things nowadays, but if you're not very careful, it's almost ridiculously easy to damage a $1,000+ mobile device. Of course, it wasn't always like that, and although not all companies used to sell rugged alternatives to their primary flagships, one such lineup proved relatively popular for a while.
Granted, this isn't exactly a mass-oriented device, catering first and foremost to the needs of folks facing the toughest situations on a daily basis. We're talking law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and so on. But if you're not part of the FirstNet initiative and simply want to own a relatively modern Android smartphone with a super-robust design and respectable overall specifications, you can now freely order the Galaxy S9 Active that never was from AT&T.
The only problem is you'll be charged $36.84 a month for two and a half years on a device payment plan or $1104.99 if you'd rather cough up the handset's full retail price all at once. Needless to say that's an outright absurd ask for a 5.1-inch phone with massive screen bezels, a single 12MP rear-facing shooter and a single 8MP front-facing camera in tow, as well as an Exynos 9810 processor under the hood, and get this, Android 8.0 Oreo pre-installed on the software side of things.
In case you're wondering, the Exynos 9810 SoC is borrowed from the likes of the Galaxy S9, Note 9, or Note 10 Lite, and in combination with 4 gigs of RAM, it should deliver a decent but far from impressive level of raw speed. In addition to a pretty much unbreakable design made to survive drops, shocks, vibrations, extreme temperatures, humidity, and water immersion, the Samsung Galaxy XCover FieldPro also has a gigantic 4,500mAh removable battery and a sharp display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels going for it.
Still, that's arguably not enough to justify a higher price than the Galaxy S20, especially when we also expect the significantly more affordable Galaxy XCover Pro to make its US commercial debut in the near future with a trendy hole punch display, a similarly tough construction, better cameras, and newer software.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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