At Samsung Electronics, we’re passionate about bringing game-changing innovation and value to our enterprise customers. And we’re proud to equip these companies with the best-in-class technology and services they need to increase mobility, offer seamless digital experiences, and keep their information safe.

Our new, landmark deal with Walmart is the latest example. Over the next few months, we’re putting Galaxy XCover Pro smartphones in the hands of 740,000 Walmart store associates across the U.S.—to use at work and at home. This is our largest mobile enterprise deal ever in the U.S., and we’re thrilled to help Walmart provide new and enhanced experiences for their associates and customers.

The Journey to Making Walmart’s Connected Associate Vision a Reality

This exciting deal is the culmination of a full year of planning and piloting. Walmart approached us in the spring of 2020 at a time when their stores were busier than ever, and associates were working hard to ensure a safe shopping experience during the pandemic.

Together, we discussed what they call the “Connected Associate” initiative—a vision to empower Walmart associates by putting everything they need in the palm of their hands. We learned Walmart Global Tech was building a new app in-house to help associates simplify daily tasks, serve customers and plan for life outside of work. Then, we took action, even shadowing associates to learn how they work, and what tools could help them work better. These insights revealed the need for an agile mobile device – with Walmart’s integrated custom application – to take employee engagement and customer care to new heights.

Enter the Galaxy XCover Pro.

A New Way to Work With the Galaxy XCover Pro

The Galaxy XCover Pro delivers a rugged and sleek, single device solution. It builds on Samsung’s legacy of high-powered smartphone features, including an immersive display, long-lasting battery, lightweight and durable design, and powerful camera. And, defense-grade security with the Samsung Knox platform, which protects you and your device from the chip level, up.

The Samsung Knox Suite includes tools to help enterprises like Walmart with the resources necessary to manage a deployment of this size. These include automated enrollment, firmware management, device and Wi-Fi network analytics, loss prevention and deep device customization. By leveraging our industry-leading platform, Walmart is ensuring that associates will have the tools they need to simplify daily tasks.

We’ve also customized the Galaxy XCover Pro so that Walmart associates can enjoy using their smartphone to improve their day—both in and outside of work. While they’re on the clock, the Galaxy XCover Pro will create new, convenient ways for them to work, from mobile clock-in and accessing schedules, to managing inventory and using Galaxy XCover Pro’s camera, which we’ve optimized to work seamlessly with Walmart’s barcode scanning process. During their work shift, Walmart associates can also tap a co-worker’s name and initiate a push-to-talk conversation straight from the Galaxy XCover Pro by squeezing the physical side key.

Until now, Walmart associates had to use different devices throughout their shift, from barcode scanners to walkie-talkies. The Galaxy XCover Pro will enable efficiency with entirely new workflows and additional options.

Security for Work Use, Privacy for Personal Use

Beyond its sheer scale and workflow innovation, another aspect that sets Samsung and, specifically the Galaxy XCover Pro, apart is Walmart’s decision to enable its associates to take their devices home, a great perk for employees. As Kellie Romack, Walmart’s vice president for associate experience and customer care, says, “We wanted our associates to use this device all day to serve customers, but then also use it as their personal device if they chose.”

To enable this, Samsung worked with the Walmart team to customize and configure the Galaxy XCover Pro devices. With Samsung Knox, we can create entirely separate work and personal profiles, allowing work applications to stay secure, and personal usage to stay private.

Better Experiences for All With One Device

Improving the employee experience leads to a better customer experience, too. This is something Samsung can help to deliver. Just as Walmart has spent the past decade designing a seamless experience between online and in-store to improve the customer journey, the company is now bridging gaps between work and home to improve the employee journey. That’s what Samsung mobile technology can do: create seamless connections and more efficient and enjoyable experiences.

This is just the beginning of how we can work with our enterprise customers to empower and delight employees, and to lead the industry in leveraging mobility to transform how retail stores operate.

Samsung Electronics today unveiled the new Galaxy XCover Pro, a smartphone designed and engineered for frontline workers across a variety of industries around the world. The Galaxy XCover Pro completely re-imagines the enterprise-ready smartphone, delivering a rugged, yet stylish device for both field and customer-facing settings. The Galaxy XCover Pro builds on Samsung Galaxy smartphones’ premium legacy features including an immersive display, long-lasting battery and the protection by Samsung Knox security platform. In addition, the device is enhanced with unique partner-enabled mobility solutions for use in a wide range of business scenarios, including the ability to integrate the newly announced walkie talkie capability in Microsoft Teams.

“The Galaxy XCover Pro is a reflection of Samsung’s increased investment and commitment to B2B market,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “We believe the business mobility market is ripe for transformation in 2020 and we intend to be the leader in pioneering an open and collaborative mobile platform for the next generation of digitally-enabled workforce.”

“Microsoft and Samsung have a deep history of bringing together the best hardware and software to help solve our customers’ challenges,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “The powerful combination of Microsoft Teams and the new Galaxy XCover Pro builds on this partnership and will provide firstline workers everywhere with the technology they need to be more collaborative, productive and secure.”

A Device that Puts Style and Durability to Work

With the Galaxy XCover Pro, Samsung challenges the status quo with a new mobile phone optimized for a broad range of industries including retail, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics. With its thin and light form factor, the Galaxy XCover Pro offers much more than a traditional enterprise device; it is the most stylish and sleekest rugged all-in-one mobile device on the market.

The device is IP68 water and dust resistant, capable of withstanding drops of up to 1.5m, even without a case, and is MIL-STD 810G certified for reliable protection against extreme altitude, humidity, and other severe environmental conditions. Pogo pin charging support and compatibility with third-party charging docks ensure the phone is powered as soon as the workday begins, and a 4,050mAh battery lasts long after the day is done. For times when even more power is needed, the battery is replaceable – just pop in a spare and keep going.¹

The Galaxy XCover Pro allows users to tailor their experience with two programmable keys to create custom actions with one click. This functionality makes complicated workflows simple letting users open the scanner, turn on the flashlight or launch a CRM app all without swiping through apps, scrolling through menus, or even looking at the screen.²

Finally, by removing the physical home button, Samsung has enhanced the elegance and simplicity of the phone design while maintaining its ruggedness. The Galaxy XCover Pro offers a clear, edge-to-edge 6.3” FHD+ Infinity Display with an enhanced touchscreen able to work in any condition, including rain or snow. For users in the field, glove mode allows for gloves-on use and the new voice to text message feature provides real-time dictation and messaging for simple, convenient communication.³

Full Field Solution Powered by Samsung Partner Ecosystem

The Galaxy XCover Pro is capable of meeting all the needs of the mobile enterprise, and features everything customers have come to expect from Samsung. Professionals and field workers can enjoy their favorite mobile solutions from Samsung’s broad partner ecosystem, making it easier to manage inventory and process payments immediately and communicate on the go.

The Galaxy XCover Pro is push-to-talk ready with its two programmable keys, allowing users to stay in contact with anyone throughout their day with a simple push of a button, including the main office, dispatchers or different team members on-site. To make it easier for colleagues to communicate with each other, Samsung worked closely with Microsoft to introduce Microsoft Teams, its new walkie talkie capability on the Galaxy XCover Pro, making it the first partner solution to leverage the push-to-talk feature.

Samsung also empowers workers across all industries with mobile solutions that help accomplish daily tasks through software and hardware solutions from Infinite Peripherals, KOAMTAC, Scandit and Visa. Retail associates can track inventory and process payments, with barcode scanning available. They can take advantage of ready-to-use mobile point of sale (mPOS) whose payment modules are available based on SDK for mPOS solution vendors.

Galaxy XCover Pro will also have Samsung POS, a mobile-based point of sale (POS) solution that has been approved by Visa’s Tap to Phone pilot program. This joint solution benefits sellers by helping them stay in touch with how consumers prefer to pay and removing the need for a dedicated POS hardware with an easy software solution that is reliable, convenient and secure. Tap to Phone’s sophisticated software terminal builds on EMV chip transaction to generate the same functionality while giving peace of mind and assurance that financial data remains safe and secure. Customers will be able to make payments in seconds by simply tapping their contactless card, phone or watch to the Galaxy XCover Pro.

“The Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro is a robust retail POS platform for a true retail digital transformation,” said Mary Kay Bowman, Visa’s Head of Seller Solutions. “Its applications for businesses such as healthcare, airlines and restaurants are a great example of how Visa together with Samsung can democratize access to payment experiences that consumers increasingly expect, no matter where they are.”

Defense-Grade Security Meets Enterprise-Friendly Management

In addition to its ruggedness, the Galaxy XCover Pro is also built with data security in mind and is protected by Samsung’s defense-grade multi-layered Knox platform. With Samsung Knox, mobile professionals can take advantage of advanced security features like hardware-backed protection, data isolation and encryption and boot- and run-time protection to ensure that business-critical information is protected against intrusion, malware and other threats. The device also features a fingerprint reader and facial recognition for touch-free accessibility while out in the field.

With Samsung Knox, large enterprises can quickly and easily setup and customize the device, and manage firmware versions, putting IT administrators in control of the management and updates of their device fleet through Knox Configure and Knox E-FOTA. In select markets, The Galaxy XCover Pro will be available as an Enterprise Edition, providing two years of market availability and four years of security updates to ensure business continuity. With the Galaxy XCover Pro, Samsung continues to raise the bar for enterprise-ready technology ready for use anywhere, any time.

Galaxy XCover Pro Specifications⁴

¹ Additional battery sold separately.

² Programmable keys require to purchase Knox license separately.

³ Voice to text message currently only available with native SMS in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish languages.

⁴ All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice.

⁵ Galaxy XCover Pro will support dual SIM functionality in North America through a future software update once the service is available.