Today Samsung and AT&T announced the Galaxy S6 Active, a variant of the Galaxy S6 with a greater focus on durability and ruggedness. Releasing an Active version of their flagship Galaxy device has become a tradition for Samsung since the Galaxy S4, and it looks like this year is no exception. While it differs in its construction and design, I think people will find that its specifications are quite familiar. I've organized its specifications in the table below.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
SoC Exynos 7420 2.1/1.5GHz A57/A53
Memory and Storage 3GB LPDDR4-1552, 32GB NAND
Display 5.1" 2560x1440 AMOLED
Cellular Connectivity 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Category 6 LTE)
Dimensions ?
Cameras

16MP (5132 x 2988) Rear Facing

5MP Front Facing

Battery 3500 mAh (13.48Wh)
Other Connectivity 2x2 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, NFC
Operating System Android 5.0.2 Lollipop + Touchwiz
SIM NanoSIM

As far as its specifications go, the Galaxy S6 Active is effectively the same device as the normal Galaxy S6. It has the same 5.1" 2560x1440 AMOLED display, the same Exynos 7420 SoC, the same cameras, and the same connectivity. Where it differs are its dimensions, and subsequently, its battery capacity. While Samsung hasn't disclosed the size and mass of the Galaxy S6 Active, it's safe to say based on the photos that the rugged build makes it a larger device than the normal Galaxy S6. However, the larger size and greater thickness have allowed for a substantial increase in battery capacity. While the normal Galaxy S6 ships with a 9.81Wh battery and the S6 Edge with a 10.01Wh battery, the Galaxy S6 Active has a whopping 13.48Wh battery.

The biggest difference from the original Galaxy S6 with the Galaxy S6 Active is its design. The glass back of the Galaxy S6 is gone, and the entire device is surrounded by an additional frame to protect from damage. The single home button and capacitive keys have been replaced by three hardware buttons as well. It also appears that the fingerprint sensor has been removed in order to accommodate the hardware buttons.

As a rugged device for an active lifestyle, the Galaxy S6 Active wouldn't be complete without resistance to water and dust. Its chassis has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which guarantees protection when submerged in water as deep as 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. The Galaxy S6 Active also meets the Mil-STD-810G standard for resistance to pressure, temperature, humidity, shocks and vibrations.

AT&T lists the Galaxy S6 Active as "Coming Soon", and customers will be able to purchase it on June 12. It will be available in camo white, camo blue, and grey finishes. On AT&T Next the Galaxy S6 Active will cost $0 up front, with a $695 cost split into monthly payments for a 20, 24, or 30 month term.

Source: AT&T

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  • Impulses - Monday, June 8, 2015 - link

    Meant to say map the call answer function to the volume etc button... I guess mapping end call would be tougher since you definitely don't want that on the volume buttons, maybe the power one but that could interfere with regular functionality... Still doesn't explain the jump from one physical button up front to three tho.
  • Impulses - Monday, June 8, 2015 - link

    Plus I would think in an outdoors/rugged environment most people would answer calls with a Bluetooth or wired headset... I'm a tropical island dweller but I've always worn a headset when I've taken my phone while skiing. I mean, that's even what soldiers do isn't it? Not sure what I'm missing here...
  • dmattingly23 - Monday, June 8, 2015 - link

    There was a reddit somewhere that Samsung would see the error in their ways with the 6 series phone and bring back the SD Reader for the Active line. I was hoping that would be the case, since it's much easier to pull a card out and move it to a new phone body when the end user drops it into cup of coffee or a blue room....and wants me to rescue the entire 2 year long job's gallery of pictures rather than saying "Sorry, it's toast"

    Construction people seem to be especially hard on smartphones.
  • CabbyZ - Tuesday, June 9, 2015 - link

    Can't imagine switching from the devil I know (Sprint), to the legendary, and horrific customer disservice of AT&T just for this. It amazes me that $am$ung would cut out 2/3+ of it's market making this device exclusive to AT&T. Not that $am$ung gives much thought to its customer base;
  • testbug00 - Tuesday, June 9, 2015 - link

    It's like Samsung finally made a version of the s6 that's decent (battery life wise).

    And not having a glass back helps also :)

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