XCover7 Pro and Tab Active5 Pro: Samsung's new rugged smartphone and tablet

Jan Johannsen

15.4.2025

Translation: machine translated

Samsung updates its robust mobile devices. The Galaxy XCover7 Pro and the Tab Active5 Pro are not only very robust, but also have replaceable batteries. The tablet's battery can be replaced during operation.

Samsung has designed the Galaxy XCover7 Pro and Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro for outdoor use. They feel most at home on construction sites, in the emergency services and fulfil their duties in hospitals or as a payment terminal in a shop. It is not worthwhile for the average user. If you don't need the special functions, you can get a smartphone and tablet with similar features for less.

More power and a larger display

With the two Pro models, Samsung is adding a better equipped model to its current range of rugged smartphones and tablets. With the XCover7 Pro, Samsung has added a second camera on the back compared to the significantly cheaper XCover7. More important, however, is probably the chipset with more power, which allows the smartphone to be used with Samsung Dex in desktop mode.

The Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro has a larger display than the Tab Active5 primarily by a two-inch larger display and a higher battery capacity. It also supports NFC on the front, which means it can be used as a payment terminal.

Replacing the battery during operation

The batteries in both new devices are replaceable. The special feature of the Tab Active5 Pro is the how-swap function. This means that the battery can be replaced during operation. This is possible because there are two batteries in the tablet, one of which ensures the power supply. Nevertheless, the tablet must be put into standby mode for this. Unlike when switching off, you can continue working with the running apps immediately after changing the battery. For permanent installation, for example in a vehicle, the tablet can also be operated without a battery. Power is then supplied via the USB-C port.

The storage capacity of the smartphone and tablet can be expanded using a microSD card. However, only the Tab Active5 Pro still has a 3.5 mm port. It has been removed from the XCover7 Pro. The tablet has one programmable button, while the smartphone has two. These can be used to launch any app at the touch of a button.

Protection from wind, weather and more

Tablet and smartphone are IP68 waterproof. This means they survived 30 minutes in 1.5 metres of water without damage during tests. They also survived over 20 tests in accordance with the «MIL-STD-810H» standard. These include drops from a height of 1.5 metres, large and sudden temperature fluctuations, vibrations, air pressure and resistance to various liquids such as disinfectants.

The displays are protected from scratches by Gorilla Glass Victus+ and are designed to be operated with gloves. They have a brightness of 600 nits, whereby a «Vision Booster» is intended to increase recognisability in bright ambient light.

Samsung is also bringing some AI tools to the devices. These include the search function «Circle-to-search», the AI selection that can be called up from the sidebar and the object eraser when editing photos. Samsung intends to provide the Xcover7 Pro with operating system and security updates for seven years. For the Tab Active5 Pro, it is even eight years.

Price and availability

Both devices will be available from 28 April. The recommended retail price in Germany is 609 euros for the Galaxy XCover7 Pro and 809 euros for the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro. No prices are yet available for Switzerland. The tablet comes with a protective case and the S Pen.

Jan Johannsen

Editor

Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.de

As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus. more

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