What's the Difference Between Samsung's Galaxy XCover 5 and XCover 6 Pro
Powering a New Generation of Data Collection
With the release of Samsung’s Xcover 6 Pro comes a range of exciting new features. This blog compares Samsung’s new flagship semi-rugged device with their previous generation Xcover 5. And by the end of this, you will hopefully know which device will be the best fit for your colleagues, company, and tasks. Designed as an upgrade, the Xcover 6 Pro is a replacement device, providing a faster, more rugged, and better-connected device.
The Xcover 6 Pro is the newer of the two phones, having arrived in July 2022, boasting a better chipset, camera, connectivity, and battery life. Understanding the difference between the two devices is critical in ensuring that when you build or upgrade your device estate, you increase productivity and minimum downtime.
The Key Differences
Other than the notable hardware upgrade, the other important difference between the two phones is pricing. Assuming you’re fine with an older Xcover, you have to ask what’s more important — the next generation of features or a lower price. Ultimately that is down to you, but we can help you figure that out.
The other essential and often overlooked aspect when comparing devices is the length of support in terms of both security and operating system patches. If you want to make sure your business is secure or you want to achieve Cyber Essentials it is required to ensure your devices are supported and not left vulnerable.
Samsung's Xcover 5
Released 2021, March
Samsung's Xcover 6 Pro
Released 2022, July
Supported until 2027 July
Processor and Chipset
2.0 GHz - Exynos 850
The Samsung’s Xcover 5 has a fast 2.0 GHz – Exynos 850 processor that provides great performance on all voice and data apps.
2.4 GHz - Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G
The new Xcover 6 Pro is home to one of Qualcomm’s fastest processors. This cutting-edge chipset and accelerated AI provide premium capture experiences. With fused AI accelerator architecture, you can gain higher performance and faster data transfer, providing seamless experiences.
Display
5.3 inches - 720 x 1480 pixels - 60Hz
The Xcover 5 has a 5.3 in. (720 x 1480px) HD+ display for a detailed viewing experience wherever you roam. This screen is perfect for portability where you don’t need to view video, documents or schematics.
6.6 inches - 1080 x 2408 pixels - 120Hz
The display of the Xcover 6 Pro is an improvement in all accounts. The new device delivers a larger screen (24.4% larger), increased refresh rate and a higher resolution (720p to 1080p). These improvements will provide you with an optimised display experience with a large screen and super smooth scrolling.
Connectivity
4G and Wi-Fi 5
Samsung’s Xcover 5 is fitted with 4G LTE and Wi-Fi-5, providing a cost-effective solution to colleague connectivity.
5G and Wi-Fi 6E
Connectivity may be one of the biggest improvements with the phone. As the first phone within the Xcover series to recieve 5g and the blazing fast Wi-Fi 6e, you will have the fastest download and upload speeds available.
Ruggidity
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
MIL-STD-810H compliant
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 35 mins)
Drop-to-concrete resistance from up to 1.5m
MIL-STD-810H compliant
Battery
3,000 mAh, Removable, Fast Charge
Possessing a replaceable 3,000mAh battery, the Xcover 5 will provide you with long-lasting power. If the time comes where you forget to charge the device, the rapid 15W quick charge will get you up and going in no time.
4,050 mAh, Removable, Fast Charge
The Xcover 6 Pro’s 4,050mAh battery is far larger giving a significantly longer battery life, allowing you and your team to get more tasks done. The battery is also replaceable, allowing you to get back to the task on hand at a moment’s notice.
Programmable Xcover key
The Xcover 5 has a fully programmable XCover key, where you can initiate push-to-talk communications with a colleague, then long-press to launch the flashlight to peer into a dark crawl space.
The Xcover 6 Pro has the same fully programmable key on the side of the phone, which can be customised to fit your tasks and frequent uses by setting it for specific purposes, including Push-to-Talk, barcode scanning, certain apps, and more.
Which should you choose?
The Galaxy XCover6 Pro is a breakthrough in semi-rugged performance and is an improvement in nearly every aspect when comparing it to the Xcover 5. The more significant upgrades include the camera, longer battery life, and connectivity technology. Ultimately, these are some massive upgrades, but if the Xcover 5’s specs are sufficient for you, it would be a case of weighing up if the Xcover 6 Pro’s selection of improvements is worth the additional £300.
If your colleagues spend most of the day by an electric outlet and don’t really download or upload too much, buying the Xcover 5 may be the right choice for you.
But if they are heavy users that are out in the field that are reliant on access to data or vital information and want the peace of mind of longer battery life, then the new Xcover 6 Pro is probably the more appropriate phone for you.
