Samsung Galaxy S6 Active review

Not everyone needs an armored up phone that's built to be water resistant, dustproof and shockproof. However, most everyone needs a smartphone with better battery life.

While not swappable, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active battery is 3,500mAh, an increased capacity over the 2,800mAh of the normal S6.

Real-world and lab tests prove that it makes a difference, too. The S6 Active was able to achieve a full day and a half of heavy use, while the S6 got through just a day.

Labs tests were just as stellar when we ran a looped HD video for 90 minutes. It drained just 7% from a fully charged battery, leaving me with 93%. I was actually able to walk away from this test and continue using the phone for the rest of the day and part of the next morning. That never happens.

To put that into perspective, the same video drained 16% of the Samsung Galaxy S6 battery, leaving it with 84%. Would you want more than double the battery life after watching a movie? It's really a no-brainer.

The only smartphone to top the Galaxy S6 Active is the old LG G Flex with the same 3,500mAh battery capacity, and it didn't win by much. It drained 6% during the same 90-minute test. I chalk that up to LG's lackluster 720p display, which the company made up for with the LG G Flex 2 earlier this year.

The only caveat with the extra Galaxy S6 Active battery power is that it does take longer to charge. Luckily, this is Qualcomm-quipped Quick Charge phone that supplies buyers with a Fast Charging block to rapidly restore battery life. Wireless charging followed the S6 Active during its more muscular transformation from the S6. It supports both Qi and PMA charging pads, though this remains slower than the aptly named Quick Charge method.