Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3

  • Released 2015, April
    154g, 10mm thickness
    Android 4.4.4, up to 5.0
    8GB storage, microSD slot
  • 0.2% 2,578,604 hits
  • 69 Become a fan
  • 4.5"
    480x800 pixels
  • 5MP
    720p
  • 1.5GB RAM
    Marvell Armada PXA1908
  • 2200mAh
    Li-Ion

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 - Specs

Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800)
Speed HSPA 21.1/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
Launch Announced 2015, March
Status Available. Released 2015, April
Body Dimensions 132.9 x 70.1 x 10 mm (5.23 x 2.76 x 0.39 in)
Weight 154 g (5.43 oz)
SIM Micro-SIM
 IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins)
MIL-STD-810G compliant
Display Type PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 4.5 inches, 57.6 cm2 (~61.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 480 x 800 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~207 ppi density)
Platform OS Android 4.4.4 (KitKat), upgradable to 5.0 (Lollipop)
Chipset Marvell Armada PXA1908
CPU Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU Vivante GC7000
Memory Card slot microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot)
Internal 8GB 1.5GB RAM
Main Camera Single 5 MP, AF
Features LED flash
Video 720p@30fps
Selfie camera Single 2 MP
Video
Sound Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Comms WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
NFC Yes
Radio FM radio
USB microUSB 2.0
Features Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass
Battery   Removable Li-Ion 2200 mAh battery
Talk time Up to 10 h (3G)
Music play Up to 85 h
Misc Colors Gray
Models SM-G388F, R3
SAR 0.95 W/kg (head)     1.01 W/kg (body)    
SAR EU 0.71 W/kg (head)     0.39 W/kg (body)    
Price About 220 EUR

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 - User Reviews

  • sorry about the last comment, the phone is actually good, beat my wife with it, it packs a punch. 7/10 would buy

  • Not sure this will work, as GSMARENA tells you in the comparison that the chipset and CPU differ.

  • Yes. Mine has this update since quite some time already. There's even the SM-G389F model which is newer and get's 6.0

  • You may want to change the specifications: it does get Android 5.1.1, so it's no longer 5.0 upgrade planned.

  • Own it for 2.3years.Right after the shop it come with 5.1.1 but I downgrade it to 4.4.4 to root it. Work really well, drop it many times, and have been test it with countless apps. Not loosing speed or so. Battery last well, but all depend what you doing on or with it device. Thanks to the link2sd and big SD card space was never issue. Still not gamer so have no idea if you try downloading the market. Really happy that the USB can work with IR, TV dongles, USB Flash drive are easy to read.. NFC, WIFI, 4G just great. The low end - it`s not that rugged as it claims. That water proof seal inside is shit. Also without covers water in the USB port make it to act strange. The screen after 2 years start to loose it sealed state around the bezel but well, never trust the adds. If you`re practical man or engineer that is your device(i bought second one just in case because like it). Good phone for the price.. what i think was overpriced when come on the market.

  • I like this phone this phone is great in any weather condition.plus its a tough phone I've dropped it more than once and it still works.one of the best features is its flashlight one day all the electricity went out in my house.and we didn't have a torch but we used the phones flashlight.if you want a great tough phone I'd highly reccomend it

  • I managed to update my phone. Although i had problems during install with phone saying that i dont have enough space... and then it failed to boot after that. Nothing helped. After some Odin ROM flashing i succeeded and went straight to 5.1.1

  • Will the 2015 Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 G388F update to Android 5.1.1?

  • I have this phone from austria , and lock to european network. this time i used it, but need to fully root here in philippines. sometime get hang and need to wipe catche partition and then good to go. always! wipe catche partion if not reboot.

  • you make my day, that is a myth, open it and let the sun do his job, no effective way than that

  • check online shop it must have some.

  • Maybe the flex cable for the wifi is too old , you may need to replace it.

  • If your cell phone was opened up then normally it has no water proof function anymore . put the phone into rice and let the rice over it for a week or more , the water will desperate .

  • dropped in water for 20seconds, the back cover fallout in the fall and now there is full of water inside screen! It work badly and i cant remove the water inside..

  • why?my samsung Xcover 3 has no sign of wifi?

  • Impossible to get phone cases on the high street..why is this

  • Please GSMarena, make a full review on this phone

  • Hi, Is there a holder of xcover 3 who can try and tell me if the xcover button can be mapped as the PTT key in Zello APP ? Thank You very much

  • It is 100% waterproof, I have dived long times with xCover 3 and it is perfectly fine with that.

  • It water resistant, not waterproof.

  • The battery is draining very fast why?or what can I do

  • The battery is draining very fast why?or what can I do

  • I normally don't spend lot on phones coz I have a problem of breaking them. I bought this one because of it's rugged construction and water proof capabilty. But few weeks ago I went on a river boat trip in Sri Lanka and I did some underwater shootings from it. Just about a feet underneath for couple of minutes 3 Times. The phone was fine until I realized it is getting extremely hot in my pocket.So I took it off from my pocket, and tried to dry it using various methods.But it kept getting hot and decided not to work anymore. Sent for warranty Repair and hopefully they will give me it repaired or replaced.

  • When will GSMARENA release a full review to this phone?

  • Seriously people, like most review site there are so many trolls it takes a while to wade through to a review of any substance or truth. Thankfully, you have mine to read. I have deployed about 30 of these handsets to Contruction Site Staff and they are absolutely brilliant. Simple, uncomplicated to use and extremely robust - it will only stop working after some hardcore abuse. Priced at around £190, it's a fantastic solution for anyone wanting the quality of a Samsung but needing something that can cope with extreme environments and usage. As usual, you will need a good MicroSD card if you plan to load it up with lots of content.

  • I can't seem to find SIM card settings so I can connect to roaming network. is there anyplace i can find it? i cant get any signals here now..

  • My dad just got this phone and despite numerous attempts the wifi settings refuses to turn on, I have tried different steps and suggestions but it still won't turn on to look for a wifi connection

  • Very low quality phone... after few months i already have problems with it . The sd card is unexpectedly removed and that's because the microsd slot is very poor built and it doesn't make good contact with sd card and when i put the phone to charge it doesn't show me that is charging.This is the first and the last phone i'll ever buy from samsung.

  • I have the same problem as crazysheep, and I get multiple text message fails and missed calls, 2degrees tried a new sim and that didn't work so did a factory reset, still didn't work so sent it back to Samsung. They updated the software, and checked the hardware, but it still fails and loses network. At the moment I'm trying a different phone with the sim from my xcover, which is working good so far so it has to be something wrong with the phone.

  • Hahaha I wont dare

  • Has anyone tried to install Android Marshmallow update listed in the link below.. This is for the newer Value Edition of Xcover 3 G389F, which is exactly same as the old Xcover 3. So there is very high chance this is compatible with the old G388F as well. Anyone dare to try?

  • i have had phone 2months when i lose signal it comes up with no network i have tryed to get a signal. the only way to get a signal i have to restart the phone its a pain in the ars* i have sent it back to supplier and waiting for it to be fixed wont buy again

  • Farmer husband has had one for a year or so - technophobe and he gets on with it great, it's coped with wet, mud and cow poop as well as him!

  • mine has worked perfect for 2 years dropped it in the ocean once (about 5 meters deep) and taken it swimming using waterproof headphones and works like a charm despite the battery has gotten little bit worse ☺

  • Thanks a lot Jab! Rob

  • reliable and simple

  • Yes it does support OTG, just checked

  • Please do you know if this phone has a OTG support? Thanks Rob

  • I have had this phone nearly a year and I find it to be really good. The waterproof feature is great although until the 3.5mm jack socket completely dries out the loud speaker won't come on. The bezel around the top edge is slightly pronounced and hurts your ear if you press on hard in a noisy area. And the screen sensitively is not good and couldn't detect my hands with a protector on. But removed and with sensitivity up it is fine. Perhaps due to my leathery manual hands. But on the good side it takes a beating and carrys on!. The camera is as good as any other Samsung, slow but effective. With the lower storage onboard it's cheep, and there's always sd cards!!! It's a cheep tough Plastic phone don't expect to be amazed and don't worry if you drop it in a bucket of plaster it'll live

  • It's the worse phone my father could get .... unable to take pictures or print the pics out ..peace of rubbish

  • I have a xcover 2 which was slow and laggy. this is faster (not as good a top phone though) but is touch and water proof. mine was in a cylcle jersey when it went in the wash and worked during and after the wash!! good strong tough and cheap. nice

  • Excellent phone, except that it's NOT water resistant despite all claims. I dropped mine into a small pond of about 10 cm depth, and it went blank for a day, even though the back plate was properly secured. After leaving it to dry, its home button is not working now. I also had the same battery calibration problem mentioned above, but buying a replacement battery solved it. In Hungary, you can get this phone for the equivalent of about 200 Euros with a 1-year basic warranty. For this price, the Galaxy A3 is a MUCH better deal.

  • Can you think anything more unreliable than a cat flying a plane? Oh I can... This phone.

  • I have the same problem... The battery percentage is not accurate at all, sometimes the phone turns off at 15%. I've noticed that the accuracy gets worse if I don't fully charge the phone. Otherwise it works as expected, but this is quite annoying

  • Help me to find a way of transferring the songs which are playing on online music into my laptop file.

  • I cant play normaly clash of clans on this phone..any reasons?

  • I have the same problem... The battery percentage is not accurate at all, sometimes the phone turns off at 15%. I've noticed that the accuracy gets worse if I don't fully charge the phone. Otherwise it works as expected, but this is quite annoying.

  • Phone is really nice have know problem with it

  • I agree. Since the update to lollipop battery lasts a bit less, around 36-40 h average which is anyhow enough for my needs. However I have noticed that from around 15 % the battery consumption is much faster than in the rest of the range and I have to plug it quickly. Looks like battery level is not properly calibrated. Anyone having the same problem? For the rest this is the better phone i have had for sports lovers.

  • After a month of using it the only complain I have is the resistive touchscreen(it responds to pressure not to the skin as a conductor). It often unlocks in my pocket and it's hard to opperate with sweaty or wet hands. I'm not an smartphone expert like the engineers in Samsung but its irritating sometimes. Regardless of that the phone is a brilliant working phone and I drop it several times a week so this is a small complain in the ocean of compliments.

  • Watherproof? yes... i made a 5 min divefilm in the mediterranian last fall😊 tock only one week before the external speaker worked agan... Big problem with the latest upgrade i lost the lock on the flaschlight so now it turns on in my pocket all the time and battery goes empty

  • correction to my previous post Second thing in my opinion this phone is just waterproof definitely NOT water resistant. Details below.

  • Two more things. First thing there is some sort of WRAPPING FILM film between digitizer and lcd and in my case this wrapping film start to live it own life under the digitizer after just couple weeks. I mean this wrapping film stop being stable under the digitizer and there is no way to do anything with that until you remove digitizer. What you have to know too is that the only thing that keep this digitizer on this phone is some small amount of glue so good luck with that :) Second thing in my opinion this phone is just waterproof definitely water resistant. Read my previous post. DON'T BE STUPID, THIS PHONE IS TOTAL CRAP. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON FIXING THIS PHONE TOO, BUY BETTER PHONE.

  • Wow, there is a way to root XCover2 so that I can move apps to SD?? Care to elaborate?

  • This phone is a peace of shit. Don't waste your money. If you want to see water inside your phone after just 3 weeks of using that is right choice for you. I dropped my phone only once but since that day my phone stopped being water resistant. Looks like water goes somehow into the phone since that day. Another thing you should know about this peace of shit is and i heard that from couple people is that every time you drop it then back cover will not fit anymore unless you use your fingers to put it back in right position. Sometimes it hard to notice so be careful. Anyway if you drop your your phone accidentally into standing water (rainwater) you can simply put the samsung ip67 when sun don't shine. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY

  • never ever samsung! more or less works only camera and calculator. Donnt waste Your money on it!!!

  • In reply to: @zsolt "did anyone upgrade to lollipop? this morning I saw the upgrade available. what is your opinion? does int worth it to install?" It was sure worth it for me. My GPS module wasn't' localizing my phone in KitKat and therefore I could not use Google Maps. It works in Lollipop! I like the new notifications better than the previous ones, as they offer more info on the lock screen. Also, the phone seems ever so slightly more fluid, although it wasn't slow in KitKat either. It is my second phone and therefore it has less than 10 apps installed. I suppose that's why it moves quite well.

  • Hello, can you help me in what way I could succesfully ROOT xcover2? Thank you.

  • 85% - 9.3days

  • did anyone upgrade to lollipop? this morning I saw the upgrade available. what is your opinion? does int worth it to install?

  • Hello ! Can you please tell me how to root properly my xcover 2, because I tried so many times and failed! I can't move apps in my sd card so the internal memory is full now!

  • no alphabetical scroller in contacts. Help please

  • 2 months and the touch screen dont work.i wait the dealer what to say or fix

  • have you tried sent it in to Samsung, maybe you were just unlucky and got a phone with a factory defect. Idk

  • Gsmarena should update the device specifications. It's upgradable to 5.1.1

  • What should i do if this phone as stopped recieving mails

  • Had this phone for 1 week, havent dropped it or miss used it in any way possible, but it's already broken. After only 2 days it started shutting itself off and apps crashing, its absolute garbage..

  • Regarding the signal problem. I change the setings for only 3G and now is not losing signal. If i go on the mountin were the singnal is not so good i changet to 2 G, these is the only problem from my phone. In rest is a verry good phone i allready drop on the councreat and nothing- I mention that i put a rubber cover and a glass protection and i belive that for every phone nometter what gorila glass or any protection it hase you must put them is like puting clouse on a human :) For these price i thing that is the thought phone on the market but if you want a better camera, memory or more ram you must pay more. For me is the rugged phone i need ! Until Xcover 4 i will use these.

  • fantastic

  • Why that is better from Xcover 2? Is NOT! I have used X2 since it arrive on the market and after proper ROOT come on the horizon I was able to move apps to the SD card and get rid of all bloatware samsung provide. My X3 come with preinstalled 5.1.1 - so moving app to the SD was "option" in android 2.3 but despite that, 5.1 have heavy stupid interface,settings in the settings in the settings and more of them are "ON" out of the box to make your life more "funny" digging in them just to switch off something. You programers, think that as complicated is the software more cool it become? Bull*its. And what the heck was wrong to have GPS icon in settings. Now is.. location. Whyyyy!? 4.5" - really? Phone get pointlessly bigger and kept the same resolution. Again points to X2. Better battery? - no SIM in, NO Wifi, No NFC, network and so on... 95% are enough to have... 10h of use. Really guys? Just check the X2 - used for 17h, used Wifi and 3G, and taklking time.. Now left 29% bat. life. I`ve been using Andorid, Symbian, WM6.1 since their appear on market. What I think? Symbian and WM6.1 was oses made how OS should be - easy and fast. About that phone? - Avoid. Or just buy X2 and root it.

  • Go to the Application manager and apply the option reset app preferences. After that go to the gallery and play a video and choose the video application that opens video. Good luck

  • Go to the Application manager and apply the option reset app preferences. After that go to the gallery and play a video and choose the video application that opens video. Good luck

  • Clash of clans not working after the last update :( any help?

  • really nice story:D

  • My X cover has started to say "video cannot be reproduced" whenever i try to do it from the Gallery app or even from wassup.however it does reproduce it from the Vídeo app. Can any one bring some light about this issue? Thanks

  • after Xcover S5690 i can say - i im very disapointed . I have Xcover 3 for 9 monts... Disapointed in : Build quality - tiny , cheap plastic Sound - low loudness . You can easily miss calls, and miss wake up alarm bell in the morning. Photo quality - sucks. Batery - poor. Seams like cheap China copy , dont have full capacity. Died at 50 and 40 percent instatntly. Leaving my wichout phone.. Avoid !!! Buy another phone

  • Because the headphone jack it's not fully covered, the water will get inside the jack but not into the phone. The water will close the contact and the phone believes that it has earphones connected. After it gets dry, the phone will operate normal so don't panic. I think this is a better solution as a cover you open and close several times. This would end in loosing it or will not close firmly the jack..

  • thanks for yours comments ,i wont buy this phone. im looking for a new waterprof phone to replace my old (3 years old) smsg galaxy rugby smrtphn. just to tell i was in kayak with my old rugby when it fell in to the water, i was looking for it for about five minutes, when i found it after five minutes in almost 2 meters deep water it was working normally. i wish to find something the same

  • Look ryan you got to have the proctecter for the phone its on the packet on the phone and it says IP protecion from the water & dust You got to have infrob of the phone and behind of it cause it protect the camera and the sound i tryed it and it works very good

  • I just checked putting it on a water glass... for 5 secs. not even fully covered, its wet inside, not charguing anymore. probably guarantee wont cover it... shit

  • Hello ! I test my xcover3 in a pool for just 5 seconds and after this ..i use video player or music player and the sound did not coming out !!!only few mobile sounds ... does anyone else have this problem or know if xcover3 has 2 speakers inside or how to fix it ?? Thanks!!

  • I hope, Xcover 4 will get P-OLED screen with HD screen!

  • Hello! I have the same problem... The phone is new, Im on KitKat without sdcard and already changed sim card and done hard reset :-( Can anyone help, please Best regards

  • I have the same problem. Anybody found a solution? I try with kitkat and lollipop and same problem

  • In KitKat each app has write access only to his own folder on the media card (security measure). The problem is resolved in Lolipop. This is the main reason I wait for the update.

  • What country are you from, with the signal problem ?

  • No. If i move the phone on 2g i do not lose the signal. Thesevin not a solutin !!! Anybody solve these problem ?

  • I have the same problem. Did you solve these problem ?

  • Hy. I have these X3 for a few weeks. Since 1 week i have a problem with the signal it just fall and the phone recover oly ofter i reset. Does anyone have these problem ? The phone in moving verry good, screen in not superamolet but the battery last longer.

  • Not sure if it will be fixed with 5.1.1 because I don't understand the problem... Maybe try a file management app from play store?? "Open intents" or something similar

  • Thanks!! Well I plan to ask the official customer support when I find time because where I live they literally try hard to find reasons to void the warranty if you ever need it...

  • The good things I noted after the 5.1.1 installation is the flashlight been able to turn on/off by pressing the xcover key without unlocking the screen and a new stock management app (for battery and memory usage and managment, plus some sort of what seems an optional anti-malware app that I have never used because of avg) sorry for the late reply

  • I wish I could get the update because I hate the fact that I am unable to properly (read/write) access the SD card

  • You don't need to root the phone to downgrade to 4.4.4. Just download a stock firmware 4.4.4 and flash it with Odin, if there are any software problems reboot into recovery and wipe data and cache.

  • I hace this phone since 3 weeks.I also received the upgrade but i am skipping the instalación as i am hippy with the fluent operation of current 4.4.4. Also I fear I may have problems (even more than now ) with the syncronization with my suunto ambit gps watch. You report battery autonomy reducción but is any benefit in the upgrade other than a nicer interface?

  • This phone is rly bad... if i close my screen the spotify Audio goes crazy, i cant describe the sound but its crazy.. i advice to buy another phone.

  • If the water is too hot or too deep it may damage the phone... In the instruction manual it also says "Do not expose the device to salt water, ionised water or soapy water

  • Thanks!! Well they should have asked before upgrading... When I got it back from service they had fixed the wi-fi problem i had but they had also upgraded it to 5.1.1 Lollipop... Now looking for a way to go back to 4.4.4 without voiding the warranty(so rooting is out)...

  • Thanks!! Thinking about going back to kitkat...

  • 10.8 days on my Xcover3 with Kitkat 4.4.4

  • Who goes to swimming pool or bath with Xcover 3? Can it handle these?

  • 10 Days +. Sounds like they haven't properly implemented it yet, so it may take a while to see a fix for this.

  • This phone are a big problem. Lose every time the signal. Last month i go 3 times to the service it s the same sheet.

  • I think my battery lasts less with Lollipop... With 100% charge in ultra power saving mode it gives 4.9 days of use... To be sure can someone who stil has KitKat PLEASE write down the estimated time with 100% in ultra power saving mode for all of us to compare?? (on the bright side the flashlight can be turned on without having to unlock the screen) please, someone with 4.4 KitKat, reply...

  • One month with this phone and I am very disappointed of the battery performance. What is the poit of low screen specs, slow processor and crappy camera if the battery doesn't hold, that's why I got Sinim XP7 and it's far better phone

  • Yes, change the language of the phone to English, it should work.

  • Got a same problem, lost all my contacts and still is updating contact file and using battery as hell.

  • just got my Lollipop 5.1.1 update yesterday, finally OUT!

  • Contact the seller

  • Lolipop 5.1.1 is finally available !!! Loading via OTA. G388FXXU1BOK2

  • Good to hear. Thanks for your feedback!

  • my only 1 week old and the touchscreen gave up! it doesn't recognize any movement on the screen :( can anyone help?

  • my only 1 week old and the touchscreen gave up! it doesn't recognize any movement on the screen :( can anyone help?

  • my is only 1 week old and my tochscreen doesn't work???

  • Has anyone paired it with a suunto ámbito 3 gps watch? If so what android versión does the phome hace, 4.4 or 5.1?

  • The music player is still the Google Play one, at least for me and about the volume I don't have any complaints.

  • No, still 720p.

  • Thanks for the reply. What is the music player like? Does it have good volume through earphones?

  • Is 1080p video capture with the new Android 5.1?

  • Yes, I'm using it in Romania.

  • So this can be used for UK i'm guessing?

  • Android 5.1.1 published on sammobile. Changelist 101969629 Build date Fri, 20 Nov 2015 14:03:12 +0000 Product code NEE PDA G388FXXU1BOK2 CSC G388FOXA1BOK2

  • While I'm a bit cautious about Xcover 3 having a bit too little internal memory and RAM than I'd like, it does beat S6 Active in one category - Xcover 3 does have radio. I'm really surprised, what was Samsung thinking when they made good, expensive OUTDOOR phone with no radio in it?! Besides it seems Xc3 has less complains here on GSMArena than S6 Active - commentaries on the page of S6 Active don't look good, or maybe it's just that guys who pay more, expect more and thus are more picky.

  • But it has a good signal too? That's important for outdoors users.

  • Guys, how is the signal for this phone? It's an outdoor phone and I expect to be a little powerfull than normally Samsung phones, for remote areas. I want to buy one and a better signal should be awesome.

  • Gorilla glass or no?

  • A when the output Lolipop on this smartphone? And what do Samsung since April 2015 to finally emerge Lolipop ... If Samsung does not go Lolipop on this smartphone I 'd go to another brand and I banish my samsung purchases.

  • I love this phone I also love men who use this phone and i love the lollipop too it gets me all in a flush

  • I love this phone I also love men who use this phone and i love the lollipop too it gets me all in a flush

  • I feel you. I bought a battery pack and I got a solar charger for Christmas. I'm happy as a puppy now :)

  • I want lolipop ..help .....i can't wait any more

  • Hey bro I have the same problem and I can't wait any more...this week i will try to go to a local phone service and update my xcover 3 (if he can do that) try to do the same thing ... :-)

  • i'm tough phone fans.i own samsung B2710 and Xcover2.i like this phone,but it seems that Xcover3 can't be bought in China.so,anyone can help me to buy it?

  • I am experiencing problems with the Galaxy x cover 3 , when I make a phone call the connection is made but there is no sound unless I turn the speaker on !! Can anyone help ? Nick

  • If you use microSD, try removing it and see if it works the same or the problem disappears. If that was the problem, you can try using another brand of microSD (Samsung produces microSD, those should work fine with their own devices). If not, go to service.

  • It happens several times a week that people cannot phone me or I can not phone them with my Samsung Galaxy XCover3, although the phone is on. I have to restart it. THEN it works again. What is wrong?

  • I have had this phone for a few months now after owning the Xcover 2 before Pros from the Xcover 2: No port flaps, larger storage (Major problem with the xcover 2), It allows some apps to be moved to SD, bigger screen, thinner, more drop-proof, better looking, more modern. Cons compared to xcover 2: Speakers are not as loud for playing music Pros compared to other phones: Waterproof, rugged, Camera key. Cons from other phones: No gyroscope, no LED notification light, no ambient light sensor. Verdict: this is the best phone on the market for me at the moment because of it's ruggedness. I have not filled the internal memory yet but one needs to be careful not to load too many apps and to get a big SD card. Also look at the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, (it is less rugged) and the Samsung S5 and S6 Active if you can afford them

  • Is this unit available here in philippines? Comment please.

  • I have had this phone for 2 months. Its started havn trouble detecting SIM card. Anybody else had this problem? If so what did u do? Cheers

  • Does it blend?

  • When will Lollipop arrive?

  • Can you set default memory to SD card?

  • Yep - one of the many reasons for avoiding iPhones like the plague! I'm about to upgrade from an S3 mini, for which I always carry a spare battery

  • Yes, you can connect an external USB drive with an adapter and copy from and to the USB drive. You can connect USB mouse or keyboard too.

  • Does it have "USB on the go" guys? Can you connect an external USB drive with an adapter and copy from and to the USB drive? Thank you.

  • Battery is replaceable so you can always change it to a charged one.

  • I have bought this phone about 1,5 month ago and I am really happy with it, can't really think of bad things for it except maybe that 8 gb of storage may not be enough but that can easily be fixed with a sd card, camera might not be good enough for some people but from o 5mp camera I was really surprised how good it was, the front camera is quite good too,the xcover button is really helpful, you can set it to open any app on the phone, the ultra power saving mode is really helpful if you have a few % of battery left and you need to wait for a call or something, from 1 to 10 I would rate it 7/10, the could be a bit more powerful but the phone is totally worth the price. It is absolutely enough for me, I would totally recommend it.

  • For me (active outdoor) the batery is not big enough. You can't even go on camping for 5 days where is no electricity :( Is a big minus for me. But I bought it anyway, because of other things... After 14 days is not working right and I'm going to return it back for repair. It can't catch a signal and the phone is complaining about the SIM card, but SIM is perfectly fine... :/

  • Yes we need it...

  • I've had this phone for over a month now and I am positively surprised. It works fast and is very responsive. The battery is actually really good, it can last for a week with normal use. I also love the fact it is not slippery, it feels rough, so I'm not worried it will break as I was with other phones. Some actually complain about low dpi, but there really is not much difference when comparing Xcover 3 with phones with higher dpi. The only downside is that photos aren't particularly good when shooting in poor conditions. On the other hand, they are amazing when shooting macro pics, since the depth of field is very obvious. The colours are, at least in my book, very natural and not oversaturated. The other disadvantage is that phone 'believes' it is connected to earphones when you put it into water, so you must turn on your speakers to hear something. And touchpad doesn't work properly if it's completely wet. Hopefully, I'll be able to solve this snag eventually.. Does anyone have any suggestions?

  • Thank you very much!! Before or after software updates?? ;-) Best regards!!

  • I got brand new just a month before.This is probably the worst phone I had.it gets stucked every other day without any hard use.the battery sucks.Slow and unreliable.I would not advise anyone to buy this expensive piece of shit!

  • Yes You can

  • M4 Aqua has only 1GB of RAM that's why I bought this...

  • Yes it is... I wash it regularly...

  • I think it's 4GB but put SD card up to 64GB...

  • Can you install or move apps to sd card on this phone?

  • Thank you very much!! 5,3GB before or after software updates?? ;-) Best regards!!

  • Ive had it for a while now and in short you can get as much phone performance with half the money buying a different cell, but without the protection against the elements. It works well, wet or dirty; I havent done any drop test yet but it will probably occur in time... I use it as phone and remote for gopro and sony actioncams (the gopro app occasionally gets stuck but the others work, eg hdraz1, as100vr etc.) i considered the M4 Aqua first but it felt more fragile.

  • does anyone actually read the specifications?, ....is it waterproof? ffs

  • It is waterproof to 1m. Available space 5.3GB.

  • Hello! I want to buy Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 but I'm not sure about its performance. Is it waterproof?

  • Hello! I want to buy this phone but I'm not sure about its performance. Is it waterproof or not?

  • Hello!! Anyone knows how much of the 8 GB are available to install apps, photos and videos, before (out of the box) and after apps and other software (OS) necessary updates? Many thanks in advanced, Best Regards!!

  • And most of all outdoor people don't need big battery ;D

  • I still have xcover2; two years now. It was sucking hard starting right from the beginning. Very low-end components; not enough memory even for built-in application updates. The screen had broken twice (falling onto asphalt). The port cork does not sit on it's place. The xcover3; again; has very week specifications which are already obsolete; obsolete OS version; low pixel density screen; weak camera; not impressive battery. Common, is it like outdoor users don't need good camera or good screen for navigation??? Don't buy.

  • i have this phone, very convenient than big devices

  • Yes, I am experiencing the same issue. After I put my phone into a glass of water (without need, just been curious about the IP67 standard) and earphone stopped working (I can not hear anything) because the phone probably thinks that the headphones are connected to the jack, I think. Have you solved the problem ?

  • I tooh photo of STOP sign 200m away and when I zoom the taken photo you can almost read it...

  • You're right!!! 1,2Ghz quad core and 1,5GB of RAM are built in for fast performance not for gaming... For gaming you always need expensive devices! Worth for PCs, Androids, consoles...

  • You can't change camera for better... Your device obviously got some issue... Camera is very good. I took a photo of STOP sign and you can almost read it when you zoom taken photo...

  • its not built for gaming

  • how can I increase x cover 3 mega pixels not enough 5 mg pixels and not clear pictures

  • This phone has only one little speaker, but it's good enough...

  • No it's not... Perfectly balanced...

  • You can't except from 300$ device to play games...

  • Probably could have had better specs from S4 mini with a gel case except for waterproofing. Having problems with call volume on mine and it never got wet . Only 2 days old.

  • small display and to small battery

  • vivante!!! same gpu as huawei p6 so no handling for games at all

  • About soaking your device if it has that issue better keep it dry. But in case like mine washing the abrassive things like salt, acid, gasoline or something from device if accidentally spilt on it is very good idea for longer life of silicone seal. About battery life it's good but maybe you can find spare batteries with larger capacity but they are not approved from Samsung...

  • Thank you Guys! It is works Ok now, just keep out from the water, adwise it needs time for dry hole for headphones :) Also, very interesting your opinion about battery, does it works Ok, I mean everybody happy with volume of it? Can we find a battery which can be more powerful and fixed for this phone?

  • You're welcome! ;)

  • No it sinks... XD Try it in shallow water... :)

  • I've read about this problem in the Galaxy S4 Active comments. It also has unprotected but waterproof headphone jack. Blow or clean the water out of the jack hole. You could also get a rubber plug. They're cheap on ebay.

  • It can be serial error with design... In which country you bought this device? This one from Croatia works perfectly fine...

  • Thank you very much!!

  • Does it float?

  • Yes i've got the same issue at the moment. Glad it shouldn't be permanent. Design flaw i think. Will try to dry it with an air compressor

  • Thank you very much, But it says "MIL-STD-810G certified - salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock resistant".. Is the "...transport and thermal shock resistant" that we can assume it is drop proof??

  • No my device works fine... I washed it many times especially if I touch it with salty hands after swimming... Maybe protection around headphone jack is damaged or poor made... My device is perfectly good sealed...

  • The screen is protected for sure but I can't find what kind of protection it is... Only certificate I'm sure about is IP67 which means it can be in water at least 1m deep for at least half an hour... Every device must be tested before it can be put on the market...

  • Hi Mates! Does anybody have problem like my Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 has? When I put my cellphone into a water, after that cellphone thinking that headphones is connected, but it does not. I could not speak and listen without headphones. After 24 hours the problem has gone, today I repeat bath for my phone and problem started again. I think the water steal inside the phone and I need every time wait 24 hours? Do you have same problem?

  • MIL-STD-810G certified for shock resistant from fall. The glass is scratch resistant glass either Corning gorilla glass like it predecessor or Dragontrail glass.

  • Thanks for your feedback and advice ;-) But do you - or somebody - know the specs I'm looking for?? (Type of screen glass and "certification" for fall)

  • My phone fell few times but nothing happened... Just if your device hit the ground pick it up and press the back cover firmly because if just one tip opens the water can enter the device... I'm very pleased with this device...

  • Hello!! Can you help me, please?? ;-) I've been searching, but can't find what type of screen it has... Gorilla glass (2, 3 or 4) or other resistant glass? Is it shock proof? And in the specs it doesn't say it's drop/fall proof... is it? Many thanks in advance :-) Best regards!

  • You can put in the phone SD card and transfer apps on it...

  • I've got this device since 9th of july and I'm very pleased with it's performance!! It's fast, responsive, precious, it's waterproof wuch I personally tested, camera is 5MP and mucj better than my ex Sony Xperia J had which was 5MP too but this is much better. HD Video is pretty good.. It's not stunning because there are devices with FULLHD and 4K videos, but this is more than enough for recording memories... Front 2MP camera is good for selfies but VGA video is not so good. But for 1899kn in Croatia (350$) this is AWESOME DEVICE!!! I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT!!! :)

  • I had the same on 2 phones. Did the update today, now it's over. You can play Clash of Clans

  • Does anybody try to play clash of clans ? I tried on 3 phones and the screen was flickering and flashing

  • This phone looks undestructable...

  • I have used this phone for 45 days, touch sensitivity I as very poor, so is the battery but over all good phone. A lot more rugged than my xperia z3 compact. I like the kitkat Version on this model.

  • The battery IS removable. No problem here.

  • battery is non removeable

  • Why would they plan update to lollipop? If they update it should be straight to M. Should be more stabile and have the option to transfer sd into internal memory.

  • Hello, I would like to buy the X cover 3, but my concern is the limited memory. It would be enough memory to have these apps: Whatsapp-facebook-instagram-facebook chat-yahoo-gmail-twitter-eos remote control-c cleaner. Thanks! Kisses! :)

  • A really bad touch sensitivity, slow performer. Not good phone

  • Are you serious ?

  • The Xcover 2 didn't have Corning glass, either, but what it had was just as good.

  • The phone is nice but the touch screen us rubbish, every low sensitivity, poor battery and signal.

  • Does it float?

  • Nice Design, But Iphone 5s is better for me.

  • why no coning ape glass

  • Test, pls, gsmarena!

  • Hello friends how to release daye in india,i am wating for this.

  • I am not surprised. That what you get from 2011 technology. The new standard nowadays is graded with higher and better quality. They don't use that white thing anymore. You should buy latest model.

  • crap galaxy xcover 1 because i've submerged this phone for 33 minutes and 10 cm of water and this gets water inside,pure craziness, disassembled and dried,i lost my guarantee because of dismantle phone ,but the water ndicator still white ,no red,but 1 have almost 3 months to get 2 years old

  • This phone is made for construction workers, athletes, builders, extreme sport and swimmers. It is perfect for outdoor activity. Sporty people don't spend their time too much on the phone so they have no care for screen resolutiin or lack of apps and features. They need strength and durability and that's it.

  • what kind of phone is that C4 combination..

  • *how much will this phone cost? I need to know badly because i want to purchase this one

  • Too bad it lacks ambient light sensor and auto screen brightness. I imagine it can be annoying trying to change the brightness on a touchscreen too dark to read on sunlight. Perhaps the blue button can be set to change screen brightness. Or perhaps an incoming call could set the screen to 100% so one could see the caller even under the sun if screen was left on low brightness.

  • SAR 0.71 at head. Check out - the most precise specs I've seen yet for this phone. I've had mine for a few days and love it. Not comparing it in any way with leading edge phones, but it's vastly superior to the xcover 2 I've had for over 2 years. Memory woes are a thing of the past. Sound is tinnier, but volume fine for voice radio. LTE apparently not brilliant indoors (one bar when my ipad mini 2 shows four, BUT actual send/receive is fine. Screen horrible in bright light and doesn't compensate automatically, but ok for viewing photos. Camera slow but ok. It's got OTG so you can put photos on the SD card from any camera and save them, send them...

  • Sooo much better then the xcover 2. You win twice: better hardware (quad-core and more Ram and 5gb internal memory) and 4G capable. With the xcover 2 I always had problems with not enough memory because you can't install apps on your SD card and also ran into complete block

  • Awesomephone good betrry

  • I can't find what I feel would be reliable information regarding frequency bands and SIM card type of the specific model (SM-G388F) available in the UK. Have you experienced any restrictions using 3G or LTE in north america? The user manual available from samsung.uk refers to the installation of a microSIM card while many ebay sellers refers to this model as being SIM free.

  • Not just bulletproof u can also use this to stop a nuclear bom "BOOM"!!!!

  • is it bulletproof???

  • When will be the test of the phone?!

  • It came... From UK via ebay. - it does no seems as tough as previous models, time will tel - screen resolution not a problem, I tried to look very careful for things to bother me in this regard, but could not find any - as I suspected it moves a little better than s4 mini with same specs probably due to lower resolution - it has OTG, tseted with few sticks up to 64Gb - the OS seems slimmed a little - memory: as the specs state only ~5 Gb are avilable for user -RAM: 1.4GBb real (1.5 on specs) - good management - for lite use (a little internet and some other aps) ~750Mb-800Mb are available -Camera only 5M but behaving good in low light (no flash) and the flash can handle total darkness few meters away Overall pretty happy with this my purchase so far

  • what about SAR???

  • what about SAR???

  • GSMArena, write test, pls!!!

  • thx for the reply, but i didnt get it what u mean by laptops UK?

  • you can get this from laptops direct uk

  • lol and some military grade

  • Is it really water resistant?

  • Guys I'm living in dubai, I still cant find this mobile in the market here?!! Any advise from where I can get it, thx alot

  • ...gsmarena no review?

  • I forgot one benefit of "low" resolution is faster response and little better life battery.

  • People owning previous models know why. I postponed buying a new phone waiting for this one. I don't have it yet but if it is as tough as xcover 2 it is very good for me I have xcover 2 dropped hundreds of times, stepped on it a few, dropped on the bottom of a 1.8m pool for about 15 min (even thou the specs say 1m max), survived with only one very light scratch in more then one year. I regularly keep it in pockets with small spanners and other potential hazardous things and so on. I really don't get the big discussion about resolution, I wonder how many of the people complaining about resolution run their laptops with more ppi than this phone? hint: full hd at 11 inch is a little less than this phone, at 15.4 you have to run at more ~3000 to beat it. Resolution, same like processor speed is more of synthetic number, it does not really tells you which is better, it is just a "probably better" or a way to compare two devices of the same brand and series.

  • Well, here we go again, paltry resolution on XCover touch device, meh, wont buy it! Why are both Sony and Samsung making their submersible 200 euro phones with crappy screen resolutions? And dont tell its about money, no, its about marketing subpar product at premium prices. Making your phone look like its shockproof wont sell anymore, the screen digitizer is as badly protected from impacts as on any other touchscreen phone.

  • its awsome

  • Make a test / review, gsmarena!!!

  • compared to my galaxy xcover 1: pros:camera 5 mp is enaugh and ok awesome led flash cool design cons:led button works with on screen

  • Better go back to grade school if you think this device is a tablet...

  • Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 im TCS Test Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 Event - Das Outdoor-Smartphone im Hands-On Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 im Härtetest Drop check Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3

  • Looking forward for extreme tests videos.

  • No ANT+:(

  • Still waiting that damn phone to be released in finland, already released in germany if I'm not wrong.

  • No gorilla glass no ambient light sensors, no progress ;-(

  • its a tablet. why do you need anything other than a 5mp camera

  • Why is the camera still 5MP?... :/

  • I still have the first one, 3 years of abuse and still going! Although the screen suffered a massive 15meter drop the other day and now half the screen is in a differnt colour but everything still working... As a white water kayaker, and a extreme outdoor sports person! i'd highly recommend the Xcover phones!

  • v.good

  • this is water prf

  • Judging by the specs and price, this looks like an amazing deal. I can speak from experience when I say the MIL-STD-810G certification proves something is seriously durable. I've got no doubts that this blows the Xperia Z variant phones out of the park when it comes to waterproofing and overall durability. And the specs are pretty decent too, especially considering the low price. If I had needed a super durable phone for any reason, I'd get the Xcover 3.

  • yes you can take it to your bathroom ok

  • better if its come with daul sim cards

  • not copy of SONY xperia Z categories

  • To good

  • i am sory for this

  • is this thus phone water proof ?

  • i have galaxy xcover and have awesome design,but this is just an galaxy s5 active mini design

  • But if your a worker that only makes calls and some WhatsApp, even the Xcover 2 was a perfectly fine cheap mobile. And $280 is a fine price for a sturdy work phone.

  • Lenovo also has mediatek processor which means poor gps performance.

  • Can it be worse than the XCover 2? That was a dud!

  • lenovo s750 support dual sim, water and dust resistant

  • Can't wait for this one!!!

  • when x cover 3 launching in indonesian?

  • According to phoneegg and tabdroid it has Marvell PXA 1908 with Vivante GC7000UL.

  • Hope it has dual sim, no use if its single sim.. looking foward to that

  • Nice compact looking mobile. Features are also great. Lollipop update too.. Wish it comes with dual sim and fm radio. It would be the best mobile to buy then.

  • Snapdragon 410 ?

  • Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 is a very nice phone in it's appearance. let me knw that it contains dual sim or n't & also it's price.... would like to buy.

  • I hope samsung guy make it a dual sim with glass protection and noise cancelation.. Love this phone but theese are missing still.

  • looks like a cool phone. if the price is right, it should ping the interest of the outdoorsy types.

  • Just received answer from samsung does the xcover 3 has otg support. Answer: They dont know yet but assume that yes. WTF?

  • this is a very stylest phones ....

  • What type of cpu?

  • USB OTG supported?????

  • Exactly

  • atex 2 certificate, please!

  • Any test somewhere?

  • Any test somewhere?

  • "Li-Ion 2200 mAh battery" Is this a new battery type? I don't know about any other Samsung battery with 2200 mAh nowadays.

  • it will not fullfill the needs of the crazy users.

  • Gorillaglass, lightsensor, radio FM ?

  • i hope its come dual sim

  • I must say it's phone with lots of protections and decent specs.But the only thing is that the ppi index for this phone is still relatively low.

  • The USB cover is missing. It look like it might have a waterproof USB plug. IMO the greatest weakness of its predecessor was the USB cover which fell off after a year or so. I'm also skeptical about how good is battery cover held in place. I know it's a trend to make as thin phone as possible (so it can bend >:) but I'm certain that most rugged phone users would gladly take 2mm thicker phone with bigger battery.

  • The price will be aroud 300$/280Euro from what i have seen. The only disadvantage I see currently is the Screen resolution. I have looked at Core 2 that has the same TFT screen. It is truly foggy. If the screen would have been qHD, it would have been a dream smartphone for rugged phone users. Actually the Xcover has a PLS TFT screen, that still may show some improvements, but we will see soon

  • UPDATE If I got everything right, i might have deduced more info and a possible review on the Xcover3. As Xcover2 was a reinforced and maybe slightly tweaked S3mini, I think the Xcover3 is based on the Galaxy Core Prime LTE. It has with the same specs and hardware locations. Same screen and camera location, flash and speaker location, etc. Checkout the comparison: I say that Xcover3 is Galaxy Core Prime LTe with a bit more RAM, 10% more battery, hard shell and hopefully upgraded speaker and GPS.

  • I hope it wont be more than 250 $..

  • The Xcover 3 is a response to the complaints of Xcover2 users. This series of Galaxy has the gihest build quality and best longterm use. I wouldn't have changed my xcover 2 if these specifications were available. The low resolution screen and new battery will provide even longer battery life than Xcover 2. Lack of memory space and Free Ram is solved with the 8GB and 1,5gb ram. The rest of the newer specs are just un update to newer mobiles (4,5 inch, quad core, LTE) If all other hardware parts are as good as they were for Xcover 2 (GPS-which was great, signal, rigidity, build quality,camera quality), this will be a dream smartphone for Xcover fans. I will surelly buy this phone!

  • shailes,,, you hit the nail there, its not about the specs whether it have this or don't have that,, its all about the BUDGET, so as i said many times,, find something that suits your needs and what you can afford,,, do not blame the product !

  • bikearnie,,, not really,i go riding/trail, never ever have a need to recharge my s5 and besides even if it does have wireless charging capability like Samsung S6, it will probably not appeal to you either, so go fine something that suits you, this phone may not be for you,,, so many choices out there,,

  • bagag,,, wake up before the door hit you in the face!! s6 has 3GB RAM,,,,

  • ... for what?

  • sometimes big screen is not good when u travel 4.5 is good for that

  • good you launched waterproof and shock, but now a days people wants big screen, good battery backup,good camera ,minimum 2 gb ram, and octacore.and yes above all with good budget.

  • wait and see

  • Marvell PXA Armada 1908 with Vivante GC7000UL or Snapdragon 400 / 410 with Adreno 305 / 306? IPS? The onboard storage is enough, the system will smooth after several apps installed too. Much better, than the predecessors, but the 207ppi isn't a good choice in 2015.

  • Snapdragon 410 or Snapdragon 615?

  • So funny,,Samsung scared to put 1GB ram on their devices..lag probably..

  • This phone designed to be used in heavy conditions, not people like you who is whole day on facebook or killing hours with whatsapp. Look for other specs, you'll see the light.

  • wireless charging??? A "must" for outdoor-mobile in my eyes!

  • it's all about the design really love it! but with low specs....for me it can be used as secondary phone

  • Weak.The great feature is the water proof.

  • Only a 5MP camera, was hoping for an upgrade from the Xcover2

  • What the display!!

  • Heise reports a max. SD memory of 64 gig. Here it says 32 gig. Who's right ? ;-)

  • 2200 mAh

  • Good phone for military operations.

  • what about battery?

  • lol:))

  • yes!!!

  • Do we know whether it may be NFC enabled? It is not mentioned in the Spec

  • negatory no sir no way man

  • Hows the processor compared to snapdragon 410? Both are new cortex build with 64bit, but I can't find any info about power and battery drain info. You know how well it performs in benchmarks/Gflops and how much does it drain battery? I need a phone that can take bit of a hard use, but is also a fairly good performer and doesn't leave a huge hole in my wallet.

  • Lol:)) galaxy xcover and galaxy xcover 2 are weirdest phones of samsung so far,#i have first samsung galaxy xcover

  • King of look &Design. .............. wait &watch

  • what no 4.8 inch? just 4.3?

  • samsung galaxy xcover 3! I dont believe that this phone appears

  • It only has 4.3 inch screen, not likely that it will have a bigger battery than 1800-2000 mAh.

  • equal with iphone 6:1 gb ram,camera 8 mp over iphone 6: -ip67 waterproof and dust proof -quad core 1.2 cortex a57 beat dual core 1.4

  • what c2?

  • c2

  • I have first samsung galaxy xcover s5690 and design it's awesome this phone should be the same frame thickness made from alluminum or steel but i not buy this if have 1 ram and 8gb internal for me min 16 gb.2 ram like my lg g pad 8.3,and...i have much money to buy s6 or lg g4 or xperia z4 or htc ome m9

  • IF this phone have high sun contrast ratio, updated up to android 5.0 and at least more then 2300 mAh battery i am defiantly gonna buy it...