Samsung and AT&T have combined forces to officially announce the next model to be made available in the Galaxy S7 range. Rather than extending the range with the introduction of a new device with a larger display or new technical functionality, Samsung has officially introduced the Galaxy S7 Active, a month after photos of the device leaked online.
This rugged version of the Galaxy S7 will appeal to professionals who work in hazardous environments, as well as those Samsung and Android lovers who simply have a history of destroying standard smartphones through drops and falls, or quite simply, those who can’t be bothered being careful with their smartphones.
Rather than coming equipped with improved specs or a bump in abilities, the Galaxy S7 Active is essentially the Hulk of the modern Galaxy series of smartphones. That enhanced toughness partially inherits its durability from the existing Galaxy S7 by coming with the same IP68 rating that makes it dust tight. That particular rating will also mean that the new S7 Active is capable of being dunked under water up to 5 feet for up to 30-seconds.
More so, Samsung has also slapped an additional polycarbonate layer on top of the Galaxy S7 Active’s display that goes some way to increasing the shatter resistance of the screen, so as mentioned earlier, it’s pretty much drop-proof.
If those protective improvements aren’t enough to convince you that the new S7 Active is rugged enough for you, then the next part might. If Samsung’s marketing claims are to be believed, then the Galaxy S7 Active will ship conforming to the U.S. Military Standard (MIL-STD) 810G specification for shock, exposure to high and low temperatures, and humidity.
That should mean that consumers can “accidentally” drop the Galaxy S7 Active onto two inches of plywood from an approximate height of four feet without fear of explosion or any kind of damage to the phone. Perfect for hazardous environments like building sites.
If you take the rugged nature of the device out of the equation, then consumers will still get the same gorgeous and powerful device that has been available for a little while now, but, with a much larger 4,000mAh battery compared to the 3,000mAh unit found in the S7/S7 Edge. The Active will ship with the same Snapdragon 820 processor and quad-core CPU. There’s an additional 4GB RAM with 32GB of onboard flash storage for files, photos and apps. The camera remains the same at 12MP as well. From a viewing perspective, that new polycarbonate layer will be protecting the same 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED display.
Samsung will be launching the Galaxy S7 Active on June 10 exclusively on AT&T and will be priced from $26.50 per month for 30 months or $33.13 for 24 months with AT&T Next. This amounts to around $795 at the end of the day. The phone will be available in Camo Green, and Titan Gray.
Galaxy S7 Active
Galaxy S7 Active full specs and features
You may also like to check out:
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.