Waterproof Samsung Galaxy S6 Active leaks... in a good way

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active waterproof
Samsung Galaxy S6 is not waterproof, but the S6 Active is

There's more interest in the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active now than ever thanks to a lack of certain features in the non-waterproof Galaxy S6 (above).

Its desirable specs are finally coming into focus via an allegedly leaked set of photos (below), one of the front and another of the back of the Android device, both care of GSM Arena.

The back of the S6 Active looks to be more rugged, and with that comes an almost certainly sealed, waterproof design. It also moves the S6 speaker from the front to the back.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

Rumored Samsung Galaxy S6 Active in the hard-cased flesh

This contrasts with the glass-backed Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge that are among the best phones available, but are not at all waterproof.

This little fact has made the jump from the older Galaxy S5 to the new flagship phones tough for some long-time Samsung fans, especially its active, sports-savvy customers.

Extra battery and microSD

It's more than rugged good looks that Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is supposed to rock. A bigger battery that is 3,500mAh will last longer than the S6's 2,600mAh capacity.

Although not visible from the leaked photos, this tougher S6 variant is also supposed to carry a microSD card slot, a sorely missed feature dropped in the S5-to-S6 transition.

With a waterproof design, microSD support, more battery life and a tougher build quality onboard, this year's Samsung Active S6 is shaping up to be very distinct compared to its mainstream counterpart.

Maybe Samsung can win back disillusioned customers before they jump to the LG G4 or another Android 5.0 Lollipop smartphone.

Matt Swider