Samsung Galaxy S8 Active: AT&T Releasing Ruggedized Variant Soon?

Samsung could already be working on the ruggedized variant of the Galaxy S8 based on a very recent leak that’s alluding to the existence of the flagship phone’s heavy-duty version. Also, this variant, dubbed as the Galaxy S8 active, will likely be restricted to AT&T much like its predecessor.

This Friday, SamMobile spotted a Samsung handset with model number SM-G892A in a User Agent String. After making the discovery, the Samsung-centric news site linked the device to the latest flagship Android phone from Samsung, which is the Galaxy S8. The site believes that the model number is of the AT&T-branded Galaxy S8 active.

SamMobile admitted that it doesn’t have much information on the ruggedized variant of the S8 at this point, but the MIL0STD-810G standard compliance and IP68 certification are said to be a given for an outdoor phone. The site was also uncertain if the device, currently codenamed Cruiser, will sport the same internal components as the regular Galaxy S8.

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When Samsung introduced the Galaxy S7 active last year, the company made it clear that the variant would be mostly the same as the regular Galaxy S7 with the addition of a few tweaks. Aside from the rugged and very different appearance of the active-branded version, the larger 4000mAh battery was also its good selling point. Moreover, the ruggedized variant came in Camo Green, Titanium Gray and Sandy Gold color options instead of the regular S7’s Black, White, Gold, Pink Gold and Silver color models.

It won’t be surprising if the Galaxy S8 active would follow in the footsteps of its predecessors. After all, the Galaxy S8 already comes with impressive specs and features. The flagship phone has a 5.8-inch screen (Infinity Display), a Snapdragon 835/Exynos 8895 processor, a 12-megapixel back camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter and a 3,000mAh battery. It’s very likely that among the mentioned specs, the battery would be the one to get a boost.

The new leak may seem to confirm that AT&T is releasing the ruggedized variant of the Galaxy S8, but it’s clear that consumers need to wait a bit longer for the handset’s official release. The carrier usually unveils the active variants of Samsung’s flagship phones in June. Whether Samsung and AT&T would still follow the same time frame remains to be seen at this point.

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Meanwhile, the different features of Samsung’s Bixby-named smart assistant are slowly arriving. Just this Wednesday, Verizon rolled out a software update that enabled the shopping capability of Bixby Vision, which is the image recognition technology of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ cameras. With this feature getting activated, users may now point their handsets to real-life objects and buy similar items from Amazon through the links that are automatically generated by Bixby Vision.

Some aspects of Samsung’s Siri rival did not ship with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, since it’s taking some time before the South Korea giant could perfect the service. Samsung said early last month that features like Vision, Home and Reminder will be available at launch, while the voice assistant and a couple more features won’t be. Consumers need to wait until later this spring before they could have access to these features.