Samsung took a different turn with the latest addition to its growing Galaxy S phone series. The Galaxy S7 Active takes on a rough and tough design that abjures from the glass and metal front.
The Galaxy S7 Active replaces the glass and metal build of the Galaxy S7 with a more durable plastic and metal.
This upgrade seemingly adds to the phone’s height, weight, and girth. India Today reports that the S7 Active is at least 2mm thicker than the Galaxy S7.
The Galaxy S7 featured a slim build, full glass panels on the front and the rear along with a metal band with subtle chamfered edges wrapping the perimeter.
The Galaxy S7 Active, on the other hand, shuns much of the glass and metal and introduces a large helping of polycarbonate into the picture. The device features a polycarbonate design flanked by a tough rubber edge.
It also houses an extra protective polycarbonate layer on top of the screen which is said to increase the phone’s shatter resistance. Samsung claims that the Galaxy S7 Active’s screen can withstand a drop from up to five feet.
The device also maintains the Galaxy S7’s IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. This means that water resistance can withstand submersion up to five feet for up to 30 minutes.
In addition, Samsung’s latest offering claims to have passed the US Military Standard 810G tests for ruggedness. This means that the phone can withstand exposure to high and low temperature, salt, humidity, and shock.
The Galaxy S7 Active is obviously a major upgrade from its predecessor, the Galaxy S6 Active, but still a close call from the Galaxy S7. Reports say this is because the South Korean tech company is eyeing two relatively distinct target audience with the device – consumers and enterprises.
In one shot, it also targets users who want a phone that can withstand scratches, bumps, and sudden drops. It somehow targets those that are adventurous and needs a phone that can match up to the excitement.
For enterprises, the touch-based fingerprint sensor feature, much like in the Galaxy S7, the Knox security suite, and other security-focused features are bound to be a hit.
The device replaces the capacitive back and recent buttons found on the Galaxy S7, for textured tactile buttons. The individual volume-up and volume-down buttons have also been replaced with a single volume rocker button.
Speaking of buttons, the Galaxy S7 Active features an extra Active key button for quick access to utilities in Samsung’s Activity Zone app. Just like its predecessor, the Active key is located just above the volume rocker on the left side of the handset.
The Active key can also be used to launch user-specified applications as well as to open apps while the screen is locked. The Active key feature can be used with a short press, a long press, and a double press action.
It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy S7 Active’s 3.5mm headphone jack appears on top of the device, while it is placed on the bottom at the Galaxy S7.
Aside from mostly aesthetic changes and minimal internal upgrades, the handset retains much of the hardware features of the company’s current flagship phone, save for a bigger battery, which is the phone’s biggest asset.
The Galaxy S7 Active is packed with a 4,000 mAh non-removable battery — a notch higher than the Galaxy S7’s usual 3,000 mAh battery and the Galaxy S7 Edge’s 3,600 mAh battery.
Critics claim that Galaxy S7 Active’s battery is 33% larger than Galaxy S7’s which translates to offering substantially longer life. However, it also depends on consumer usage, but Samsung claims that the device can last a day or two with normal phone usage.
The phone comes with a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB RAM.