Samsung Galaxy S4 Active review: Galaxy S4’s rugged brother sports a 5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage (expandable up to 64 GB), Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), and an 8 MP primary camera, all powered by a Snapdragon 600 quad-core Krait 300 processor that clocks at 1.9 GHz.

So far, after the release of one of its flagship model, the Galaxy S4, the South Korean manufacturer has already launched the smaller S4 Mini, the more camera-oriented S4 Zoom, and the toughest S4 Active last year to cater to different kinds of users. But out of the entire S4 family, the S4 Active is the only little brother that has kept most of the S4’s original features.

The S4 Active is labelled as rugged mainly because of its IP67 certified dust and water resistant body. This means that the handset can stay under 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Its 5.5 x 2.81 x 0.36-inch measurement and 153-gram weight show how the smartphone is also bulkier and heavier than its predecessor, giving it a more solid feel. Still, its polycarbonate body is still a spitting image of the original S4.

With a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 441 ppi, its 5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen is also quite promising.

In terms of its boasting durability, TechRadar says, “The Galaxy S4 Active does live up to its rugged nature as we did drop it several times - thanks to a recently broken finger - and it survived every hit with no visible damage.”

The camera, however, is a huge downgrade from the S4 with only 8 MP at the front and 2 MP at the back. Still, its LED flash is strong and provides an even coverage to avoid over exposure. And although it is not as good as the S4, the S4 Active has a wide array of features, such as different burst modes, panorama shooting, and post-processing effects.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is a recommendable handset if you’re after a long-time smartphone that has the premium and less downgraded feel of the S4.