Of all the high-cease smartphones released in 2022 so far, the one I keep going back to is the Samsung Galaxy S6. It's a well-rounded device with slap-up hardware, course-leading functioning, a top-notch camera, and an attractive design. It may not be the outstanding fiscal success that Samsung was hoping for, merely it'southward certainly one of the best devices released this year.

That'south not to say the Galaxy S6 is without problems. The design, while sleek and sexy, is quite slippery, and the apply of glass on the front end and dorsum of the handset makes information technology susceptible to harm when dropped. It'due south also non water resistant, different its predecessor, which is a disappointment for those that savor underwater photography or gaming while in the shower.

This is where the Galaxy S6 Active comes in. For the most part, the S6 Active is a clone of the standard S6, as it features the aforementioned 5.ane 1440p display, the same Samsung Exynos 7420 SoC inside, and the same 16-megapixel optically stabilized camera. Simply where the S6 Active does differ from the S6 is in its design, which is much better suited to surviving drops, harsh conditions, and liquids. The Active also features a considerably larger battery, which promises to deliver far better battery life than the standard S6.

I'll get to discussing the battery life a bit after, as the most obvious deviation between the S6 and S6 Active is in the pattern. There'southward nonetheless Gorilla Glass on the front of the Active, protecting the AMOLED display, only the metal and glass used elsewhere has been replaced entirely with thick plastic. And the plastic isn't only smooth, minimalist plastic either: Samsung has applied all sorts of textures and contours that give the Active a seriously rugged look.

The inner department of this Galaxy S6 Active has been improved through a titanium metal dbrand skin

Wrapping around the edges of the S6 Active is the first slice of smooth matte plastic, with rubberized sections inserted into to the left- and right-hand edges around the variety of buttons. On the back panel y'all'll see a second, indented section of plastic that surrounds the photographic camera, speaker and flash. Unremarkably this surface area comes with a fairly boring texture or camouflage pattern, merely the slick titanium metallic skin from dbrand applied to my S6 Agile looks significantly better.

This wouldn't exist the showtime time dbrand has managed to improve the look (and even the feel) of a smartphone through loftier-quality skins, then in one case over again they get my tick of approving.

The rugged design of the S6 Active isn't for anybody. Personally I'm not a huge fan of this style, as I far prefer the sleek metallic and glass body of the regular Galaxy S6. The shape and bulk of the S6 Active just isn't as nice to look at or concur, and for this reason it certainly won't exist winning any awards for aesthetics.

Merely the reason why Samsung has opted for this design is to make the Galaxy S6 rugged, tough and dependable. To practice this, the company had to make the device more bulky, they had to switch out metal and glass for thick plastic, and they had to add in ridges and contours where the Galaxy S6 was smoothen and flat. The result is a device that you tin can safely use without an external case.

This last role is central for people who ordinarily would apply a example to their smartphone for protection. I'm non the sort of person to apply a case to a phone, because they typically don't integrate well with the phone's design, look tacky and cheap in comparison to the phone's actual design, add lots of bulk, and don't even offer very adept protection. But with the Galaxy S6 Active, the instance is essentially part of the handset'due south design, which is a vastly superior solution for the adventurers, tradies or simply the clumsy out there.

There are some limitations to how rugged the Galaxy S6 Agile actually is in practice. While the back and sides of the smartphone are well protected from drops, the display on the front yet seems reasonably exposed, with merely a small rim around the edges protecting it from impacts with apartment surfaces. I imagine if you drop the Galaxy S6 Active face down on a sharp rock, for example, the thin piece of glass protecting the AMOLED brandish wouldn't stand up a chance.

This is in contrast with rugged phones from companies similar CAT, which produce even tougher smartphones with thicker materials protecting the display. Of course these phones typically look worse than the S6 Active, and tend to be harder to use due to added majority and a larger gap betwixt your finger and the display. For the non-hardcore user, the S6 Active seems a cracking compromise betwixt a usable design and protection from impacts, especially if you employ a decent screen protector.

The Galaxy S6 Agile does qualify for a few protection ratings. The device can handle submersion in up to i.five meters of fresh water for xxx minutes and is protected from dust ingress as per the IP68 rating. It also qualifies for a MIL-STD-810G rating, indicating it has passed a serial of (likely Samsung-designed) tests involving protection from shocks, temperatures, vibrations, sand, and other farthermost conditions.

Despite the S6 Agile's water resistant body, both the 3.5mm audio jack and microUSB port are exposed, which is a significantly better solution than flaps and covers we've seen in the by. There is a well-sealed nano-SIM card slot as well, merely below the power push button on the right-hand side, but no removable battery or microSD menu slot.

Aside from the ruggedization of the body, there are a few other changes present in the Galaxy S6 Active compared to the Milky way S6. The fingerprint scanner in the domicile push is gone, replaced by three concrete buttons – recent apps, home and back – below the display. Oddly, when you printing the recent apps and back buttons the phone vibrates as if you lot had pressed capacitive buttons, which gives weird and unpleasant feedback to what are otherwise pretty overnice buttons. This doesn't happen when you printing the home button, which makes me think it's a software comport-over from the regular Galaxy S6.

The other primary alter is the addition of a new push on the left side of the handset, in a higher place the volume rocker. This push button, which Samsung calls the Action Key, can be mapped to 2 apps: one for a brusque press, and ane for a long press. Information technology's actually a pretty convenient button to accept, as yous can map it to the photographic camera, for example, allow you to apace enter the camera app for an firsthand snap.

By default, the Action Key is mapped to the Activity Zone, which includes a range of information such as the weather and air pressure info, easy admission to S Health, a compass, a stopwatch, access to the flashlight, and music controls. It'southward a pretty handy app for people who like to take their phone with them equally they practice or explore the great outdoors, and it's exclusive to the S6 Agile.