The Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active is Samsung's latest attempt to grab your attention, and after going through the spec sheet, there is a fair bit here worth talking about. Announced in 2013, June. Released 2013, June, it arrives at a time when the competition is as tight as ever.
Design & Display
On the front you get a 5.0 inches, 68.9 cm 2 (~69.2% screen-to-body ratio) panel, pushing a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~441 ppi density). Colours look punchy and text stays clean, so you will not have much to complain about here. It is not trying to reinvent the wheel with its design, but it does look the part. You can pick it up in a few finishes, including Urban Grey.
Performance & Software
At the heart of it sits the Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600, paired with 2GB of RAM. For the kind of tasks most of us throw at a phone, there is plenty of muscle here. It runs Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 5.0.1 (Lollipop), TouchWiz UI out of the box, so the software experience feels current.
Camera
On the camera side, the Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active is led by a 8 MP main sensor. Expect solid detail in good light, with the usual softness creeping in once the sun goes down.
Battery
Battery duties are handled by a Li-Ion 2600 mAh, removable unit, which should comfortably see most people through a full day on a single charge.
Our Opinion
So, what do we actually make of the Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active? What you are getting is a device that quietly covers the fundamentals rather than shouting about them. It gets the basics right, offering a dependable main camera, a crisp display, which is exactly what most buyers are really after. In day-to-day use it feels like the kind of device you can rely on, whether you are replying to messages, scrolling through social media, watching videos or taking the odd photo. Is it perfect? No phone is, and you will always find a sharper camera or a faster chip somewhere else for a little more money. Overall though, the Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active is easy to recommend to the right buyer. If you have used this device or are planning to pick one up, do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
