Samsung has announced a new phone. But it's not high end, and it's been given a limited launch with a specific target demographic in mind.

The company is introducing a rugged smartphone with a removable battery. Called the Galaxy XCover Pro, it actually surfaced on Samsung's Finnish website before it was quickly removed last week. Now, Samsung is officially announcing the device for Verizon's network in the US.

The Galaxy XCover Pro notably features a 4,050mAh swappable battery that supports 15W fast charging as well as docks with pogo pins. It also boasts two programmable buttons, which can double as push-to-talk buttons. Microsoft Teams users, for instance, can program one of these buttons to work with the new Microsoft Teams Walkie Talkie feature.

You're also looking at a 6.3-inch 2220 x 1080 display that works with gloves, plus a 2GHz octa-core Exynos 9611 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage with support for microSD storage up to 512GB. It also packs a 13-megapixel front-facing camera and a 25-megapixel camera with an 8-megapixel camera on the rear. It runs Android 10 with One UI 2.0.

Samsung image 2
Samsung

Keep in mind the Galaxy XCover Pro is a durable smartphone designed primarily for workers who are out in the field, hence the huge battery, programmable buttons, and two-way radio capability. The idea is you can swap out your battery while working on the go, and you can get ahold of your coworkers and launch apps more seamlessly in extreme conditions.

Samsung said its point-of-sale software is built into the XCover Pro, and it is EMV Level 1-certified for businesses. That means customers can pay you by tapping their NFC-enabled credit card, phone, or watch to your phone. The XCover Pro is IP68 dust and water resistance-rated, as well. It's even MIL-STD 810G certified for severe temperatures, altitude, and humidity.

It will cost $499 when it’s available in the US in the first half of 2020.