Pros & Cons
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- Sturdy build
- Reliable performance
- Removable battery
- Good cameras
- 7 years of support
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- Dim display
- Back panel can pop off
Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro Specs
| Battery Life (As Tested) | 10 hours, 45 minutes |
| Camera Resolution (Rear; Front-Facing) | 50MP, 8MP; 13MP |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 |
| Dimensions | 6.65 by 3.15 by 0.40 inches |
| Operating System | Android 15 |
| Screen Resolution | 2,408 by 1,080 pixels |
| Screen Size | 6.6 |
The $599.99 Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro is a rugged smartphone built for tough environments, with sturdy construction that resists dust, water, and drops. It delivers reliable performance, loud speakers, and capable cameras, and includes a swappable battery. The phone works on all three major US carriers and is available unlocked, but we wish the display were brighter and that the removable rear panel locked more firmly in place. Despite these drawbacks, the Galaxy XCover7 Pro is an excellent choice for the job site and earns our Editors' Choice award for rugged smartphones.
Design: Fantastic Plastic
The XCover7 Pro measures 6.64 by 3.15 by 0.40 inches (HWD) and weighs 8.47 ounces. It is nearly identical in size and weight to its predecessor, the XCover6 Pro (6.65 by 3.15 by 0.39 inches, 8.29 ounces). Crucially, the XCover7 Pro is compatible with all the XCover6's accessories, which eases the pain of upgrading. The Sonim XP Pro 5G ($549.99) is larger and heavier (6.73 by 3.15 by 0.47 inches, 9.77 ounces).
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)The phone has a hardened plastic body and frame, and the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. It's a rigid device with almost no flex. Like other rugged phones, a thick bezel surrounds the display. The top bezel has a notch that houses the phone's front-facing camera, and the chin at the bottom stands out a bit.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)The XCover7 Pro has an IP68 rating, which means it resists dust and can withstand submersion in about five feet of water for up to 30 minutes. The device meets MIL-STD-810H certification for durability, which means it can handle drops, shock, extreme temperatures, high elevations, and more. The Sonim XP Pro meets MIL-STD-810H, too, but is rated IPX9 to withstand high-pressure water jets and submersion in up to 6.5 feet of water. Both can be disinfected using bleach and alcohol.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)You can map the two customizable buttons, a small one on the top edge and a larger one on the left edge, to launch apps or activate features like the flashlight. The phone houses a volume rocker and a combined power button/fingerprint sensor on the right edge. The fingerprint sensor worked consistently in testing. Face unlock is also available via the selfie camera, but it's not secure enough for banking apps. A USB-C port (v3.2), a down-firing speaker, and a couple of pogo pins (meant for accessories) are located on the bottom edge. The phone doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)The removable back panel is covered in diagonal ridges to make the phone easier to grip. Underneath, you'll find a swappable battery, a SIM card slot, and a microSD card slot. Two red-ringed cameras and a flash are packed into the top-left corner of the rear panel.
Somewhat shockingly, the back panel will pop off and the battery will spill out if you drop the XCover7 Pro on hard surfaces. I'm seriously wondering why Samsung didn't include a locking mechanism to keep the rear panel in place. Moreover, the IP68 rating goes out the window if the rear cover is dislodged.
Display: Could Be Brighter
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)The XCover7 Pro has a 6.6-inch LCD with a resolution of 2,408 by 1,080 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate that ranges from 60Hz to 120Hz. The screen is easy to see indoors, but it's much harder to see outdoors, especially in bright sunlight. Worse, its reflective glass does not help with visibility and often forced me to seek out shade.
The Sonim XP Pro has a slightly smaller 6.58-inch LCD with the same resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and the same visibility problems.
Performance: Keeps Up With the Competition
The XCover7 Pro relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It comes in this one configuration only. I ran a series of benchmarks to evaluate performance across general computing and productivity tasks. I compared it to its closest rivals, the XCover6 Pro (Snapdragon 778G, 6GB of RAM) and the Sonim XP Pro (Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, 8GB of RAM).
(Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/3DMark/PCMag)On Geekbench 6, which measures raw CPU power, the XCover7 Pro scored 1,183 on the single-core test and 3,285 on the multi-core test. That’s better than the XCover6 Pro (1,106 and 2,834) and the XP Pro (1,180 and 3,135), but not by a huge margin.
In PCMark Work 3.0, a test that evaluates performance in typical mobile tasks like web browsing and document editing, the XCover7 Pro pulled ahead with a score of 13,703, edging out the XCover6 Pro (12,677) and Sonim XP Pro (12,939).
For graphics, we recently updated our testing methodology to use 3DMark’s Wild Life test. The XCover7 Pro scored 4,086 and ran the test at 24.47 frames per second (fps). We can't directly compare this with the GFXBench results used for the XCover6 Pro and Sonim XP Pro.
To check real-world gaming performance, we play the resource-intensive Genshin Impact. At medium graphics settings and 60fps, everything ran smoothly. Pushing the graphics to their highest settings, the XCover7 rendered graphics beautifully, but I experienced some slowdowns. The phone's back became slightly warmer, though it remained comfortable to the touch. Don't max out the graphics for the best experience.
Battery: A Nice Improvement
Like the XCover6 Pro before it, the XCover7 Pro houses a 4,350mAh battery capable of charging at up to 15W when plugged in. Wireless charging is not an option, and there's no charger in the box.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)In our battery run-down test, where we streamed a 1080p video with the display set to full brightness, the XCover7 lasted 10 hours and 45 minutes. This is a sizeable improvement over the XCover6 (8 hours and 45 minutes) and better than the XP Pro (9 hours and 25 minutes). We can likely attribute the increase in battery life to the more efficient Snapdragon chip.
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When connected to a compatible fast charger, the depleted phone reached 20% in 15 minutes, 37% in 30 minutes, and 100% in 1 hour and 50 minutes. This is a below-average charging time.
Connections: Comprehensive Compatibility
For connectivity, the XCover7 supports 5G (sub-6GHz and C-Band, but not mmWave), Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and Wi-Fi 6E. It is available unlocked and is compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon 5G networks in the US.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)On Verizon's 5G UW network in New York City, the XCover7 reached a maximum download speed of 369Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 66.1Mbps. For comparison, a Samsung Galaxy S24 (which supports faster mmWave 5G service) reached 735Mbps down and 56.9Mbps up when tested in the same location.
When connected to a Wi-Fi 6 access point, the XCover7 Pro reached peak speeds of 623Mbps down and 22.2Mbps up. The S24 hit 516Mbps down and 22.1Mbps up from the same spot. When I took the phones to the limits of my Wi-Fi network, both performed well. The XCover7 reached 167Mbps down and 22.1Mbps up, while the S24 was close at 147Mbps down and 19.7Mbps up.
Audio: Loud When It Counts
Call quality is excellent. In test recordings, my voice sounded slightly muffled, but was still easy to understand even with background noise. The phone does a brilliant job isolating a voice while removing distractions.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)To test the speaker, I placed a decibel meter right up against the earpiece and made a test call with the phone set to full volume. It reached an impressively loud 96.4dB, which would be particularly useful at a noisy job site. For the speakerphone, I placed the decibel meter six inches away from the down-firing speaker, which is also set at full volume, and repeated the test. In this case, the speakerphone reached 78.5dB. I find volumes at or above 70dB easy to hear, so the XCover7 Pro easily meets that threshold.
I perform the same six-inch test for media playback. When playing Metallica's "Enter Sandman," the phone reached 96.1dB with decent midrange performance. The lowest bass notes of our test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," are virtually inaudible unless your ear is right up against the phone. Samsung says the stereo speakers support Dolby Atmos, but don't expect to get that effect with the XCover7 Pro alone. For fuller audio, look to a pair of Bluetooth headphones.
Cameras: Better Than Most Rugged Phones
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)The XCover7 Pro features two rear cameras: a 50MP f/1.8 main shooter and an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera. The two cameras capture decent detail and consistent, though somewhat muted, colors that are more realistic when compared with Samsung's typically overbrightened images. The photo quality is impressive when compared with not just rugged phones, but the broader smartphone market.
By default, the 50MP camera bins images down to 12.5MP but can take full-resolution images when needed. As expected, 50MP images capture more detail than the 12.5MP photos, though colors appear darker at full resolution.
The 8MP ultra-wide camera does a fine job overall, though if you zoom in, you'll note a lack of detail in some areas and digital noise in others.
The 13MP f/2.2 selfie camera takes slightly soft photos, though it captures decent detail and good color. Portrait mode does an acceptable job of separating the subject from the background, though it struggles with items like glasses.
Video recording tops out at 4K resolution and 30fps on both the front and rear cameras. There's no stabilization of any kind, so hand movements are quite obvious. Details are well captured, and the XCover7 does a solid job of rendering colors even in darker areas.
Software: Long-Term Support
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)This phone runs on Android 15 with Samsung's One UI software layer on top. It will receive seven years of OS and security updates. This is an improvement over the XCover6 Pro (five years of security updates and four years of OS updates) and vastly superior to the XP Pro's OS upgrade path (update to Android 16 only and five years of security patches).
While the phone is mainly meant for productivity out in the field, Samsung included AI tools like Object Eraser, AI Select, and Circle to Search by Google. All of these features work as well as they do on any Samsung device. They are quick, simple to use, and work consistently.
The XCover7 includes the ability to keep more than two apps on screen at once using pop-up windows, which helps when switching between multiple apps. Otherwise, the software gets out of the way so you can get to work. Moreover, it packs Samsung DeX, which brings up a Windows-like user interface when you connect the phone to a display or TV.