Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition and the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition, two military-grade smartphones for the US Army. With unique features and applications for military operations, the two phones build on the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition released last year.
The Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), the Battlefield Assisted Trauma Distributed Observation Kit (BATDOK), and other applications are said to be installed on both military phones. BATDOK collects and disseminates real-time casualty information, while ATAK enhances the warfighter’s real-time situational awareness.
The devices also comply with US National Security Agency (NSA) regulations for the protection of classified data and are secured by Samsung Knox and Knox Dual Data at Rest (DualDAR), which meet US military security requirements. These two phones use Samsung’s DeX technology, which allows military and law enforcement personnel to use their phone instead of a laptop to conduct operations while driving.
These two military phones are identical to the commercial model in terms of hardware configuration and quality. The Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition comes with a rugged military-grade case that can be worn on the chest or forearm, IP68 dust and water resistance, Gorilla Glass Victus+, and Armor aluminum alloy components. The XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition can withstand a fall from a height of 5 feet (approximately 1.5 meters), is dust and waterproof to IP68 standards, meets MIL-STD-810H, and functions properly over a range of temperatures.
At SOF Week last week, Samsung unveiled the two new products and said they would be officially launched this summer. The current price of the devices is not known. According to Samsung, the two military-grade phones “will be invaluable tools to help our warfighters accomplish their missions.”
