Samsung Galaxy S4 Active officially announced

Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy S4 Active - a rugged phone that brings top-end specs but lets you throw it in the bath.

Clearly intent on squeezing as much cash out of the Galaxy S4 brand as possible Samsung has overhauled its best-selling flagship smartphone and given it a tougher exterior which includes IP67 dust and water-proof protection and a fully sealed design.

In terms of specs the Galaxy S4 Active is almost identical to the Galaxy S4 with a 5-inch Full HD display, 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 2MP front camera and 2600mAh battery.

One difference between the two however is the rear facing camera, with the Galaxy S4 Active sporting an 8MP snapper instead of the 13MP version on the standard handset.

S4 gets tough

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active retains the 4G connection and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system however, and of course the Korean firm's TouchWiz interface is laid on top.

Thanks to the rugged features on the Galaxy S4 Active - which includes three physical buttons below the screen - the handset measures a slightly porkier 139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm and tips the scales at 151g, 21g more than the Galaxy S4.

In terms of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active release date all we know is that it will go on sale sometime this summer in select markets.

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We will get to check out the handset a Samsung's event in London on June 20, so keep an eye out for our hands on Samsung Galaxy S4 Active review later this month.

We got some hands-on time with the Samsung galaxy S4 Active at the launch event on June 20th. Watch the video below for a taster of what's in store: