You can have an all-screen phone and drop it too. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active is launching on AT&T.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Active is the new Android phone that lets you have your all-screen smartphone and drop it too. It’s ready for rugged conditions.
Announced this week, it’s AT&T-exclusive phone that’s dust, water, shock and shatter-resistant, like the S7 Active and S6 Active before it, but this one takes cues from the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus ‘Infinity Display.’
Okay, it doesn’t have the curved edges of its more delicate counterparts and it does include a little more bezel around all sizes, so it doesn’t really sport an Infinity Display. But it still has an expansive 5.8-inch display with a tall 18.5: 9 aspect ratio.
What are the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active specs and features, and is it worth its higher than normal price? Let’s help you decide if it fits into your active life.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active release date is finally upon us after months of rumors and leaks, launching on Friday, August 11, exclusively on AT&T.
It’s a later than last year’s Active phone that came in June, and it’s a little more expensive. Samsung Galaxy S8 Active costs $850 or $28.34 a month for 30 months in the US, but you can get it slightly cheaper at $699 through Samsung’s official website.
That’s the same price as the larger Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, which also costs $850 (£779.99, AU$1,349) or $28.34 per month over 30 months via AT&T.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Active is the one and only flat Samsung flagship phone for 2017. Not everyone wants curved, delicate glass. This one fulfills that request.
It has a 5.8-inch Quad HD screen with the taller-than-normal 18.5: 9 aspect ratio, just like the Galaxy S8. But this one has a shatter-resistant layer protecting it.
The shatter-resistant screen is rated to survive drops from 5 feet or less on a flat surface, but like the Moto Z2 Force, it can still endure some scratches from falls.
The Super AMOLED screen has a little more bezel to it on all sides vs the Galaxy S8, but it doesn’t have a traditional physical front buttons. They’re all on-screen.
That means the fingerprint sensor is in the plastic back, not on the front of the screen, right next to the rear camera. Expect to endure more awkward camera smudges when using this durable phone.
If you’re buying the Galaxy S8 Active, you’re buying it because it has a rugged, durable design. It’s the one version of the S8 you can carry around care-free.
It exchanges the S8’s fragile glass back for plastic and makes the metal frame extra durable, with a thicker, shock-resistant bumper. Bend as much as you’d like, you won’t find a Bendgate here.
Its bulky body is ready for your rough-and-tumble lifestyle. It’s up to military grade standards, passing extreme temperature, pressure and altitude tests.
It’s also certified to protect against dust, vibration and water. Its IP68 water-resistant rating means it can survive 5 feet submerged for up to 30 minutes.
While past Samsung Active phones had camouflage patterns, this one blends in with the premium tier with subdued Meteor Gray or Titanium Gold colors.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Active matches the S8 and S8 Plus cameras and increases its battery capacity, which is great news for long excursions.
It has a 12MP rear camera with the same superb f/1.7 aperture and dual-pixel autofocus for proper photos even in lowlight. The 8MP selfie came returns, too.
Considering the photos and videos on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 are among the best on phones, we’re eager to see it in a more durable design.
It has a 4,000mAh battery, which means you’re likely to enjoy extra battery life from the S8 Active. The S8 has a 3,000mAh battery, and the S8 Plus a 3,500mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active specs again match the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus – at least in the US where Qualcomm’s chips are at the heart of the power.
It has an efficient Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4GB of RAM, along with 64GB of storage and a microSD card slot for up to 256GB of additional space. Other S8 Active technical specs include Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC .
The S8 Active is launching right on the cusp of the Android O launch, but it’ll still come with Android Nougat. You can hope it’ll launch with Android O along with the S8 and S8 Plus, though this is all up to the sole provider, AT&T.
