Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is a great looking smartphone — it’s also covered entirely in very scratchable glass. So it’s no surprise to hear that Samsung is developing a rugged version of the phone for people who’d rather not worrying about shattering it.
SamMobile reports that a Galaxy S8 Active is in the works and will likely be an AT&T exclusive. There aren’t many details beyond that, but the site says Samsung’s codename for the phone variant is “Cruiser,” which at the very least sounds kind of tough.
HOW MUCH DOES THE S8 HAVE TO CHANGE TO TOUGHEN UP?
Samsung has been putting out “Active” variants of its top Galaxy phones for years now, but there have been enough changes between the S7 and S8 that there’s some uncertainty as to what it’ll look like.
Previous Active phones have had three physical front buttons, but that may not be the case this year since Samsung switched to on-screen controls. We’ve also never seen a rugged phone with a curved screen before. It’s entirely possible Samsung will switch to a flat screen for the Active model, but that would make for a very different looking device.
Of course, Samsung’s Active models have always stood apart from the phones they’re based on, usually to tackier results. The phones often end up with camo backing, like this:
Samsung did make plainer models of the S7 Active, though, so it’s possible there’ll be alternatives this year for people who want a simpler look.
While there aren’t details yet on what Samsung will do to strengthen the S8, the S7 Active’s key additions were a “shatter-resistant” screen and a larger battery. Samsung also added dust resistance, on top of the phone’s existing waterproofing.
SamMobile doesn’t know what timing Samsung is looking at for the S8 Active’s release, but it points out that in the past, Active models have launched in June. They’ve long been AT&T exclusives, too, and it seems like that isn’t going to change.
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