Details of a rugged version of the GALAXY S 4 have leaked in the past and while we have yet to see an official announcement from Samsung, it is now looking like the device will be coming to AT&T. This latest round of leaked details hasn’t included a possible release time frame with AT&T, but it was said the GALAXY S 4 Active will be carrying the model number of SGH-I537. The previous leaks suggested the Active would be arriving in July.
As we often see with rugged handsets, the GALAXY S 4 Active is expected to be waterproof and dustproof, but otherwise retain the specs and features of the existing GALAXY S 4. As a recap, the currently available GALAXY S 4 has specs to include a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.9GHz Qualcomm processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 2600 mAh battery, 2 megapixel front-facing camera and 13 megapixel rear-facing camera. In addition, the GALAXY S 4 is running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
While there are some advantages to getting a rugged handset, we do have to remember that some may not necessarily even need a GALAXY S 4. Sure, the 1080p display and quad-core processor are both nice bumps from earlier models, but they may not benefit everyone the same. Basically, we are getting to the price here. The GALAXY S 4 is currently sitting at around $199.99 for the 16GB model. Looking towards the Galaxy S III and we see a device with solid specs and with much lower prices. Current AT&T pricing on the Galaxy S III is as low as $29.99 (refurbished) on a two-year agreement. For some, price may win out.
The other tricky part here, while the Galaxy S III would likely be sufficient for many in terms of hardware specs, we do understand the desire to have the latest build of Android. On AT&T the Galaxy S III is still running Android 4.1, which means you will be missing some features such as the lock screen widgets. Granted, that is not a make or break feature, but looking forward we are never sure when older handsets will see an update and that can be unsettling for some.
VIA Twitter @evleaks
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