Samsung Galaxy S4 Active out this week for P27,990

Samsung Philippines just launched the rugged version of their Galaxy S4, the Galaxy S4 Active, which will hit the stores this week for Php27,990.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is almost the same as the Galaxy S4 in specs but adds protection against water and dust being IP67-certified. It can go under a meter of water for 30 minutes which is the same as that of the Sony Xperia Z. It also holds well against sand and finer particles like powder during a demo Samsung did at the launch.

Outside, the Galaxy S4 Active has that same shape as the Galaxy S4 but with three physical buttons present below the screen. It has the same 5-inch screen size as the Galaxy S4 but doesn’t have that Super AMOLED display and instead sticks with a plain TFT LCD. Its screen is sensitive enough to be used with gloved fingers though.

It does have the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core chip that clocks at 1.9GHz, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with microSD support. It also has an IR blaster, NFC, and support for LTE.  Another major difference is the 8-megapixel camera compared to the Galaxy S4’s 13-megapixel at the rear. In front is the same 2-megapixel camera.

The Galaxy S4 Active is slightly bulkier than the Galaxy S4 but is still slim, compact, and light for its size. Unlike other waterproof or water-resistant phones in the market, the Galaxy S4 Active only has one cover flap and that’s for the microUSB port at the bottom side of the phone. The 3.5mm audio jack on top is exposed but Samsung assures that it’s waterproof.

Despite being waterproof, the Galaxy S4 Active still has a removable back plate to access the 2600mAh battery, microSIM and microSD slots. The back looks like its made of aluminum but is actually polycarbonate with a patterned texture for added grip.

If you want a high-performance Android phone but worried about it being fragile, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active can put your mind at ease for Php27,990. It will be available in three colors: Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare.