Samsung's Galaxy S20 TE is a tough, secure smartphone designed for the military

[midian182]

In a nutshell: While the Galaxy S20 might be a handset packed with tech, it’s not exactly rugged, and you certainly wouldn’t want to use it in a military combat scenario. But Samsung has developed a version of the phone just for that purpose: the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition.

Following on from the Galaxy S9 Tactical Edition, the S20 TE is designed for field operatives from the federal government and Department of Defense.

The handset has undergone a series of changes to make it a piece of military-grade tech. In addition to being packed into a case that looks like it could withstand a nuke, the S20 TE features DualDAR architecture that secures data with two layers of encryption and is based on NSA standards.

With communications being a vital element of a field operative’s work, Samsung says the S20 TE comes with pre-configured software to support tactical radios and mission-critical devices through the use of Private SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service)—a band of radio-frequency spectrum from 3.5GHz to 3.7GHz that’s reserved for the US Navy, satellite-to-earth communications, and some public use. Additionally, the phone’s drivers support drone feeds, laser range finders, external GPS, and more. It even works when wearing thick gloves.

Other upgrades include a night vision mode that allows users to operate the display while wearing night-vision goggles, and a stealth mode that disables LTE and mutes all RF broadcasting. Samsung also pushed its DeX feature as being ideal for linking to monitors/keyboards when planning or training for missions.

Samsung says the Galaxy S20 TE will be available in the third quarter through its government programs.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/85318-samsung-reveals-galaxy-s20-te-flagship-phone-military.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

That's a pretty cool case. I'll take one for iPhone 12 Please!

 

[Uncle Al]

Man, I like that one a LOT. The real question is whether they will eventually make it available to the general public, and how long before the fake knock off's start showing up .....

 

[mrvco]

I miss ruggedized phones. Most phones, certainly all popular phones, are fashion accessories nowadays, which is a waste for me since I always use a protective case.

 

[Danny101]

Cool. Can we get one? Now I wouldn't want the FBI to struggle.

 

[Lew Zealand]

If they took the time to triple the battery in this then it might actually be worth something. If this is going to be added to standard field equipment, it had better be able to run for 2 days without worry while doing whatever monitoring it needs to, which necessarily drains the battery.

 

[ColdSoup]

Yours for the low price of probably two or three times what a regular S20 costs. They look cool but I wouldn't actually want one of these.

 

[ZipperBoi]

That's a pretty cool case. I'll take one for iPhone 12 Please!

You should throw that iPhone in the garbage.

 

[Buhaj]

It's not the hammer that will break it, but malware.

 

[Vulcanproject]

Yours for the low price of probably two or three times what a regular S20 costs. They look cool but I wouldn't actually want one of these.

I mean when a private company charges the government for equipment it marks up at least three or four times anyway lol

 

[Capaill]

Yours for the low price of probably two or three times what a regular S20 costs. They look cool but I wouldn't actually want one of these.

Good. Because you're not getting one.

 

[RaXelliX]

I miss ruggedized phones. Most phones, certainly all popular phones, are fashion accessories nowadays, which is a waste for me since I always use a protective case.

Samsung Xcover Pro. Rugged and has replaceable battery. Specs are not that great but it serves it's purpose.

 

[jackal2687]

If they took the time to triple the battery in this then it might actually be worth something. If this is going to be added to standard field equipment, it had better be able to run for 2 days without worry while doing whatever monitoring it needs to, which necessarily drains the battery.

I don't see why you couldn't have a small portable battery on your person. In the screenshot above, it looks like it is mounted on the chest rig. Makes it easy to run a cable IMO.

I think this may be common if you end up running the radio.

 

[jackal2687]

Good. Because you're not getting one.

Yeah these phones are specifically made for purpose via a contract. These phones are running military encryption and using military radio channels. Not for the normal Joe.

 

[VitalyT]

They forgot to add a folding knife and scissors with screwdriver on the back.

Best yet - it could make a nice bottle opener.