A new rumor has been floating around that Samsung is planning to release a rugged version of the Galaxy S4 soon after the launch of the standard variant. The new model is said to include a durable form factor that will allow it to withstand some pretty heavy abuse. The information came directly from a Samsung executive, but any further details have been left to speculation.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the rugged variant will be called the Galaxy S4 Active, and it will include a dust and waterproof construction. However, the overall design is rumored to mirror the original Galaxy S4, which is a fancy way of saying that it will look pretty much the same.
The source for these rumors also mentions a new “compact version” of the Galaxy S4 -which is probably just the Galaxy S4 Mini- and yet another 8-inch Galaxy Tab. It’s possible the rumored tablet could be the next model in the Galaxy Tab series making it number 3 (Galaxy Tab 3).
The latter information is hardly as exciting as the development about the Galaxy S4 Active. Samsung has long been criticized for the build quality of their devices. In many cases, it has little to do with a handsets durability and more to do with Samsung’s choice of build materials, which are comprised of plastic. It’s not out of line for consumers to expect improved build materials for high-end and premium handsets. After all, they are paying quite a hefty price for the related devices.
Unfortunately, nothing has been mentioned about the price of the handset either. It’s likely that it might be a little higher thanks to the durable body.
If the Galaxy S4 Active does actually have the same design and hardware specs as the original Galaxy S4, would you rather own the durable version of the handset? Do you care about owning a rugged phone? It stands to reason, a lot of folks would probably benefit from a waterproof device. I know many who have dropped their handsets into a pool, hot tub or similar body of water by accident.