SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 REVIEW

How does a company shake a global recall of a high profile product? If you're the world's biggest smartphone maker, you keep doing what you know -- tweaking, innovating, improving and building the very products that lead to success.

Samsung could have taken the easy route, slightly changing the modern S7 design while it regrouped. Instead, Samsung pushed the smartphone narrative forward with the Galaxy S8.

After using the Galaxy S8 for almost a week, one thing is abundantly clear to me: Apple is now in a position of playing catch-up when it comes to design andfeatures.

Specifications:

• Size : 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm, 155g
• Water/dust resistance: IP68
• Display: 5.8-inch Quad HD+ (2960x1440) 570 ppi
• Storage: 64 GB with microSD support up to 256 GB
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Battery: 3,000 milliamp-hour
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 in the US, Samsung's Exynos in regions to be announced
• Camera: Rear-facing dual pixel 12-megapixel. Front-facing 8-megapixel with autofocus
• Operating System: Android 7.0 with Samsung Experience 8.1
• Connectivity: USB-C, NFC, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth

FROM DESIGN FOLLOWER, TO DESIGN LEADER

Apple has, for years, been considered the leader in the design of smartphones, setting the standard for the entire industry, and Samsung spent years copying those designs. At times, Samsung's devices were a blatant rip-off of Apple's hard work.

For the past few years, Samsung has slowly moved away from following Apple's lead, finding its design prowess. We had the first glimpse -- quite literally -- when the Note 7 launched.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 REVIEW

Samsung recently announced the 4th generation Galaxy Active model, the S7 Active and I've spent a week testing out the gold and camo models. The Samsung Galaxy Active phones offer larger capacity batteries, integrated ruggedized protection, and quick access to an outdoor-focused application.

Like the past models, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active is an AT&T exclusive. There is a bit less differentiation this year between the Galaxy S7 and S7 Active due to the same water resistant rating for both models. However, the larger battery and enhanced protection still make it a device to seriously consider.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 2.15 GHz quad-core
• Display: 5.1 inch 1440x2560 pixels resolution Super AMOLED display
• Operating system: Android 6 Marshmallow
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 32GB internal with microSD expansion card slot
• Water resistance: IP68 certified for up to 30 minutes in five feet of water
• Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, ANT+, NFC, GPS, MST and NFC payment system support
• Battery: 4000 mAh non-removable with Quick Charge and dual wireless support
• Dimensions: 148.8 x 75.2 x 9.9 mm and 185 grams

Comparing this list of specs to that in my Galaxy S7 review shows that the battery capacity and dimensions are the only differences.

The 4,000 mAh battery is 1,000 mAh more than the standard Galaxy S7, which is a welcome addition given that the S7 has a tough time making it through a long day. By comparison, my Galaxy S7 Edge has a 3,600 mAh battery and easily gets me through a busy day.

HARDWARE

Millions of people place their smartphone inside a case with rugged ones from OtterBox, UAG, and others being popular choices. With the Galaxy S7 Active, you can carry your smartphone "naked" and relax a bit more than you can with the glass and metal S7 or S7 Edge.

Given the appearance that the S7 Active is in a slim case, I expected it to feel heavy in the hand. It is more than an ounce heavier than the Galaxy S6 Active and at 185 grams (6.53 ounces) it is not a light device.