Samsung Galaxy S6 Active Release Date, Specs, And Leaked Images: Launch Is Imminent

May 13, 2015 02:57 PM EDT

With the launch of Samsung's newest version of their flagship phone, the Galaxy S6, it has led to rumors of a newer version of this newest version.  Recent leaked images and rumored specs from FCC reports have led to the believe that a launch of the Galaxy S6 Active is imminent.

The reason for this rumor of a more rugged version of the flagship S6 has to do with a picture from GSM Arena, sent to them by an anonymous source.  The picture is the one that you see on this article, and there are some differences between this Galaxy S6 Active and the regular Galaxy S6. 

Forbes reports that the fingerprint scanner is missing, just like it was for the Galaxy S5 Active, and there are two new physical buttons on either side of the home button.  The rear reveals some reinforced casing that also features a heart-rate monitor and a similar shaped camera.  Also, the speakers have appeared to have been moved to the back, but the picture isn't clear enough to tell for sure. 

There is more than just a few unclear photos to give proof of the existence of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active.  Apparently, there has been some FCC authorization which was made publically available recently which reveals a Samsung device carrying the model number of "SM-G890A", which could very well be the S6 active. 

Then there is also the logic at work here.  Considering that last year Samsung launched the Galaxy S5 Active one month after the launch of the Galaxy S5, it is only reasonable that the S6 Active would be launched one month after the S6, which has just been launched.  It is possible that the S6 Active could introduce some of the more popular features that were not standard with the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge.  Namely, there could be a microSD slot as well as a removable battery, not to mention an increased 3500 mAh battery. 

There was much to be anticipated with the Samsung Galaxy S6 when it was announced at Mobile World Congress last March.  It has a 5.1 inch Super AMOLED screen, Android 5.0 (Lollipop) right out of the box, and their camera specs of 16 Megapixels in the rear and 5 Megapixels in the front.  It also has a Quad 2.1GHz plus Quad 1.5Ghz Octacore application processor, and a new feature to the Galaxy series as they both support a new industry standard for wireless energy charging. 

Should there be a Galaxy S6 active, it will probably have similar features.  Apparently, what makes that Galaxy S6 Active so "active" is that it will have, or is rumored to have, MIL-STD-810G certification.  This is a military test to withstand environmental challenges such as drops and moisture. 

As far as any release date is concerned, I'm going to go with "soon".  After all, the official release for the Galaxy S6 was April 10th, which would mean that an S6 would follow one month later.