After having the enterprise covered with a rugged Galaxy, Samsung is now eyeing on the Department of Defense (DoD) and federal government. And the device? A new variant of Galaxy S20 which it calls Samsung Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition. Before you military heads get all ga-ga over it… you have to know this “mission-ready” smartphone is not something everyday Joes can buy.
Besides, unlike the XCover Pro, Samsung did not explicitly said that the Samsung Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition is ruggedized other than showing images of the product in a chunky rugged enclosure. So, this may not be the device fans of ruggedized phones – unless it does come with the said case.
For all intends and purposes, “tactical” here largely means it is a very secured device, garnished with a few tactical operation-friendly features. For starter, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition boasts a DualDAR architecture that delivers 2-layer data encryption based on NSA standards – that’s in addition to Samsung’s defense-grade Knox mobile security platform.
Samsung said with the DualDAR and Knox, it would allow the S20 TE to handle even top-secret level data for classified missions. Moreover, it touts highly customized software and feature set for seamless operation with a range of existing peripherals and supports the requirements of tactical and classified applications, and affording connection to tactical radios and mission systems, out-of-the-box.
While the device has dedicated connections to mission systems, the device also support private SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and CBRS.
On the tactical operation-friendly front, it has a night-vision mode that lets operator turn display on and off when using night vision optics while stealth mode lets operator disable LTE and mute all RF broadcasting for complete off-grid operations.
Finally, the screen can be unlocked in landscape mode while the device is mounted on the operator’s chest and quick launch of most commonly used apps can be achieved at a push of a button.
Samsung said that the Samsung Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition will be available in Q3 2020 “through select IT channel partners.”
So, yeah, you won’t be able to buy the S20 TE as an individual. The only chance of you using it, is if your organization issue one to you.
Images: Samsung.
