Mainstream high-end smartphones can do a lot of cool things nowadays, but if you're not very careful, it's almost ridiculously easy to damage a $1,000+ mobile device. Of course, it wasn't always like that, and although not all companies used to sell rugged alternatives to their primary flagships, one such lineup proved relatively popular for a while.
Granted, this isn't exactly a mass-oriented device, catering first and foremost to the needs of folks facing the toughest situations on a daily basis. We're talking law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and so on. But if you're not part of the FirstNet initiative and simply want to own a relatively modern Android smartphone with a super-robust design and respectable overall specifications, you can now freely order the Galaxy S9 Active that never was from AT&T.
The only problem is you'll be charged $36.84 a month for two and a half years on a device payment plan or $1104.99 if you'd rather cough up the handset's full retail price all at once. Needless to say that's an outright absurd ask for a 5.1-inch phone with massive screen bezels, a single 12MP rear-facing shooter and a single 8MP front-facing camera in tow, as well as an Exynos 9810 processor under the hood, and get this, Android 8.0 Oreo pre-installed on the software side of things.
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In case you're wondering, the Exynos 9810 SoC is borrowed from the likes of the Galaxy S9, Note 9, or Note 10 Lite, and in combination with 4 gigs of RAM, it should deliver a decent but far from impressive level of raw speed. In addition to a pretty much unbreakable design made to survive drops, shocks, vibrations, extreme temperatures, humidity, and water immersion, the Samsung Galaxy XCover FieldPro also has a gigantic 4,500mAh removable battery and a sharp display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels going for it.
Still, that's arguably not enough to justify a higher price than the Galaxy S20, especially when we also expect the significantly more affordable Galaxy XCover Pro to make its US commercial debut in the near future with a trendy hole punch display, a similarly tough construction, better cameras, and newer software.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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