Samsung Galaxy S7 Active review

There are many reasons that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and S7 are on our best phones list, taking spots one and two respectively. One of the bigger reasons is their amazing cameras.

The S7 Active shares that world-class camera. It just sweetens the entire package with a bigger battery for even more camera snaps.

Camera

The S7 Active, does really well here thanks to the same exact 12MP camera that uses a 1/2.6-inch sensor, f/1.7 aperture and larger 1.4 µm sized pixel.

You're adventurous life – one that is obviously so epic it requires a rugged phone – is going to get daytime photos with saturated light blue skies, dark blue oceans, green grass and golden sand.

It's almost as good when the sun sets, too. It checks all of the boxes with faster phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilization and a bright LED flash on the back.

Even without the flash, it does well in low-light, just like the S7. This phone can handle outdoor excursions and indoor bar scenes memories.

On the front, it's a 5MP camera and includes the same great f/1.7 aperture for selfies. We really like the fact that Samsung's cameras capture wider angles compared to anything the iPhone camera can do. We also appreciate the 4K video that remains more steady when walking and shooting at the same time.

The best part is that we haven't noticed differences between the S7 Active and Samsung's other 2016 smartphone. It's just as brilliant, and likely not to be outdown until 2017.

Battery life

There's undoubtedly a difference when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active battery life. It not only lasts all day, we've found that we can make it almost two days with normal use.

That's all thanks to the new 4,000mAh battery capacity that takes up the most space within its 9.9mm thick confines. There's no need for a Mophie when you're carrying the S7 Active.

With heavy use, we were always able to get great all-day battery life. Other phones, like the LG G5, fell victim to the same power suck of our intensive testing when we used GPS-enabled map apps and constantly looked up information when traveling. Those phones had a depleted battery in 12 hours.

The always-on display does eat a tiny bit of battery life, even with its low-powered architecture, but it's not as big of a problem here as it is on the Samsung Galaxy S7.

The Active also contains fast charging, so while the bigger battery does take longer to charge, it's not a long wait given the right Fast Charging adapter and a supported micro USB cable.

Just don't expect to take the battery out of its sealed-up insides. The S7 Active has a non-removable battery, meaning true endurance runs require an portable battery charger.