Gadgetory

one of the few niche phones to survive from Samsung's history of more daring experiments we're now looking at the fourth generation of phones to feature flagship specs in a more durable shell but before we can really put this one through its paces we've got to get it out of the box i'm juan carlos back now for PocketNow and here's our first impressions of the galaxy s7 active this is an 18 T exclusive device so it was a little surprising to see a blue box instead of the normal orange soda retail packaging it's typical fare the phone greets you up front with an it can wait sticker slapped on the screen we've got a small collection of pamphlets no one will ever read a USB cable the charger and a helpful little USB OTG adapter it's been interesting watching Samsung include a storage accessory instead of the more common cheap headphones immediately this phone feels familiar if you've held an active since the galaxy s5 era the s7 active this year follows very similar design aesthetics we get a reinforced shell noticeably bigger than the regular s7 and a slight bit taller and thicker than the s6 active a small part of the difference in hand feel comes down to the rear of the phone having been filled in no more trench around the edges and the camera no longer bulges from the rest of the backplate corners are nice and chunky the edges are rubbery and grippy and the camo is printed onto a textured plastic helps keep the phone in your hand regardless of weather conditions in the past the move to a rugged shell usually came with at least one compromise over the regular Galaxy S 4 active had a lower resolution camera and the s5 and s6 actives lost the fingerprint sensor we gotta find an action button in exchange while the s7 has clicky navigation buttons as opposed to capacitive buttons it's the first rugged phone from Samsung to keep that fingerprint sensor under the home screen eliminating one of the last major compromises oh and we still get that action button to launch a whole series of little mini rugged outdoor lifestyle applets Samsung has been utilizing open water resistant ports for the last year so it's not a revolutionary idea but it's still impressive to know you don't have to cover anything up with a floppy plastic guard to protect from water damage the SIM card tray also gets a redesign the s6 door could just be pulled out with a thumbnail probably easier to implement with the Gasquet needed to protect against water but the s evan brings back a pin tool ejection switch this tray is also double-sided to bring back micro SD card expansion a very welcome return after last year's active the rest of this phone is still very much an s7 a quad HD AMOLED display micro USB port with a bottom firing speaker and we also retained the impressively quick camera system super fast launch times and the fastest focusing system we've ever used often manufacturers just assume people who shop rugged phones must not be interested in taking photos picking up an active is always a welcome change of pace what's the point of going out on a beautiful hike if you can't take a decent picture of the landscape where some people might point to a compromise this is a thicker and fatter phone than most flagships it's very much like owning a regular s evan with a permanently attached bumper case this is a more practical design focused on a durability demographic but it wouldn't be a surprise if someone preferred the glass and metal look of the standard galaxy phones happily that extra chunk also comes with a larger battery this puppy packing a 4000 milliamp hour cell a 30% increase over the regular s7 which would be a welcome addition for screen on time junkies lifestyle and durability have become bigger talking points over the last couple years LG flirted with enhanced drop-in shock resistance Sony is well known for making water-resistant phones HTC added a little splash resistance to the 10 and Samsung's non armor-clad phones are better able to survive a dunk so what about the active there are lower-cost tough options for businesses and while rugged phones are advertised to consumers as lifestyle devices they don't often seem to be the most appealing choices for folks who also want pretty phones a word is a phone like the Galaxy S seven active fit into this equation well you'll just have to wait for our full review coming soon as always thanks so much for watching be sure to like share and subscribe to this channel for more videos like these for pocket now I'm Juan Carlos now you can chat me up on Twitter and Instagram is some gadget guy and I will catch you all on the next review