Samsung Galaxy XCover: Officially mucky

The Samsung Galaxy continues to expand at a rapid rate with yet another handset landing, the latest one being the rugged Samsung Galaxy XCover - a tough mo-fo of a phone designed with the trade industry in mind.

XCover is a label that we've only seen on Samsung dumbphones up until now; on models like the B2710.

But, as well as being able to cope with water, dust and the odd bump and scrape the Galaxy XCover device also features Android 2.3 and Sammy's Social Hub too, along with a 3.6-inch scratch-resistant display, a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Back to its toughness and it boasts an IP67 certificate and it is waterproof enough to stay alive under water for 30 minutes.

The Samsung Galaxy XCover will be out in October "in the trade". No word on pricing or UK availability yet - we'll keep you posted.

If you can't wait until then, there are other rough, tough Android smartphones already available such as the Motorola Defy and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active.

Update: Samsung has announced that the Samsung Galaxy XCover will be hitting the UK later this year, and also spilled the beans on some of the handsets specs.

It's a 800MHz processor on board, and the display is a 3.65-inch HVGA TFT LCD. Internal memory is a paltry 150MB, but you'll get a 2GB microSD in the box.

Simon Stanford, MD for mobile at Samsung UK and Ireland said: “We’ve designed the Samsung Galaxy XCover especially for those consumers who need all the functionalities of a smartphone that can stand up to demanding lifestyles. By combining the best of our social features together with a strong, airtight chassis makes this smartphone resistant to dust and water damage without compromising on the design.”

Check out our:

Motorola Defy review

And

Sony Ericsson Xperia Active hands-on