[OceanView]

I'm about to order another phone and have been going back and forth on the S4 and the S4 Active.
I'm aware of the spec differences but I am not 100% sure which one is better for me.
Here are some Pros for each phone that I have concluded for me:

S4
More Colorful Screen
13MP
Better Speaker
Better Mic
Better Resell Value ?

S4 ACTIVE
TFT - Better for outdoors
IP67 rating (although I dont think I'll take it in the water)

The lack of S4 pros on the Active is what I'm concerned about the most.
I wanted to get some input from people that have the S4 Active.
Do you ever wish you got the S4 version instead of the Active?

[Haalcyon]

I recall seeing reports of the Active getting water damage, as in its seals not holding up. I wonder if you'd be better off getting a straight S4 and adding an OtterBox when you need some rugged protection. ...or were you planning to go white-water rafting or some other equally wet activity with it?

[Olatho]

For me, the camera, speaker and mic of the S4A is good enough, and I have never sold a used phone.
So the main issue for me is that I can use it in the rain and outdoors without worrying about some rain. I wouldn't try to take underwater photos with it, but just be sure that it works even if I drop it in a pool of water while hiking is more than enough for me to choose the Active.

[OceanView]

I recall seeing reports of the Active getting water damage, as in its seals not holding up. I wonder if you'd be better off getting a straight S4 and adding an OtterBox when you need some rugged protection. ...or were you planning to go white-water rafting or some other equally wet activity with it?

Not planning on getting the phone wet at all.
Just a precaution as I tend to drop things a lot.
The otter box seems too bulky for me and kind of defeats the purpose of getting a sleek phone.
Thanks for the idea though.

[Haalcyon]

No problem. I hope you will consider putting some type of case on it.

from my Sony Xperia Tablet Z or XTZ or "Ecstasy"

[MrBungle999]

I had both. I ended up switching back to S4 after 2 weeks with the active. If you really don't need it for water protection the S4 was much better. Camera and features were the big one for me. The screen was not much better in Sun and there were a few software features missing on the active. I now have the lg g2 and I think it's better than both of them.
Check out


Sent from my LG-D800 using AC Forums mobile app

[soldevilaed]

I def. regret it. I should have went with the S4. Just because of the camera (huge plus). I only got it because of the "water-proof", i tend to drop a lot of water on my electronics. Bad habit.

[wamsille]

If your choices are the S4 or the S4 Active, go with the standard S4. You will notice more support within the S4 community and you won't have a "feature" that really doesn't work. (Water resistance)

[BrakeTurnAccelerate]

The only thing I seriously regret is getting sucked in by Samsung/AT&T advertising it was waterproof at first. But, I doubt I would have gone with the S4 though.

[wamsille]

The S4 Active is the worst smartphone buying experience I have had - and I've been stuck with stolen equipment that I bought off of Craigslist.

In August I bought the S4A before heading to Florida for the week. After a night out by the pool, the phone became unresponsive and I was mortified to see that the moisture indicator on the inside had gone off. The phone was sealed! Obviously I know now that water was going to get through the display no matter what, but up to that point this was a serious defect! It took an hour long call to AT&T, driving to a store, being turned away, spending another hour on the phone with AT&T and finally getting a replacement after spending yet another hour in a store. All this while I'm out of town and towing my family with me. I really felt like a jerk. If that doesn't bite, the replacement phone I picked up also had water damage. My only option at that point was to return the S4A because I didn't want a phone with a feature that did not work as advertised. In a bit of irony, I have a Lumia 1020 now. If you frequent other forums on Mobile Nations you may recall an issue with photos coming out too warm.

Once you get past that minor issue (this "broken" feature doesn't bork your phone), it's a nice phone. I still watch Android because I always like to try new phones, even if my contract isn't up.

[Uselessbass]

I have had mine one month finnaly I haven't and won't take it underwater but its nice to have the added protection living on Oregon

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 4