The Galaxy S6 Active is finally official. The device which will be exclusive to American carrier AT&T, at least as far as we know now, has leaked several times before and we have been expecting it for quite some time. It marks the start of what we believe is the era of Galaxy S6-esque devices being unveiled before all the attention shifts to the next big thing, likely the Galaxy Note 5, which we are already hearing so much about.
As was the case with the Galaxy S4 and S5 Active smartphones before it, the S6 Active’s main difference from the mainstream Galaxy S6 is its ruggedness. It drops the S6’s Gorilla glass back cover for a tougher exterior design that also features an additional frame to protect the device from damage. The other difference is in the battery capacity. The Galaxy S6 Active has a beefier 3500mAh battery to get users going for long when out in the wild. While we are not so sure yet (awaiting confirmation), there are reports that the fingerprint scanner that is baked into the physical home button of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is missing on the S6 Active. That decision was probably arrived at so as to accommodate the hardware buttons. There’s also a quick launch action button on the side of the device which can be used to bring up the compass, flashlight or several other features from the device’s specialized quick access Activity Zone.
To boost its ruggedness and ready-for-everything credentials, the Galaxy S6 Active has Ingress Protection. It is IP68 certified. It is resistant to water and dust. It will still function fine when immersed into water up to 1.5 metres deep for at most half an hour. It is also resistant to external conditions like pressure, temperature, humidity, shocks and vibrations thanks to its Mil-STD-810G standardization.
The other specifications of the device remain unchanged from what we already saw on the Galaxy S6.
The Galaxy S6 Active will be available starting June 12th through AT&T in Camo White, Camo Blue and Gray colours. We’ll be waiting to hear about plans, if any, to introduce the device in other markets especially those like Japan where water resistant devices are always welcome (it is also where Samsung is selling unbranded Galaxy S6s that still aren’t doing well).
Does this mean we’re getting closer to hearing if there’s a Galaxy S6 mini and a super-sized Galaxy S6 Plus? Time will tell.
