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Power Android Cellphones Technology

Samsung's Removable-Battery Smartphone Is Coming To the US For $499 (theverge.com) 120

Posted by BeauHD from the what's-old-is-new-again dept.
PolygamousRanchKid shares a report from The Verge: We've already seen Samsung's new rugged smartphone with a removable battery, the Galaxy XCover Pro, because the company revealed it on its Finnish website before taking it down. Today, though, the company is officially announcing the phone and that it's coming to the U.S. for $499. For that price, you're getting a phone with a swappable battery that's a meaty 4,050mAh, and the phone even supports 15W fast charging, as well as with special docks that use pogo pins. The XCover Pro is intended to be used by workers in industrial settings or out in the field, so that huge battery should theoretically let workers use their phones for longer and give them the option to swap in a fresh battery in a pinch.

Otherwise, the phone's specs are mid-range: a 6.3-inch 2220 x 1080 display (which Samsung says you can use when you have gloves on), a 2GHz octa-core Exynos 9611 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage (with support for microSD storage up to 512GB). For cameras, the phone has a 13-megapixel front-facing camera in a corner of the screen and two rear cameras: a 25-megapixel camera and an 8-megapixel camera. It'll also ship with the latest Android 10 and Samsung's One UI 2.0, contrary to information from the early reveal that indicated that the XCover Pro was running Android 9 Pie.
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Samsung's Removable-Battery Smartphone Is Coming To the US For $499 More

Samsung's Removable-Battery Smartphone Is Coming To the US For $499

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  • Ugh, I've bought my last Samsung phone. Fed up with their refusal to allow the SD card to be extended storage. All you can do with it is store photos and such but not use it as part of the pool of storage for installing programs.

    • Re:"with support for microSD storage up to 512GB" (Score:5, Funny)

      by guacamole ( 24270 ) on Monday January 13, 2020 @07:36PM (#59617676)

      This is pretty much a non-issue. Using SD card as extended storage made sense when devices came with 16GB or less of internal storage. Those literally run out of storage even in day to day use if you install enough programs. But today, phones are offered with 64GB, 128GB, and more storage. What kind of programs do you install to fill up so much space? Please. If you have used more than 32GB, you have too much junk installed already. Go ahead and clean it up.

      • I'm mostly using the SD card as an app cache, to minimize mobile data usage as much as possible for Netflix, Plex, Spotify, and many other apps. It doesn't need to be extended storage though..

      • But today, phones are offered with 64GB, 128GB, and more storage

        It's called a "camera". Specifically, "video camera".

        You can you base that stuff in the cloud, which reduces it. But if you do much real video you can easily fill up storage before it can sync to the cloud.

        Looking at my storage use, I currently have 284.1GB of photos in the cloud... but 310GB of space used locally by Photos.app. So where is 25GB of data? Not in the cloud it would seem, or in some more compressed form.

        Those are all photos

        • Re:Cameras need space. (Score:5, Informative)

          by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Monday January 13, 2020 @08:25PM (#59617836)
          But SD cards under Android are still perfectly good for media storage, such as photos. On my Galaxy S8 I have hundreds of gigs of photos and video (or in my case, I have a lot of maps scanned for offline use).

          I don't direly miss being able to run apps from the phone since it has 64 gb onboard for that.

        • Storing photos and videos in the built in storage where they will be instantly lost forever if the phone dies, instead of on the removable SD card that you can pick out of the crushed wreckage, pop into a new phone and move on with your life?

          "It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see how it works out for him"

          • Storing photos and videos in the built in storage where they will be instantly lost forever if the phone dies, instead of on the removable SD card

            Maybe you've not been capturing images as long as I have across many devices, but every one of my smart phones (including original iPhone and Palm Pilot) has storage that still works.

            It is extremely hard to break a phone so badly you cannot recover storage, but then again you can also easily backup phones if the cloud backups are not good enough (hint they are not

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Zeroko ( 880939 )
            I once accidentally dropped a phone from several feet up so that it landed flat on its screen on a tile floor. No part of the phone itself broke (not even the screen, due to the way it landed), but the microSD card developed a crack across the middle (because the slot was positioned so there was a gap on each side of the card) & was unreadable. (Thankfully, I had just backed it up a few days before.)

        • Looking at my storage use, I currently have 284.1GB of photos in the cloud... but 310GB of space used locally by Photos.app. So where is 25GB of data? Not in the cloud it would seem, or in some more compressed form.

          I strongly suspect it's in a more-compressed form. If your photo backup is set to "high quality" [phonearena.com], then Photos recompresses your stills and video, and -- in the case of video resolution higher than 1080p or stills larger than 16 MP -- will even downscale. The benefit of the "high quality" setting is that you get unlimited free cloud storage. If you use "original quality", then what gets backed up to the cloud will be the original files, but the space will count against your Google storage quota (by defaul

      • This is pretty much a non-issue.

        For you?? I'll buy that.

      • I install Linux distros on UserLAnd and with DeX that gives me a usable Linux desktop on the road.
        No reason exists to block using an SD card as program storage. Phones are computers so I object to all IMPOSED restrictions interfering with their use as desktops. Practical Linux phones won't be generally available for many years so I have to settle for containers.
        Now justify blocking extended storage. We'll wait.

        • Practical Linux phones won't be generally available for many years so I have to settle for containers.

          You might want to take a look at the PinePhone: https://www.pine64.org/pinepho... [pine64.org]

          You can buy the early-adopter "Brave Heart" version now, but I'm going to wait for the road-tested version available in 2 to 3 months (the "Faint Heart" version, I suppose, lol).

          I've been watching this for a while now and it looks very interesting. Priced at around $200, I may get one just to play with, but I'd love for it to become my everyday phone. We'll see what happens.

        • No reason exists to block using an SD card as program storage.
          Obviously you have no clue about computers.

          You put your SD card with "programs" on them into my Mac and I can change them to what ever I want, or your best friends PC ... or god forbid: into your own PC.

        • Installing another OS in a container is such a corner usage case that neither most users not phone manufacturers should care about this.

      • 640K is more than enough for anyone right? I fill up the SD card with tons of movies, sitcoms, and music. can easily move it to my next phone. Use the main storage for programs and data

      • What programs are you installing, that use more? /s

      • What kind of programs do you install to fill up so much space? Please.

        Install? None. The phone comes with an app that uses that much space during operation. It's called "Camera".

        • Most phones I had have a camera app that either uses sd card for picture storage by default, or give you an option of it. Kids, get into the settings portion of your apps. The app that use a lot of DATA usually give you an option to storage that on sd card. The streaming video apps, the download managers, cameras, etc.

    • I have a Galaxy S7 and it seems to be app dependent on whether I can use the SD card to install apps on it. I installed all the apps that I could on the SD card, which seems to be about half of the ones I use. With the 32GB of internal storage I have about 19GB of it free currently.

      I might consider this phone as it looks like an upgrade performance wise. I would still be using the S5 because of the external storage if I could. Performance wise is fast enough for my needs. But some apps won't run on it t

    • you root your phone, edit one file, bang! extsd writable.
    • It likely has a 2TB limit; cell phone marketing twats are lazy and become easily confused.
    • All you can do with it is store photos and such but not use it as part of the pool of storage for installing programs.

      As somebody who doesn't use any "apps" at all on their phone, I have to know: what in the heck do you need such a massive amount of space for on a phone? How many apps could you run on a phone? Why not just use a computer?

      • I'm kind of torn between;

        A. I can't put a computer in my pocket and carry it around everywhere with me

        and/or

        B. I do use a computer. It's right here in my pocket, see?

        Currently, on my phone I have;

        Apps for four different streaming services
        A controller for the mixer desk we use in a band I play in
        The controller software for my drone
        Tide chart
        Apps for identifying birds, plants, insects, planes, ships, satellites, stars, planets and constellations
        Universal Translator
        WiFi signal analyser
        Public toilet finder
        Mobil

        • There's 28 gigabytes right there. And not that many that would be any use to me stuck on my desk at home rather than right here, in my pocket, right now, wherever I am.

          You are big data's dream, brother.

        • So a phone with 64GBs of internal storage should still be fine for your usage case.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Hodr ( 219920 )

        I don't need quite that much space, but apps are crazy large. Let's say you want to use the Subway App so you can easily order a sandwich before leaving your workplace and it will be ready when you arrive.

        Okay, that app is like 90 megs. And heres the best part, IT DOESN'T INCLUDE IMAGES OF THE FOOD. You need to have a decent connection to make your order because every image is downloaded every time you use the app. What the hell is that 90 megs!?

        • Okay, that app is like 90 megs. And heres the best part, IT DOESN'T INCLUDE IMAGES OF THE FOOD. You need to have a decent connection to make your order because every image is downloaded every time you use the app. What the hell is that 90 megs!?

          A data driven profit center.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by DogDude ( 805747 )
          90 megs to slurp up all of your personal info and send it back to their servers, of course. Is it really worth it for the "convenience"? Couldn't you just call them on the phone, and say, "My name is blah. I'd like to order a sandwich?"

          This app has access to:
          Storage
          modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
          read the contents of your USB storage
          Location
          approximate location (network-based)
          precise location (GPS and network-based)
          Wi-Fi connection information
          view Wi-Fi conn

      • Use your phone as a music player. 100 gigabytes doesn't seem so much now does it? :)

    • That's not true at all. I speak as someone who installs everything to their SD card on a Samsung Galaxy, S7 through S9+ now.

      You go into the developer options and force allow moving apps to the SD card. Bang, done. Move almost anything you want.

      • And to be clear, this is on unrooted devices, totally stock.

      • They were probably talking about using the SD card to extend the total storage in a transparent way. Then there's no "install to SD card", it's just one blob of space. It's an option they introduced a few versions ago.

        But TBH I blame Google for this since they kept screwing around with how removable storage can be used.

  • Wow (Score:3)

    by kamapuaa ( 555446 ) on Monday January 13, 2020 @07:46PM (#59617702) Homepage

    Holy shit, a mid-range Android phone with a removable battery. Jesus I am so glad I keep an eye on Slashdot's technology articles.

  • "Update January 10th, 10:10AM ET: The press release found on Samsung’s Swedish site has been edited to remove any mention of the XCover Pro. We have updated this article to reflect this."

  • They say the button on the side of the phone can be programmed to operate with a walkie talkie app. I'd like something like that.

    Here's a problem I see with every walkie talkie app I've seen so far, they need a WiFi or cellular connection to work. That's not helpful for me. If they have a cell connection then I'll just call them. If I'm crawling around a basement, and I know the other person I need to talk to is on the other side of the wall or floor, then I want to be able to talk to them with the hard

    • Push to talk with Microsoft Teams?

      Count me out. Kthxbai. This is the company that shipped everyone's private conversations, and I'm going to go out on a limb and bet that included a fair dollop of trade secrets. How could you even justify allowing their equipment into your business?

      • Push to talk with Microsoft Teams?

        Count me out. Kthxbai.

        After reading about how it works I'm pretty sure I don't want Microsoft Teams either. The description of this new phone only gave Microsoft Teams as one example of software that could use this button as a push-to-talk. I like the button, I wish more phones had a similar button that could have a function like this programmed to it, I just want better options for the walkie talkie software. Something that doesn't require a lot of setup, or a connection to some server or access point, but instead gives a di

    • If I'm crawling around a basement, and I know the other person I need to talk to is on the other side of the wall or floor, then I want to be able to talk to them with the hardware I have in my pocket

      Are you thinking Device-to-Device WiFi or Bluetooth or real dedicated communications chips like in two way radios?

      The ones an app could actually use today would be Bluetooth, which might lose a ton of range through walls and be pretty limited otherwise (like 30 ft I'm thinking).

      • Are you thinking Device-to-Device WiFi or Bluetooth or real dedicated communications chips like in two way radios?

        Both would be nice. I would certainly want something that works with a typical phone as I can't control what the other person would have, I can only safely assume the phone has Bluetooth. If the phone maker is going to go through the trouble of putting in a PTT button for walkie talkie apps then it might not be too much to ask to have whatever other hardware that might make this more useful, such as a dedicated chip like one might find in a two-way radio.

        The ones an app could actually use today would be Bluetooth, which might lose a ton of range through walls and be pretty limited otherwise (like 30 ft I'm thinking).

        That might be enough. I'm not asking for a 2 mile

  • So they took away removal batteries, calling this action "innovative" and a "feature". And now they're re-introducing them, calling this action also "innovative" and a "feature" and charging a premium for it. I'd probably stop buying Samsung phones now, if I hadn't already. When, y'know, they started catching on fire.

  • 4 years of updates (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mrwireless ( 1056688 ) on Tuesday January 14, 2020 @12:05AM (#59618304)

    Perhaps the most interesting reason to buy this phone is because Samsung says it will provide update for 4 years. It even has a headphone jack.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by blindseer ( 891256 )

      It even has a headphone jack.

      And I don't care. It seems a lot of people don't care.

      I don't get this demand for a headphone jack. I've had a number of electronic devices over the years that lacked a headphone jack, this included a couple iPhones and old servers pressed into service for general desktop use, and resolving this lack of a headphone jack was trivial in both the expense and difficulty. Bluetooth headsets of some kind seems to be the norm for most people to listen to their cell phones. I see nearly every new home and car s

      • Well, I do. (Score:4)

        by twocows ( 1216842 ) on Tuesday January 14, 2020 @11:14AM (#59619276)
        The 3.5mm jack was originally on almost every phone because it's useful. Isn't that what smartphones are for? A handy device that can do a bunch of different things? I don't care that much if Apple wants to "bravely" take it away in pursuit of ever more flimsy and worthless overpriced garbage because I don't buy from Apple, but the bigger problem is that the executives at every other company have only a few brain cells between them to smash together and generally mindlessly follow whatever Apple does because Apple is popular (thankfully this is finally fading). This led to a period where almost no phones of any reasonable quality had 3.5mm jacks. For those of us who used the 3.5mm jack, this was a straight-up downgrade in functionality for precisely no good reason. Again, this wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't all done this. Consumer choice was at a minimum because smartphone manufacturers were uncreative hacks.

        I shouldn't have to pay extra for some dumbshit adapter dongle. Those things cost extra money, they're easily lost, and they sometimes fail. And they wouldn't be necessary if they left my goddamn 3.5mm jack alone. And bluetooth/wireless earbuds or headsets are a much worse solution even than those. They're even more expensive, still easily lost, and will inevitably fail due to reliance on an internal battery that can't be replaced. When I'm riding my bike and listening to Spotify, I don't want to have to stop because my bluetooth headset or wireless earbud fell out when I went over a bump. They also sound like shit and some of them have noticeable audio lag (they're getting better on the second point, though).

        So yes, it's a big deal when all of the smartphone companies decide to shove their collective heads up their asses just because Apple did it first. And the fact that some of them are finally realizing their mistake and re-adding 3.5mm jacks and replaceable batteries and other features that used to be standard is cause for celebration in my book, even if you don't care. No offense.

        • The 3.5mm jack was originally on almost every phone because it's useful. Isn't that what smartphones are for?

          The 1/8" jack would be even more useful if there was an agreement on how they were wired. Here's a list of six different ways they are wired on different devices.
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

          What the removal of the headphone jack does is force people into using the far better defined Lightning or USB-C plug for their headsets or other devices. This means they work the same in every country, regardless of manufacturer, and if for some reason it doesn't then it's broken. I define "broken" as including

      • Bluetooth headphones have their use, for example in the gym, but I still absolutely want to plug my analog headphones now and then.

        Why use wired phones? They never need to be charged. Their battery will not die after a while. Their charging connector will not become lose. The ease of use is great, and my Koss Porta Pros still sound better than headphones costing a hundred more. And I don't want to screw around with the USB-C dongles. I have zero of them, and have no intention of buying them. How come I have

        • Bluetooth headphones have their use, for example in the gym, but I still absolutely want to plug my analog headphones now and then.

          How does the lack of the 1/8" jack equate to the inability to use wired headphones?

          Why use wired phones? They never need to be charged. Their battery will not die after a while. Their charging connector will not become lose.

          If not needing a charge for your headphones then consider the use of noise canceling headphones, they have active components that need power. This power must come from a battery separate from the phone... or through a USB cable to the phone. This means headphones that are lighter, cheaper, just as functional, and using a standard connector unlike various previous attempts to attach power to the old 1/8" jack. This makes th

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        And I don't care. It seems a lot of people don't care.

        I used to care. I don't really anymore.

        Why? I changed phones, and when cleaning my old phone to put it away, I removed a ton of pocket fluff from the headphone jack. Basically years and years of accumulation. That pretty much convinced me that I was wanting a feature I didn't use.

        That just meant I was limiting my options - do I need a headphone jack? It would be nice, but then again, given how much pocket lint was embedded in the port, it was clearly obv

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Jeez, there have been lhones with 10Ah out there for years now!

    4Ah is, at best, normal.

    But how quickly is it swappable anyway?
    I wish it worked just like cartridges for handheld consoles. (Think: Gameboy.)

    Where are the modular phones we were promised, anyway? (No excuses!)

    • Most mainstream phones have around 3Ah. 4Ah is above the average. A 10Ah phone would be big and heavy and there's not many of them.
  • I miss those. You don't need a bulky case, just buy an aftermarket cover with whatever non-slippery texture.

  • ... programmable buttons ... yeez, I'm over-effing-welmed, it's paradise, like back in 2010.

  • i was expecting a phone looking like those panasonic thoughbooks, but no, it has relative normal looks, besides a rather big bezel.
    it will probably survive a drop without breaking the screen, so no need for protective covers either, mid range specs are decent enough for most of us.
    sound like the ideal phone

    my first android phone (also a samsung funny enough) was bulkier then this thing!

  • A flagship in 2013, the Galaxy S4 had half the RAM but otherwise nearly identical specs, a removable battery, a microSD slot, a headphone jack, and a glove-capable touchscreen.

    And it can be had NIB/NOS for $65.

    What's exciting about this again?

    • A flagship in 2013, the Galaxy S4 had half the RAM but otherwise nearly identical specs,

      Half the RAM makes a big difference. Plus different (hopefully better) SoC, display, cameras, storage... in the end there is not much in common between the S4 and this phone, which is also rugged.

  • Every Slashdot story about cell phones has legions of commenters foaming at the mouth about how people don't want thinner, they want a replaceable battery, headphone jack, and an SD slot. Now's the chance for Slashdotters to prove Apple wrong I guess.

  • I was a Galaxy S5 user up until 1 month ago. I finally bought a Google Pixel 3a. I've wanted to replace my S5 for years, and I've been buying replacement batteries while I've waited for mid-range to high-end phone that had a removable battery. I would have paid top $ for a high-end phone with a removable battery. But sorry Samsung, you are too late.

  • Will buy this phone right? I mean it's thick, removable battery, headphone jack. Or I guess a lot of people are about to be exposed as a bunch of hypocrites.

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