Samsung's highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S6will be joined by a number of smartphonevariants, including the Samsung Galaxy Edge, Samsung Galaxy S6 miniand now a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active. Here's where we round up the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active UK release date, price and specs rumours and speculation. Also see: Best smartphones 2015and best new phones coming in 2015.
Read also: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 comparison.
Will there be a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active?
The latest word from Koreais that Samsung is removing the waterproofing introduced in its Samsung Galaxy S5. Why? Because there is a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, allegedly.
Let us start by saying that argument is ridiculous. While the Samsung Galaxy S5 was waterproof, there was still a Samsung Galaxy S5 Active- it just never made its way to the UK, at least not officially. You can pick one up in the UK right now from eCrater(£458), Handtec(£479) or AS Adventure(£505), and we've even pictured it at the top of this article.
Both Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy S5 Active are water-resistant up to 3ft for 30 minutes. The differences actually lie in the fact the Active is also dust-, humidity- and temperature-resistant, and drop-proof to 4ft. The rugged S5 Active is also a little larger and heavier than the standard S5, a6 5.7x2.9x0.35in and 6oz versus the S5's 5.3x2.9x0.25in, 5.1oz. And the Active features an Active key, which can be programmed to launch any app of your choosing at the touch of a button, plus an Activity Zone hub that comprises a barometer, compass, flashlight and stopwatch. The core specs are mirrored between S5 and S5 Active, with the Active lacking only its fingerprint scanner.
There was also a Samsung Galaxy S4 Active before the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active, so it follows that there could well be a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active regardless of the standard S6's waterproofing credentials.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active UK release date: When is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active coming out?
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active was announced in May 2014, two months after the standard Samsung Galaxy S5. Expect to see the same with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active if, indeed, there is a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active UK price: How much will the Samsung Galaxy S6 cost?
At the end of May 2014 AT&T confirmed that the Camo Green version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active would be available exclusively through its network, at $714.99 up front or $199.99 on a two-year contract.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active wasn't officially announced in the UK, but as we mentioned above you can pick one up for between £458 and £505. So it's clear that its price hasn't been allowed to drop in the same way as the standard S5, which now costs closer to £350 SIM-free.
While we think there could well be a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, we're not sure whether it will officially come to the UK. There will always be ways and means of getting hold of one, but expect to pay full-whack - and that could mean £550- to £600.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active specs
Absolutely nothing has been confirmed on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active's spec, so here we are merely speculating. We will update this page as information leaks.
While the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active was a stripped-down version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active featured all the same core hardware as the Samsung Galaxy S5, minus the fingerprint scanner. Assuming this trend will continue with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, the multiple rumours surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S6's spec allow us to put together the following spec list.
• 5.5in Quad-HD (1440x2560) Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 4
• Android Lollipop 5.1 with TouchWiz
• Samsung Exynos 7420 64-bit octa-core processor
• 3GB of RAM
• 32GB of storage (plus up to 128GB via microSD)
• Dual-band 802.11ac with 2x2 MIMO, Download Booster, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE, GPS
• Heart-rate monitor, UV scanner
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