Looking at a new handset - Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4s

Forums › Mobile handsets › Looking at a new handset - Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4s

quickymart

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#261826 17-Dec-2019 07:27

I'm looking at upgrading from my beloved Samsung Galaxy A3 2017. It's been a great phone for me but getting a little slow and keeps running out of storage.

I was looking at this as a possible replacement:
https://www.vodafone.co.nz/shop/mobile/product-details/?skuId=sku2052915&hardwareType=mobile&selectedPlanSkuId=sku1670155&ignoreCart=&selectionKey=mobile&hobTerm=36&selectedPriceTab=onAccount&ignoreCartContent=&hardwareSkuId=sku2052648

I've played with one in a Vodafone shop and while it's a little larger it might be okay; the slightly larger size would take some getting used to but it has twice as much storage. I have a couple of questions about it though (asking if anyone here owns/has used one):
- can you get a screen protector for them? and

- can you get replacement covers/cases for them? It looks pretty sturdy but my boys aren't overly careful with technology and have been known to drop phones at times.

Any other feedback/comments on this phone appreciated before I take the plunge :)

xpd

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#2376713 17-Dec-2019 07:42

Add an SD card to the existing phone ? :) Problem solved ;)

But yes, you can get screen protectors etc - however I do find the telcos are either light on supplying anything except for flagship models, or are so overpriced its not funny. So I hit TM for my cases etc.

XPD / Gavin

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quickymart

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#2377393 17-Dec-2019 23:21

xpd:

Add an SD card to the existing phone ? :) Problem solved ;)

But yes, you can get screen protectors etc - however I do find the telcos are either light on supplying anything except for flagship models, or are so overpriced its not funny. So I hit TM for my cases etc.

Good suggestion. Sorry, forgot to add that I already have an existing SD card in my phone however - it's just running out of room on the phone itself (it can also be quite slow sometimes).

Also, the front camera isn't quite as good as the phone I have now, but still, might be worth the trade-off...

fe31nz

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#2377394 17-Dec-2019 23:27

xpd:

Add an SD card to the existing phone ? :) Problem solved ;)

An SD card does not solve the problem at all on Samsung phones. The partitioning means that there is a small system partition that runs out of space even if you have moved everything movable to the SD card. I have a Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) as well, and so does my brother, and we are both experiencing this same problem. My guess is that something is filling up the system partition with log files or the like. When I have the time (over the Xmas holidays?) I plan on trying to use adb to see if I can get access to that partition and find out what the cause is. If that does not work, I am probably going to have to root the phone (which kills Google Pay and a few other useful things). Once rooted, I can change the partition sizes if necessary. I had to do this on my old Samsung Galaxy S2.

quickymart

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#2377899 18-Dec-2019 18:14

Yes I've done all the clearing I possibly can, but yet it still complains on a daily basis that it's running out of drive space, which is frustrating.

gehenna

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#2377989 18-Dec-2019 20:28

Xcover is great if you need durability and don't care so much about specs. I used to get them for the more clumsy folks at work who were prone to damaging their devices.

quickymart

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#2403260 21-Jan-2020 22:58

Thread bump: still looking at this phone as a possible replacement (once I have the money). How is the camera on it? I find the images on my Galaxy A3 2017 can be not the best quality at times - also I miss the Optical Image Stabilisation feature my Lumia 930 had; does the Xcover have this (or anything like it)? I can't see it mentioned in the specs, which leads me to believe it's a no.

Also I think I've found a case and a screen protector for a very good price on Trademe :)

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timmmay

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#2403302 22-Jan-2020 08:01

Have you searched Google for reviews?

BlueShift

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#2403324 22-Jan-2020 08:19

quickymart:

Thread bump: still looking at this phone as a possible replacement (once I have the money). How is the camera on it? I find the images on my Galaxy A3 2017 can be not the best quality at times - also I miss the Optical Image Stabilisation feature my Lumia 930 had; does the Xcover have this (or anything like it)? I can't see it mentioned in the specs, which leads me to believe it's a no.

Also I think I've found a case and a screen protector for a very good price on Trademe :)

Unless you particularly require the ruggedness of the XCover, I'd say go for the Galaxy A30 or A50. Better camera, better specs. Comes with screen protector pre-installed and a basic gel case, hundreds of cases available on Aliexpress.

quickymart

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#2460004 12-Apr-2020 16:32

Looks like it may no longer be in stock, according to the Vodafone website - yet it was in stock when I looked on 07/04...they couldn't access any stock in the shops at this time, surely?
Or is that out of stock just for online ordering only?

1eStar

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#2460247 13-Apr-2020 11:09

Potentially the Xcover Pro could be on the horizon for a local release. I'm keeping an eye out as I have a friend who needs one!

quickymart

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#2460604 13-Apr-2020 15:38

The screen on that one is too big - I'm looking for one 5" or below.

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1eStar

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#2460826 13-Apr-2020 22:42

The body is 13.7mm taller and 3.4mm wider. It doesn't pay to dismiss a phone solely by screen dimensions these days when the phone is basically all screen.

quickymart

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#2461014 14-Apr-2020 12:49

Still prefer a smaller screen, if I wanted one of the larger screen sizes I would buy a tablet. Personal preference though.