Climate
Hot desert climate with a July record of 51 C; coastal conditions favour sealed equipment.
Its terminals include general cargo and container, bulk, export refinery and chemical, crude oil, NGL and LPG terminals, so hazardous cargo handling is spread along the coast. Its refineries, petrochemical plants and export terminals create Zone 1 and Zone 21 areas for operators and contractors. This page explains what to look for in an Ex-proof smartphone for Yanbu Industrial City, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Yanbu Industrial City: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| 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 | Yanbu Industrial City: Refinery process units, Petrochemical plants, Crude and product storage and loading | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Yanbu. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Hot desert climate with a July record of 51 C; coastal conditions favour sealed equipment.
Yanbu hosts three oil refineries; SAMREF was commissioned in 1984 and, like YASREF, is listed at about 400,000 barrels a day.
King Fahd Industrial Port is about 25 km long and covers 50 square km, with 34 berths and a stated capacity of 210 million tonnes a year.
Yanbu is the second most populated city in Medina Province after Medina and the second largest Saudi city on the Red Sea after Jeddah, so a local service base exists.
Yanbu has three separate parts about fifteen minutes apart by car: Yanbu Al-Bahr in the north, Yanbu Al-Nakhal inland, and the industrial city in the south with the Royal Commission residential area beside it.
Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission handles radio type approval; certificates are renewed every two years and European test documents are accepted.
“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 Yanbu Industrial City. Crude and product storage, loading and marine terminals normally involve fuels, while petrochemical plants may differ. A marking check at Yanbu should read zone, gas group and temperature class from each plant's own classification. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, still a target.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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.
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.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, petrochemical plants, crude and product storage and loading, marine terminals. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
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.
The East-West crude pipeline of about 1,200 km can deliver up to 7 million barrels a day to Yanbu from the Eastern Province. Road and air links also exist, but heavy equipment normally arrives through the port; confirm routing and permits with the client.
Mostly the industrial city in the south, with its refineries and petrochemical plants, and the port about 20 km south of Yanbu town. Yanbu Al-Bahr in the north is the main residential and commercial area, so offices and hotels are separate from the plants.
Yes. With a hot desert climate, a July record of 51 C and a Red Sea coast, sealed equipment is favoured. IP68 helps against dust and splash, but heat and salt exposure should be checked against the datasheet. Ingress protection does not replace the Ex marking needed for classified areas.
Other guides for Yanbu, other places in Saudi Arabia, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.