In such a saturated mobile phone market, few brands are very popular in sectors such as ruggedized smartphones. The French brand Crosscall has been on the market for ten years and meets them with the Crosscall Trekker-X4. A resistant smartphone that goes far beyond the usual, incorporating a good number of outdoor sensors and features suitable for athletes. This new model stands out with an action camera built into the phone, in the style of a GoPro. Quite a success that we have been able to prove for our analysis.

Design: resistance has a name: Crosscall Trekker-X4 + X-Power, review of the smartphone with action camera

At the aesthetic level there are not many differences with the Crosscall Trekker-X3 that we already analyzed in Gizlogic. The brand returns to black to dress the attractive lines of the rugged smartphone. But this model runs away from the most daring concept in the range to present a fairly discreet aesthetic. What’s more, it can be a day-to-day phone and you will even leave it on the office table. The French team covers the body with a rubber plastic material and presents aluminum reinforcements on the sides.

Crosscall Trekker-X4 is the first smartphone with a sports camera

To resist shocks, silent-blocks that absorb impacts, reinforced corners, internal magnesium sheet metal, fiberglass reinforced plastic, among other measures, are used. This is the only way to overcome the harsh requirements of the military standard MIL STD 810G (2 meter drop resistant). But it is not the only one of its resistance benefits since it also has IP68 certification against dust and water.

IP68 certification, water resistance up to 2 meters for 60 minutes

At the rear we see the large built-in action camera with two Sony sensors and electric stabilization. We also highlight the X-Link circular magnetic connector, suitable for connecting accessories with a magnetic force of up to 900 g. Facing the front, we have a 5.5-inch screen with Gorilla Glass 5. It measures 162.6 x 82 x 12.85 mm and weighs 250 g, thinner and lighter than other models on the market.

Fingerprint reader located on the side of the smartphone

Technical characteristics of the Crosscall Trekker-X4

Features: a smartphone packed with sensors

The Crosscall smartphone mounts a mid-range hardware but completed with a good repertoire of sensors for outdoor activities. Mount a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC , the same seen in other ruggedized ones like the CAT S61 . The graphic load is given by the Adreno 512 that responds perfectly in multimedia playback or mid-cut games. Its 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB storage, expandable with microSD up to 512 GB, complete the section. At the moment, Crosscall Trekker-X4 remains on Android 8.1 Oreo, but a future update is not ruled out.

With a clear view on athletes, the smartphone includes the following sensors to obtain all the necessary information from the environment. All this data is accessed from the X4 Sensors application, a feature that we already saw in the Crosscall Trekker-X3 and that returns improved.

• Gravity sensor.
• Gyroscope.
• Compass.
• Accelerometer
• Light sensor.
• Barometer.
• Thermometer.
• Hygrometer.
• Altimeter.
• UV sensor (ultraviolet rays).

Screen and sound: thinking outside

As we have already advanced, it mounts a 5.5-inch IPS screen with a FullHD resolution. This panel is surrounded by generous screen frames, occupying 62% of the front. According to the manufacturer’s specifications, the brightness level reaches 450 cd / m² while the contrast ratio is 1,000: 1. Optimal characteristics for viewing the phone outdoors but that requires raising the brightness level. The viewing angles are wide and the colors vivid thanks to the characteristics of IPS panels.

Screen with Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Sound is another well-kept aspect on Crosscall’s part. The important thing here is that it offers a good speaker and earpiece to listen to any call outdoors. It really achieves it with a high level and with a quality according to mid-range smartphones. We liked that it includes an FM radio tuner without the need for headphones (includes 3.5 mm jack). Another noteworthy detail is the IPX6 waterproof headphones included with the Trekker-X4.

Speaker located on the back of the smartphone and additional microphone for noise cancellation in calls

Cameras: its great novelty

The French manufacturer praised the virtues of placing an action camera on a smartphone, replacing the use of GoPro-type cameras. It is made up of two 12 MP f / 1.8 Sony IMX386 sensors , one with a 170º wide angle lens and the second with 88º. With a hybrid autofocus (PDAF + laser), Hyperstab 6-axis electronic stabilization, dual dual tone flash and 5X electronic zoom. For the front camera, it uses an 8 MP sensor with f / 2.2 aperture.

The photographs taken with these sensors enjoy a good level of sharpness, correct dynamic range and soft colors in natural light. At night the deficiencies are very noticeable and the appearance of noise is palpable. Going deeper in the section we access the Panamorph technology . A system that allows you to select different viewing angles to obtain the image that best accompanies the action. We can choose between the following: 88 °, 110 °, 140 ° and 170 ° (normal, wide, super wide and hyper wide). The images are sharp and with little distortion, turning each photograph into a unique moment.

The video section is enhanced with the possibilities of the X-Story app . From this tool you can access different modes such as slow motion videos at 120 fps in FHD resolution, time lapse or a dashcam mode that captures the action moments. It also has an editor that facilitates the assembly and dissemination of videos on our social networks. Although if you really want to share a feat, you can create live events with direct transmission on social networks. We leave you with a tutorial that explains how it works.

Connectivity and autonomy

The connectivity in a ruggedized smartphone is another point of interest for the user. This model allows you to place two 4G Nano SIM cards or one Nano SIM plus microSD. With support for WiFi ac Dual Band, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC chip compatible with Android Pay and USB 3.1 Type C with OTG support. And of course, the location support is wide with different standards (GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Baidou, Galileo).

With a mid-range hardware, its large 4,400 mAh battery allows its autonomy to be excellent. The consumption of the smartphone is low, partly also due to the resolution of the panel. However, we do not find too many differences with its predecessor, although that does not mean that it is something negative. During our test period, the Crosscall Trekker-X4 provided about 15 hours of use. Another feature that we have to mention is that it has QuickCharge 3.0 to obtain a fast charging system with its 24W charger. But the thing does not end here, because its autonomy can be extended even more with the use of a powerbank accessory.

There is still one accessory left, the Crosscall X-Power: Crosscall Trekker-X4 + X-Power, review of the smartphone with action camera

The Crosscall X-Power external battery has a capacity of 5,000 mAh. It uses X-Link technology, that is, a system that uses the magnetic circle on its back to add new accessories. This waterproof battery provides more than a full smartphone charge to extend your travel route and stay connected at all times. In addition to the X-Link charging system, the X-PowerR external battery can charge any device via USB. This accessory is sold separately.