Samsung Galaxy S5690 Xcover preview: First look

Samsung S5690 Galaxy Xcover preview: First look

The Samsung S5690 Galaxy Xcover brings a touch of class and authority to a lineup of durable dumb phones for the outdoor enthusiasts. It’s arguable whether it can take as much bashing as its less sophisticated siblings, but this rugged smartphone is trying to combine the best of both worlds.

The Galaxy Xcover is Samsung’s response to Motorola, who are building their own squad of tough droids, with a 1GHz Gingerbread-powered update of their Defy due for imminent release. The Defy+ could be too strong a rival, but the rugged credentials will certainly help the Galaxy Xcover stand out in the crowded smartphone midrange.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover official photos

It's an IP67 certified droid, meaning it can be immersed in one meter of water and last there for half an hour, on top of being dust-proof and shock-resistant. Ruggedness aside, it offers a 3.65" HVGA display with tempered Gorilla Glass for maximum protection and durability. It does well to meet, and exceed, the minimum smartphone requirements with solid connectivity, the latest flavor of Android and reasonably fast processing.

Samsung S5690 Galaxy Xcover at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 122 x 66 x 12 mm, 116 g
• Display: 3.65" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen, Gorilla Glass scratch-resistant display, 320 x 480 pixels resolution
• CPU: Marvell MG2 800 MHz processor, 512MB RAM
• Memory: 150MB storage, microSD card slot
• OS: Android OS, v2.3.4 Gingerbread
• Camera: 3.2 megapixel camera with geotagging; VGA video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, stereo Bluetooth 3.0, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack
• Misc: TouchWiz 3.0 UI, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, Swype input, IP67 certified: dust and water resistant

The Samsung S5690 Galaxy Xcover runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, with the home-baked TouchWiz skin on top. It looks the part too with rugged, ribbed sides and a grippy rear panel with a massive lock screw to keep the battery cover in place.

The Samsung Galaxy S5690 Xcover at ours

It's the perfect fit if you want to buy a smartphone with a distinct outdoorsy feel. It's no Galaxy S II and it shows. The display isn't as crisp and the hardware just knows it should keep out of the fast lane with dual-cores in the rear-view mirror. At least it’s a phone that doesn’t mind a bumpy ride down the dirt road.