21/06/2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active specs and first impressions


Samsung’s clearly been keeping an eye on Sony in recent months, but although the Japanese manufacturer is now churning out most of its premium devices with water and dust resistance, its South Korean rival is tentatively dipping a toe with a single variant on its existing Galaxy S4 flagship: the Galaxy S4 Active.

At first glance there are some things about the Galaxy S4 Active which seem odd. For example, it appears to be embracing the ‘rugged’ design philosophy usually associated with handsets created specifically to be more durable, such as those produced by construction machinery manufacturer Caterpillar. That means it’s got a pair of plastic bumpers embedded into the back panel, one at each end held into the chassis with bolts.


The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is one of a trio of Samsung Galaxy S4 spinoffs looking to build on the branding of the market leading Android phone. It has retained the S4’s same 5-inch form, but has a new body that's water- dust- and shockprooof.

The S4 Active is IP67 certified, which means it's shockproof and totally dustproof, and waterproof up to a depth of one metre. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active retains some of the S4’s key features, too, including the powerful 1.9GHz quad-core processor, but downgraded others such as the drop from the S4’s 13-megapixel camera to an 8-megapixel option.

Can added toughness make up for a drop in specs? We have gone hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active to find out.



Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Design

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active’s design is slimmer than we had expected. Measuring in at 9.1mm thick, it is 1.2mm thicker than its more high-profile sibling yet feels just as streamlined and svelte. On top of this, the added bulk and protection make it feel considerably more sturdy. 

The Active is also heavier, but spreads its 151g mass (21g more than the S4) across the phone’s full form creating a well-balanced phone that is comfortable in the hand.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active’s design is not diminished by its added IP certification and corresponding ruggedness. Like the Sony Xperia Z, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active feels just as slim and sleek as any other top-end smartphone.

Worryingly, however, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is not without its own (potentially big) design issues. Its microUSB cover is more than a little flimsy and all too easy to flip open. We would expect more from a handset designed to be submerged.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active has a trio of physical buttons below the screen, as opposed to the usual touch based options found on the original S4. This allows it to be used in more challenging conditions, such as when caked in mud, or even underwater.





Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Screen

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active’s screen is a slight deviation from that on the S4, but equally impressive. It's an LCD instead of Super AMOLED panel, but it still crams a 1080p Full HD resolution (441 pixels-per-inch) into its 5-inch frame.

It is a bright, pleasing offering with strong colours and extremely detailed text and image production. Its size makes it great for videos and web browsing, too. On first impressions under bright unnatural light it was difficult to tell if the Active’s screen suffers from the same slight over saturation issues as the flagship S4, but we'll take a closer look when we test it.

The Active’s screen can’t be used under water. What’s more, it takes a considerable amount of drying before it is ready to be used again. We found it to be jumpy and less responsive than we had expected, even when it was predominately dry.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active’s screen is said to feature Glove Touch capabilities, although we were unable to test this during our hands-on. We will further assess S4 Active's screen in our full Galaxy S4 Active review in the near future.




Samsung Galaxy S4 Active PerformanceOn first impressions, the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active felt on par with the S4, which is to be expected given it has the same 1.9GHz quad-core and 2GB of RAM. It runs Google Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS skinned with the TouchWiz UI.

App load times were lightning quick, screen transitions fluid and the jump back to the homescreen was handled without a fraction of fuss or fanfare. The S4 Active looks set to be every bit as impressive as the S4 to use.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active’s performance was not all plain sailing during our hands-on, however. For instance, when dipped underwater it dialled numbers and launched apps at random, which we assume is down to the screen detecting inputs on the screen.

It's an annoying trait given the phone is meant to be used underwater to some extent - as evidenced by the 'Aqua' camera mode pictured below.


Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Camera
Speak of the camera, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active’s camera is not quite as premium as that found on the original S4. It's also a long way from fellow spinoff the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom. That isn’t to say it doesn’t show a number of promising signs, however.

The Active has an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera with an integrated LED Flash that can double as a torch. A second, 2-megapixel camera sits up front. First impressions of the pair are good. There are plenty of Smart Mode options for ease of use and both launch times and shutter speeds are kept to a minimum.

Images viewed on the phone's screen appeared well focused and with strong light management in a less than ideal lighting setup. Given the limited testing conditions it is still too early to pass full judgement on the Active’s cameras, but it doesn't look like the loss of megapixels is too detrimental.

As noted earlier, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active’s camera also benefits from a dedicated Aqua mode for underwater shooting that enhances the clarity of otherwise slightly murky submerged shots. It's a useful addition. The volume button acts as a shutter button for you can use the camera underwater.





Samsung Galaxy S4 Active First Impressions
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is possibly our favourite of the S4 spinoffs. It's sturdier and arguably better looking than the S4 it's based on, and hopefully gives a hint as to what the Samsung Galaxy S5 might be like. We could happily give up our S4 for the Active right now and can’t wait for the full review sample to arrive.


Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Product Specifications

LTE Cat3, HSPA+ 42/5.76Mbps, EDGE/GPRS Class 12
Processor
1.9GHz Quad-Core Processor
Display
5.0”  Full HD TFT LCD, 443 PPI, Glove Touch
Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
Camera
Rear: 8 megapixel with LED Flash light
Front: 2 megapixel
Camera Features
Camera Key, Drama Shot, Sound&Shot, Aqua mode, Beauty face, Best photo, Continuous shot, Best face, Animated photo, Rich tone, Panorama
Video
MPEG4,H.263,H.264,DivX4,VP8, WMV9, WMV 7/8, MP43, Sorenson Spark
Audio
MP3,AAC,AAC+,eAAC+,WAV,AMR-NB, AMR-WB,MIDI,OGG,IMY,XMF,WMA,FLAC
Services & Additional Features
Samsung Smart Scroll/Pause, Air View/Gesture, Samsung WatchON
ChatON, Samsung Hub
Group Play: Share Music, Share Picture, Share Document, Play Games
Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)
S Translator, S Travel(Trip Advisor), S Health, Story Album
Google Mobile Services
Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Play, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Local, Google Navigation (Turn-by-turn Navi.), Voice Search, Chrome Browser
Connectivity
Wi-Fi ac, Wi-Fi Direct, IrDA, NFC, USB 2.0, Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE)
Sensor
Accelerometer Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Digital Compass, Barometer Sensor, Gesture Sensor, Finger Hovering Sensor, Light Sensor
Memory
16GB Internal memory (User Memory approximately 11.25GB)
micro SD slot (up to 64GB), 2GB RAM
*User memory space may be less than the total memory space due to system files. User memory may differ by region, carrier and supporting language and may change after software upgrade.
Dimension
139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm, 151g
Battery
2,600mAh





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