Samsung Galaxy S8 Active arrives in the US this week, won't be an AT&T exclusive forever

Samsung today finally announced the long-rumored Galaxy S8 Active, a rugged high-end smartphone that's going to be available later this week via AT&T. Customers will be able to pre-order the Galaxy S8 Active starting tomorrow, August 8, although the handset won't start shipping before August 11.

Interestingly, Samsung says that AT&T will have exclusivity over the S8 Active only "for a limited time." This means we could see the phone being released via other carriers, or/and unlocked at some point.

AT&T will sell the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active for $28.34 per month for 30 months on AT&T Next, or $850 outright. The new handset will be available in two color variants - Meteor Gray or Titanium Gold - running Android Nougat out of the box.

If you'll buy a Galaxy S8 Active on AT&T Next and add DirectTV, you'll be able to get a second S8 for free, plus $500 towards a new Samsung TV purchased online (these two offers are not mutually exclusive). 



Unlike the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, the S8 Active does not feature a dual-curve display, instead sporting a flat, 5.8-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen (with 18.5:9 aspect ratio). The phone is built around a metal frame, and Samsung says it's shock- and shatter-resistant, being able to withstand drops from up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) on flat surfaces. Another highlight feature is the S8 Active's 4000 mAh battery - this should have no problems lasting more than 1 day on a single charge. Naturally, the new device is also dust- and water-resistant, just like the S8 and S8+.

The Galaxy S8 Active shares some of its innards with the regular Galaxy S8, including similar cameras on the back and front, fingerprint scanner, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of expandable storage space. There's also Bixby on board (with a dedicated button), plus an Activity Zone app (including stuff like stopwatch, compass, barometer, and flashlight).

All in all, the Galaxy S8 Active seems to be a worthy successor to Samsung's previous rugged Active smartphones. Will you be buying one?


source: Samsung