Samsung will ‘redefine’ its rugged Galaxy devices at an online event next month

UPDATE: Because the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro is not exactly the most exciting device Samsung is planning to release in the near future, the company has no official buzz-building campaign underway. But because the July 13 announcement is inching closer, you shouldn’t be surprised to see a user manual reveal (or rather confirm) a few key details about the “SM-G736B.”

As expected, this thing will pack a user-removable (and replaceable) battery… with an as-yet unconfirmed capacity. A good old fashioned 3.5mm headphone jack is also present, as are no less than three programmable buttons, including one at the top of the handset, an “XCover key” on one side, and another on the other side hiding a fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately, the manual doesn’t go into any detail regarding XCover 6 Pro specs and features like processing power, screen resolution, or camera capabilities.

But all the main design elements are now etched in stone, from the V-shaped notch to the noticeable chin and side bezels, as well as the dual rear-facing camera joined by an LED flash. The rest will be confirmed in due time. Our original story follows below.

While the date of Samsung’s next big Unpacked event is not officially set yet, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a very keen follower of the tech industry to anticipate the announcement of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 will take place at some point in August.

Instead, the world’s largest handset manufacturer has named the two devices it plans to fully detail next month on the actual e-vite sent to “its partners”, which is more than a little unusual. These are the rugged Galaxy XCover 6 Pro and Tab Active 4 Pro, which kind of explains why the tech giant doesn’t care as much about secrecy as usual.

Primarily aimed at enterprise customers, the robust notched smartphone and S Pen-wielding slate are obviously unlikely to appeal to the masses and rival Apple’s iPhone 14 family or 10th gen iPad in terms of mainstream popularity.

That being said, history strongly suggests anyone will be able to buy the Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro and XCover 6 Pro… eventually and in select markets, and we can definitely think of a few reasons why “normal” consumers might consider doing just that.

Rumored at one point to be released under the XCover Pro 2 name, the 6.6-inch Galaxy XCover 6 Pro is expected to upgrade the modest HD+ screen resolution of last year’s 5.3-inch XCover 5 to a pixel count of around 2400 x 1080 (aka Full HD+) while packing an easily replaceable 4,000mAh or so battery and a reasonably powerful Snapdragon 778 processor.

The Tab Active 4 Pro, meanwhile, is largely shrouded in mystery, although something (read Samsung‘s own July 13 event teaser image) tells us this bad boy will be bigger than 2020’s non-Pro Tab Active 3, possibly mimicking the 10.1-inch display of 2019’s original Galaxy Tab Active Pro while rocking a stylus out the box to help “pros” in various lines of work easily take notes, sketch ideas, and capture handwritten signatures.

Expect more information, at least about the Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro, to come out as we approach the July 13 date, and if you’re into rugged phones or tablets, check back soon to find out exactly how Samsung will “redefine” this niche segment of the tech industry.

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