Samsung's latest Galaxy S23 model is made for war zones

Update, May 19, 2023 (12:17 PM ET): In the article below, we erroneously reported that the Tactical Edition of the Galaxy S23 came with a military-grade case. However, the phone does not come with this case, and that must be purchased separately. We have corrected the text to reflect the accurate information.

Original article, May 16, 2023 (02:56 AM ET): Samsung’s Galaxy S23 phones are pretty versatile devices, with the S23 Ultra in particular being one of the most feature-packed phones of the year. What if you’re in the military and the Galaxy S23 family just isn’t cutting it, though?

Well, it turns out that Samsung is offering two new Tactical Edition smartphones. These are the Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition and Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition. The devices are positioned as “military smartphones,” coming with a host of extra features. And no, a hidden knife isn’t one of them.

Starting with the Galaxy S23 edition’s hardware, the phone delivers Gorilla Glass Victus Plus display protection, while also retaining the vanilla line’s IP68 rating and Armor Aluminum frame. But Samsung says the Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition also can be paired with a rugged, “military grade” case that allows you to mount the phone to your chest or wrist. This case is sold separately from the phone.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition ups the ante with an IP68 rating, MIL-STD-810H certification, and works in a wide variety of temperatures. Then again, the standard XCover 6 Pro offered these same perks.

Loads of extra features elsewhere

Otherwise, some big changes come in the software arena. Both phones have a “night vision mode” that supports night vision optics (presumably when paired with an external accessory), for one. The two phones also share auto-touch sensitivity for use with gloves, a so-called “stealth mode” (muting LTE and emergency 911 functionality), the ability to connect to tactical radio systems/drone feeds/laser rangefinders/external GPS devices, and an auto-rotating lock screen.

Samsung didn’t dish out much in the way of traditional specs for either phone. It notes that the Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC and has a 120Hz OLED screen. Meanwhile, the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition has a Snapdragon 778G chipset, removable battery, and pogo pin charging capabilities. Both phones are equipped with Dex support, though.

We’ve asked Samsung for more info regarding specs and other details. Nevertheless, it stands to reason that these devices will be exclusive to military and defense-related personnel.