S7 Active user reviews!

[flapadlr_Nok900]

I have had my camp green about 8 days. The call quality is great. Also had unsolicited comments from folks on the other end of the line.

The screen cover does attract dust. I have scratched it. I eventually will find out what "replaceable" means I suppose.

Battery life is not impressive for a 4000mA battery. I do not Facebook. I do have other social media apps. I must admit this is my first Android phone ever so I may not have power saving settings tweaked. I play Age of Kings for about 1.5 hours a day. That eats battery.

The phone is tough and has proven to resist water 100% in my tests. I set it in a cup of water for about 30 minutes on day one. No problems.

 

[anon(27512)]

I have had my camp green about 8 days. The call quality is great. Also had unsolicited comments from folks on the other end of the line.

The screen cover does attract dust. I have scratched it. I eventually will find out what "replaceable" means I suppose.

Battery life is not impressive for a 4000mA battery. I do not Facebook. I do have other social media apps. I must admit this is my first Android phone ever so I may not have power saving settings tweaked. I play Age of Kings for about 1.5 hours a day. That eats battery.

The phone is tough and has proven to resist water 100% in my tests. I set it in a cup of water for about 30 minutes on day one. No problems.

You could install GSam if you were curious about battery drain. I put it on all my android phones. Even though I don't have a problem with my s7 edge's battery.

 

[jlczl]

I have had my camp green about 8 days. The call quality is great. Also had unsolicited comments from folks on the other end of the line.

The screen cover does attract dust. I have scratched it. I eventually will find out what "replaceable" means I suppose.

Battery life is not impressive for a 4000mA battery. I do not Facebook. I do have other social media apps. I must admit this is my first Android phone ever so I may not have power saving settings tweaked. I play Age of Kings for about 1.5 hours a day. That eats battery.

The phone is tough and has proven to resist water 100% in my tests. I set it in a cup of water for about 30 minutes on day one. No problems.

I wonder how much battery that game consumes. I'm averaging 8 hours SOT which is better than any phone I have ever had. It means I have zero battery anxiety so I don't even check battery until bedtime to decide if I'll charge it that night or wait til the next day.

 

[mattdaddi07]

Last week I was shopping for a new phone, I've always used iPhone and thought a change would be nice. The Samsung s7 was my first option but after reading information and talking to a sales person I was convinced on spending the extra $100 for the active because it is much more water resistant and durable with a ip68 rating that says the phone is able to withstand depths of 5 feet for 30 minutes. Ha. Went to the beach yesterday and was taking pictures of my son when I noticed a camera mode called "aqua". Researched a little about it online before just dunking my phone in the water and sure enough it was meant for specifically taking pictures under water. Who wouldn't think it was safe to do after the manufacturer literally gives you functions for under water photos!? I decided to try it submerging the phone no more than a foot under water for about 10 seconds, way under the suggested limits and got a great photo of my son and I underwater. Well my screen went black minutes later and hasn't worked since. The phone has power but completely useless without the screen. Contacted samsung multiple times new and they have been absolutely no help and assume no responsibilty to falsly advertising and have told me ill most likely have to pay for the repairs to the phone. I'm shocked at the customer service. I have been absolutely stick to my stomach look at this $800 paper weight. I will never purchase a Samsung product again after seeing how much the value their customer and fail to stand behind their product.

 

[tkuhe]

Last week I was shopping for a new phone, I've always used iPhone and thought a change would be nice. The Samsung s7 was my first option but after reading information and talking to a sales person I was convinced on spending the extra $100 for the active because it is much more water resistant and durable with a ip68 rating that says the phone is able to withstand depths of 5 feet for 30 minutes. Ha. Went to the beach yesterday and was taking pictures of my son when I noticed a camera mode called "aqua". Researched a little about it online before just dunking my phone in the water and sure enough it was meant for specifically taking pictures under water. Who wouldn't think it was safe to do after the manufacturer literally gives you functions for under water photos!? I decided to try it submerging the phone no more than a foot under water for about 10 seconds, way under the suggested limits and got a great photo of my son and I underwater. Well my screen went black minutes later and hasn't worked since. The phone has power but completely useless without the screen. Contacted samsung multiple times new and they have been absolutely no help and assume no responsibilty to falsly advertising and have told me ill most likely have to pay for the repairs to the phone. I'm shocked at the customer service. I have been absolutely stick to my stomach look at this $800 paper weight. I will never purchase a Samsung product again after seeing how much the value their customer and fail to stand behind their product.

Saltwater or Fresh?

 

[mattdaddi07]

Fresh water, clean too

 

[mattdaddi07]

Fresh water, cleanntoo

 

[andrew_ackley]

Last week I was shopping for a new phone, I've always used iPhone and thought a change would be nice. The Samsung s7 was my first option but after reading information and talking to a sales person I was convinced on spending the extra $100 for the active because it is much more water resistant and durable with a ip68 rating that says the phone is able to withstand depths of 5 feet for 30 minutes. Ha. Went to the beach yesterday and was taking pictures of my son when I noticed a camera mode called "aqua". Researched a little about it online before just dunking my phone in the water and sure enough it was meant for specifically taking pictures under water. Who wouldn't think it was safe to do after the manufacturer literally gives you functions for under water photos!? I decided to try it submerging the phone no more than a foot under water for about 10 seconds, way under the suggested limits and got a great photo of my son and I underwater. Well my screen went black minutes later and hasn't worked since. The phone has power but completely useless without the screen. Contacted samsung multiple times new and they have been absolutely no help and assume no responsibilty to falsly advertising and have told me ill most likely have to pay for the repairs to the phone. I'm shocked at the customer service. I have been absolutely stick to my stomach look at this $800 paper weight. I will never purchase a Samsung product again after seeing how much the value their customer and fail to stand behind their product.

I have AT&T? They'll probably help u out.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Phoneguy108]

People had the same issues getting their S6A wet as well. Samsung is full of it with the water resistant claims.

 

[jlczl]

Fresh water, clean too

There's another member in this forum that had a similar problem and Samsung had him send his phone in to be evaluated. Did they not tell you to do the same? Seems to me you have a defective phone.

 

[mattdaddi07]

I have AT&T? They'll probably help u out.

Posted via the Android Central App

Yea I have AT&T I'm even an employee. They will replace the phone under insurance for 99-199 for the deductible

 

[Phoneguy108]

Samsung needs to get the water issue fixed and get their act together.

 

[Slade8525]

RAW RAW RAW RAW RAW it shoots stills in RAW.... 4K downsampled gives you VERY good quality 1080P with excellent DR and low noise to play with; OIS works wonderfully (up there with Nikon VR on 18-200mm VR).

I shoot and film professionally; this and the iPhone 6s Plus camera which also has OIS are neck and neck, and by FAR the best cameras in phones i have ever used. Granted nothing like a pro DSLR or dedicated cam shooting digital RAW film, but closest thing you'll get and incredibly accurate and FAST AF and AF tracking, even in VERY low light.

that alone is awesome. No complaints here after some tweaks with Tasker and Greenify; spent a few weeks getting it tweaked how i like and will use it; fast, smooth, better battery life (with a bigger, higher definition display) than my S4 with a 5200mah battery. Charges FAST, wireless fast charging is also awesome, bought 3 so i dont have to use the cable.

Frankly, this is the first phone i dont feel any need or reason to root/flash, or mess with at all, and ive been doing that since WinMo 5.0 on ancient HTC-built carrier branded devices, back in '06 or so.

 

[AaronsLyfe]

So far here are my feelings which are biased in comparison to my S5A.

1: The screen is way too easily scratched. My S5A had 0 scratches and I beat the hell out of it.
2: I am noticing about a 10 to 20% less signal strength on the S7A, both GSM and WIFI vs the S5A
3: I have 0 confidence on my S7A getting wet, my S5A was tested and true, took all sorts of spills into creeks and rivers, ect.

I love the camera, hate the bloatware. Battery life is good but doesn't mean squat to me if this phone can't live up to the S5A.

I should have just kept my S5A honestly

 

[planoman]

So far here are my feelings which are biased in comparison to my S5A.

1: The screen is way too easily scratched. My S5A had 0 scratches and I beat the hell out of it.
2: I am noticing about a 10 to 20% less signal strength on the S7A, both GSM and WIFI vs the S5A
3: I have 0 confidence on my S7A getting wet, my S5A was tested and true, took all sorts of spills into creeks and rivers, ect.

I love the camera, hate the bloatware. Battery life is good but doesn't mean squat to me if this phone can't live up to the S5A.

I should have just kept my S5A honestly

Thanks for your feedback. I have always use a screen protector and do so with my S7 Active so no issues there and 8 bucks well spent or 4 if your consider that I got two in the package. And as far as wet I have done that too several times. No issues bit I always dry my device off very well before using it. Got a square trade 2 year plan which covers it from damage or water or what ever except losing or stolen so covered there.

Your number 2 however is interesting. While my data is anecdotal I have noticed that I have a weaker signal bars showing on my S7 than my iPhone 6S+. The HD voice sounds great and I have always been able to use my phone but the bars are indeed lower. Does that mean the signal is indeed worse or just the way the S7 active is showing the signal strength? Have not seen this addressed yet but great points.

Never had the S5 Active but had the S6 Active and the S7 Active is better for my usage. Just the time I save not entering a PIN is worth it not to mention the bigger battery and micro SD card storage.

If the fingerprint sensor, battery and micro SD card are not big deals for you, I would stay with your current device if it still works great.

 

[AaronsLyfe]

My current device is the S7A, my former was the S5A.

The S5A battery life wasn't a big deal nor was it bad. You could swap the batteries out. So if you were on a long camping trip this was a no brainer and could go weeks, I had 2 spares with me.

In 2 generations of a this phone we have gone from a nearly indestructible screen to needing screen protectors since it can be scratched with a pencil eraser????????

The signal strength could be a big deal if you are out in woods way off grid. It is doubtful most people will notice any difference in urban areas but in rural and off grid country this could be a problem.

I guess my point is that I feel the S7A is not as rugged nor is it as "Active" as its S5A predecessor.
Not to mention the volume button issue is driving me nuts.

 

[Phoneguy108]

In 2 generations of a this phone we have gone from a nearly indestructible screen to needing screen protectors since it can be scratched with a pencil

I know it doesn't make sense

 

[bkrell]

Battery life is my only issue so far. Yes, sure, there are tweaks you can do to cut off some antennas and apps that would normally run and suck down juice. But I feel like this is Samsung's biggest stumble verses Apple. On an iPhone, most of this stuff is always on and battery life is still loads better. Under my normal daily routine, using phone for gps and streaming music while I run and then facebook while I eat breakfast, my iPhone is still in the 90% range when I get to work. My Active is already in the 70% range at the same point. I shouldn't have to deprive it of functionality to make its battery life comparable to my old phone's. Has someone identified one major battery hog that is completely extraneous and unnecessary? Because my top battery using components appear to be the screen then the OS.

 

[T48]

Your number 2 however is interesting. While my data is anecdotal I have noticed that I have a weaker signal bars showing on my S7 than my iPhone 6S+. The HD voice sounds great and I have always been able to use my phone but the bars are indeed lower. Does that mean the signal is indeed worse or just the way the S7 active is showing the signal strength?

Do you know what the signal strength number is in dBm? My S3 is prehistoric running Kitkat & not sure where to check on Marshmallow. Maybe under data options in settings? My reasoning is that you would be able to compare your S7A numbers to other phones you currently have in identical locations.

Battery life is my only issue so far. Yes, sure, there are tweaks you can do to cut off some antennas and apps that would normally run and suck down juice. But I feel like this is Samsung's biggest stumble verses Apple. On an iPhone, most of this stuff is always on and battery life is still loads better. Under my normal daily routine, using phone for gps and streaming music while I run and then facebook while I eat breakfast, my iPhone is still in the 90% range when I get to work. My Active is already in the 70% range at the same point. I shouldn't have to deprive it of functionality to make its battery life comparable to my old phone's. Has someone identified one major battery hog that is completely extraneous and unnecessary? Because my top battery using components appear to be the screen then the OS.

I would think something else is running or draining the battery in addition to the things you are leaving on. Do you turn the phone off overnight or leave on 24/7?
No half sized iphone battery should be even close to a 4,000 mAh battery in terms of hours of use per day unless there is a issue/problem hiding somewhere within.

 

[AaronsLyfe]

Do you know what the signal strength number is in dBm? My S3 is prehistoric running Kitkat & not sure where to check on Marshmallow. Maybe under data options in settings? My reasoning is that you would be able to compare your S7A numbers to other phones you currently have in identical locations.

No I traded my S5 in when I got the S7. The displayed signals are usually lower and now I get no service while in the bathroom going through Flipboard in the morning. Had service on the S5 in said location, now I have no service in said location. Maybe this will inspire someone to measure the antenna gain,