Review: Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, a Rugged, High-End Alternative

Considering just how much we all rely on smartphones every day, they’re shockingly fragile. All it takes is one quick drop or spilled drink to end in disaster for your expensive gadget. For as quickly as phone technology is advancing, durability for many smartphones has remained a problem. That’s where Samsung hopes to make some waves with their latest handset, the Galaxy S4 Active.

The formula is simple: take the tried and true Galaxy S4, make a few tweaks here and there to ruggedize it and you have the Galaxy S4 Active. It’s a slight bit thicker and heavier and the rear has a rubber texture top and bottom but otherwise it feels just like any other GS4 and it performs like one too...



Internally, we’re looking at pure Galaxy S4, which also means you get Android 4.2.2 with Samsung’s TouchWiz skin. If you’ve read our original review of the Galaxy S4 you’ll know we found it to be an excellent phone that’s among the fastest we’ve ever tested and that holds true with the Active as well. 

Read-on for our quick-take review with a hands-on demo where the Galaxy S4 gets wet and wild!