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The Galaxy S8 Active is a solid performing smartphone, as should be expected from a sibling of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8. It sacrifices the incredible aesthetics of the Infinity Edge display in Samsung’s latest flagships for a reinforced metal edge and a behemoth 4,000mAh battery.
It includes Samsung’s great camera, with a surprisingly good microphone for recording concerts (get ready, Snapchat and Instagram). But it did struggle with some odd issues during 4K video recording that weren’t encouraging as 4K content becomes the new mainstream.
Every photo taken on the phone served as an opportunity for the Galaxy S8 Active’s vibrant and pixel-dense Super AMOLED display to dazzle. Samsung continues to prove that it makes amazing smartphone displays, even if the S8 Active’s screen installation is a dull affair with no curved glass and plenty of bezel.
For all the power, performance, and features it includes, the Galaxy S8 Active suffers from slow-downs when opening the App Drawer of all things. The slowdown is even more marked when sliding over to the Bixby page, proving Samsung’s overcommitment to Bixby extra problematic, especially with how easy it is to accidentally launch Bixby.
Since these issues are software-related, it’s possible Samsung can resolve them with updates. But for now, they stand in the way of a positive experience using the phone, and make it easy to forget just how smoothly the rest of the phone operates.
The hardware issues of the Galaxy S8 Active come down to unfortunate placement, as the Bixby button is all too easy to press when you don’t want to and the fingerprint scanner is too difficult to press when you do want to.
Who's this for?
For all its faults, the Galaxy S8 Active has heard one cry from mobile users everywhere. A cry that many smartphones ignore. That’s the cry to forget about being the thinnest phone ever and just give us all more battery. The Galaxy S8 Active is thick, and that lets it pack a 4,000mAh battery. That battery is more reason to call this the “Active” model than any other aspect.
An active person might not get around to charging their phone every night. They might take lots of pictures out on their adventures, and even record video. And the S8 Active is ready. Ironically, the S8 Active battery is also a good fit for inactive people, as it’s ready for long movie or TV streaming sessions.
Should I buy it?
If battery and performance come first, then the Galaxy S8 Active is a fine choice. For marathon phone users, the inconvenient unlocking methods and accidental Bixby launches will easily be overshadowed by the general performance speed of the phone and how long its battery lasts.
For anyone that wants the best of everything, it’s hard to recommend the $850 Galaxy S8 Active. Even if it’s designed more rugged, it’s hard to say just how much better that is than a standard Galaxy S8 with a case, which has the added advantage of being removable and replaceable. With the Galaxy S8 often hitting prices as low as $570, the Galaxy S8 Active comes at a considerable premium.
Though the Galaxy S8 Active is a fine phone when taken alone, it doesn’t stand out as a great pick unless having a case is a serious non-starter for you. The S8 Active goes to show that Samsung can’t have every new phone it releases be the best phone at the same time.
