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Samsung unveils new enterprise-ready smartphone
Business-focused phone aimed at in-the-field or on-site use in industries such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics
Samsung has announced a new mobile device that it says is designed and engineered for front-line workers in both field and customer-facing settings.
The new Galaxy XCover Pro builds on the heritage of the Samsung Galaxy smartphone line, with key features including an immersive display, long-lasting battery and protection from the Samsung Knox security platform.
Knox includes hardware-backed protection, data isolation and encryption, and boot- and run-time protection to protect business-critical information against intrusion, malware and other threats. The device also has a fingerprint reader and facial recognition for touch-free accessibility while in the field. IT administrators can control the management and updates of their device fleet through Knox Configure and Knox E-FOTA.
Retail, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics are seen as typical use cases for the device, which is bundled with partner-enabled mobility solutions for use in business scenarios, including the ability to integrate the newly announced walkie-talkie capability in Microsoft Teams. Samsung offers the first Microsoft partner system to use the push-to-talk feature.
Measuring 159.9mm x 76.7mm x 9.94mm, the Galaxy XCover Pro is IP68 water and dust-resistant, capable of withstanding drops of up to 1.5m, even without a case, and is MIL-STD 810G certified for protection against extreme altitude, humidity and other severe environmental conditions.
With a physical home button removed, the device has an edge-to-edge 6.3in FHD+ infinity display with an enhanced touchscreen that can work in any condition, including rain or snow. For users in the field, glove mode allows gloves-on use and the new voice-to-text message feature offers real-time dictation and messaging.
The Galaxy XCover Pro allows users to tailor experiences with two programmable keys to create custom actions with one click. This functionality is said to make complicated workflows simple, letting users open the scanner, turn on the flashlight or launch a CRM app, all without swiping through apps, scrolling through menus, or even looking at the screen.
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DJ Koh, president and CEO of Samsung’s IT and mobile communications division, said: “We believe the business mobility market is ripe for transformation in 2020 and we intend to be the leader in pioneering an open and collaborative mobile platform for the next generation of digitally enabled workforce.”
In select markets, the Galaxy XCover Pro will be available as an Enterprise Edition, providing two years of market availability, three-year enhanced support and four years of security updates.
The launch comes as Roh Tae Moon, co-president and head of research and development at Samsung, is reported as being appointed as CEO of the company’s smartphone division. In his previous role, Roh, who would be the youngest person in the company’s history to head up such a key line of business, had undertaken a number of strategies to boost efficiency, such as ramping up offshoring.
