Shatter-resistant Samsung Galaxy S7 Active launches this week on AT&T

AT&T today finally announced the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active, a handset that we previously saw in various leaked images. Succeeding the Galaxy S6 Active from last year, the S7 Active may not be as sexy as the S7 or S7 edge, but that's not its purpose anyway. What we have here is a rugged, tough smartphone with a very large battery.

Like the other two members of the Galaxy S7 series, the S7 Active is IP68-certified, meaning it's dust- and water-resistant (you can dunk it in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes). However, unlike the regular S7 and S7 edge, the S7 Active is shatter-resistant: according to Samsung, it will survive "drops from 5 feet or less on a flat surface". Moreover, the new rugged phone packs a 4000 mAh battery - considerably larger than the 3000 mAh battery you can find inside the regular S7. Last year's Galaxy S6 Active was a battery champ, and we expect the same from its successor.

The S7 Active is the first Galaxy Active smartphone to include a fingerprint scanner (embedded in its home button). That aside, the handset offers most of the features that the regular Galaxy S7 has, including a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 pixels, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of expandable storage space. The new phone is also great for taking photos and shooting video, as it comes with the same 12 MP rear camera that its S7 siblings have. Needless to say, the device runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.  

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active will be available starting June 10, exclusively on AT&T, both online, and in stores, coming in three different color variants: Sandy Gold, Camo Green, and Titanium Gray. Customers will be able to buy the S7 Active on AT&T Next for $26.50 per month for 30 months, or on AT&T Next Every Year for $33.13 per month for 24 months. 

The Galaxy S7 Active will be part of various AT&T offers. For example, if you purchase the new phone on AT&T Next, you'll be able to get a Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch for free (qualified wireless services needed on both devices). Or, you can get two S7 Active handsets on AT&T Next, and receive up to $695 in bill credits over 30 months.