Saudi Arabia: background
The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu was established in 1975 to develop two coastal industrial centres, Jubail on the Arabian Gulf and Yanbu on the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia · Ex-proof
Ex-Proof Smartphone in Saudi Arabia
The IS-04Z1 is a Zone 1 and Zone 21 handset for people who work inside classified areas in the Kingdom: field operators, maintenance and inspection engineers, and the HSE and telecoms teams who equip them. If you are specifying an Ex-proof smartphone for Saudi Arabia, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicEx-proof
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereSaudi Arabia
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Saudi Arabia: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · Ex-proof
Checklist: Ex-proof smartphone for Saudi Arabia
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Ex marking | Group, category, protection concept, gas group, temperature class | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 (target) |
| Gas group | IIA, IIB or IIC matched to the area drawing | IIC (target) |
| Temperature class | T-class below the ignition temperature of the gas | T4, 135 °C (target) |
| Where it applies | Saudi Arabia: Abqaiq, Ras Tanura, Ghawar | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Saudi Arabia
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Saudi Arabia. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The market · Saudi Arabia
Where an Ex phone is used in Saudi Arabia
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Saudi Arabia market guide.
Operators, EPCs and contractors
- Saudi Aramco
- Upstream, gas processing, refining and export across the Kingdom
- SABIC
- Olefins, polymers and fertiliser production at Jubail and Yanbu
- SATORP
- Aramco and TotalEnergies refinery and petrochemical complex, Jubail
- YASREF
- Aramco and Sinopec full-conversion refinery at Yanbu
- Petro Rabigh
- Integrated refining and petrochemicals on the Red Sea coast
- Sadara Chemical
- Mixed-feed cracker and specialty chemicals at Jubail
Industrial areas and sites
- Abqaiq
- Crude stabilisation and processing, Eastern Province
- Ras Tanura
- Refinery, tank farm and crude export terminal
- Ghawar
- Onshore field with continuous well and flowline work
- Shaybah
- Remote field and NGL plant in the Empty Quarter
- Khurais
- Central processing facility and associated gas handling
- Fadhili
- Gas plant east of Jubail, expanding under EPC award
Field notes · Saudi Arabia
More about Saudi Arabia that matters for portable equipment
Saudi Arabia: logistics and access
Ras Tanura Port is described as the world's largest crude oil export terminal, handling about 20 percent of global oil exports and over 2,000 tankers a year.
Saudi Arabia: background
Ras Tanura Refinery was established in 1939 and is the largest refinery in Saudi Arabia, run by Saudi Aramco.
Saudi Arabia: infrastructure
Jubail has the world's largest independent water and power project, producing about 2,744 megawatts of electricity and 800,000 cubic metres of water daily.
The term · Ex-proof
What “Ex-proof” means for a smartphone
“Ex-proof” is shorthand for equipment carrying an explosion-protection marking (the Ex mark) that matches the area it enters. The marking states the protection concept, gas or dust group and temperature class, and it must be backed by a certificate issued by a recognised body, so a phone described as Ex-proof should come with a certificate number you can check.
The IS-04Z1 is designed to carry the marking II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. That is a target: certification is in progress, no certificate has been issued, and SAMS will publish the certificate numbers when they exist.
In Saudi Arabia. A Saudi marking check would read II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 and then test the temperature class against the ambient range, since open plant in the Eastern Province sits above 45 °C for months. The gas group must also suit the process, while sulphur and grain handling put Zone 21 beside Zone 1 at some sites.
The route · specification
Specifying an Ex-proof smartphone for Saudi Arabia
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · Saudi Arabia
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy an Ex-proof smartphone in Saudi Arabia today?
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
What does an Ex-proof smartphone in Saudi Arabia cost?
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
What Ex marking will the IS-04Z1 carry?
The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. It becomes a marking only when the certificate is issued; until then it is a design target.
Which sites in Saudi Arabia does this cover?
The market guide for Saudi Arabia covers Abqaiq, Ras Tanura, Ghawar, Shaybah, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Who sets site equipment rules?
Saudi Aramco, SABIC and other large operators set their own supplier and equipment standards within national regulation, and the Royal Commission manages Jubail and Yanbu. Ask the end user for its approved-vendor requirements before shipping any device.
Where are Saudi Arabia's main industrial hazardous-area clusters?
Jubail and Ras Tanura on the Gulf coast, Yanbu on the Red Sea, and many Saudi Aramco fields and plants inland. Jubail and Yanbu are managed by the Royal Commission.
How would a handset last a shift at a remote Saudi field site?
The 4,000 mAh battery is specified for a full shift, because recharging inside a classified area is not possible and stores can be far away. Actual runtime depends on camera, torch and GNSS use, so test it on a real round during an evaluation.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on Saudi Arabia, and on other places in Saudi Arabia.
Industrial Mobile Phone in Saudi ArabiaSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone in Saudi ArabiaSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone in Saudi ArabiaSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone in Saudi ArabiaSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Distributor in Saudi ArabiaSame place, different guide
Rugged Mobile Phone Distributor in Saudi ArabiaSame place, different guide
Saudi Arabia market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for Saudi ArabiaEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Saudi Arabia
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Saudi Arabia
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · Saudi Arabia
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Saudi Arabia?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.