Samsung has been a staple in the rugged Android phone market with its XCover series, designed for those who need extra durability and performance. After more than a year since the XCover 7 launch, the company is back with the Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and its tough companion, the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro tablet.
Samsung’s latest rugged devices stick to the brand’s tough roots while stepping things up with better performance and more flexibility. The Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and Tab Active 5 Pro are built for frontline workers and demanding environments, offering solid durability, smoother workflows and reliable performance whether you are at a desk or out in the field.
The new XCover 7 Pro and the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro. | Image credit – Samsung
Both devices now pack 5G support. Powering the new XCover 7 Pro and Tab Active 5 Pro is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip, which is a big leap from the Dimensity 6100 Plus in the standard XCover 7 and the Snapdragon 778G found in the older XCover 6 Pro.
Both devices feature removable backplates and user-replaceable batteries, a feature that is increasingly rare in modern smartphones. The XCover 7 Pro packs a 4,350mAh battery, while the Tab Active 5 Pro comes with a larger 10,100mAh battery to handle heavy-duty tasks all day long.
Aside from these, not much has changed from previous XCover models. The phone keeps its 6.6-inch TFT LCD with a waterdrop notch. It comes with 6 GB of RAM paired with 128GB of storage (expandable up to 2 TB) and 15W charging. Camera-wise, you are looking at:
50 MP main sensor
8 MP ultrawide
13 MP selfie camera
Meanwhile, the Tab Active 5 Pro offers a 10.1-inch TFT LCD display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. You can choose between 6 GB RAM/128GB storage or 8 GB RAM/256GB storage, expandable up to 2 TB via microSD, too. It also comes with a 12 MP rear camera and 8 MP front camera, along with an S Pen, perfect for professionals who need to annotate or sign documents on the go.
The Tab Active 5 Pro comes with an S Pen. | Image credit – Samsung
Moreover, both devices come with Vision Booster to help with outdoor visibility, making the screens easier to read in bright conditions. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro takes it a step further with a boosted display brightness of up to 600 nits – a solid jump from the 480 nits on the previous model – so you’ll get clearer visuals even under tough lighting.
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With all that being said, what really makes the Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro stand out is how much tougher and more customizable they are compared to your average phone or tablet.
You are getting IP68 water and dust resistance, MIL-STD-810H durability for drops, Gorilla Glass Victus Plus for screen protection and even built-in pogo pins for alternative charging setups. Samsung even tested the display to hold up against sanitizers, so regular cleaning won’t wear it down over time. But best of all? The removable battery – just pop off the back and swap it out.
7 years of OS updates that this time actually matter
Now, a bit about the software. Both the Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and Tab Active 5 Pro come with Android 15 right out of the box and promise a solid seven years of OS and security updates. That is a huge step up from previous models, which only got four years of OS support and five years of security patches.
Samsung is also throwing in some Galaxy AI features you’d usually see on flagship phones, like Circle to Search and Object Eraser. And since these are made for pros, you also get Samsung DeX for a desktop-style experience, plus programmable keys you can customize for quick actions like barcode scanning or push-to-talk.
Now, sure, most people won’t need a phone or tablet like this – but if you do, you will appreciate the removable battery. That long update support won’t mean much if your battery dies in year four, but here, you can just swap in a new one and keep going. It is a rare kind of practicality we don’t see much anymore.
The Galaxy XCover 7 Pro goes up for order on May 8, 2025. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro will follow in early June. Pricing is still a mystery – Samsung hasn't shared any details on the matter yet, probably because of the current environment (aka the new tariffs) – but if you are after something rugged and reliable, it is definitely worth keeping on your radar.
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Tsveta, a passionate technology enthusiast and accomplished playwright, combines her love for mobile technologies and writing to explore and reveal the transformative power of tech. From being an early follower of PhoneArena to relying exclusively on her smartphone for photography, she embraces the immense capabilities of compact devices in our daily lives. With a Journalism degree and an explorative spirit, Tsveta not only provides expert insights into the world of gadgets and smartphones but also shares a unique perspective shaped by her diverse interests in travel, culture, and visual storytelling.
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