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Gear Reviews

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Smartphone Review

Phone is able to handle the most vigorous explorations.

Brand: SAMSUNG

Model: Galaxy S4 Active Smartphone


Smartphone

With its waterproof, dustproof shell and a shatter-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2 screen, this smartphone is tailored for the adventure life. We dropped, dunked, and tossed it around for three months; the screen didn’t scratch and it still zips along on Samsung’s fast Android operating system.

Testers grooved on the crisp, 5-inch display that offers ample screen real estate for Samsung’s Multi-Window setting, which lets you view two apps simultaneously, like Google MyTracks and Google Plus Photos, as one tester frequently did for selecting pics to geotag.

The 8MP, rear-facing camera is merely average, but the onboard software mimics a DSLR with a range of shooting modes (like Night and Aqua). Testers love the Air Gesture Mode*, especially in cold weather. Battery life is competitive (12 hours running GPS), but a full recharge takes five hours. $200 (with contract); 5.4 oz.; samsung.com

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