How would you skip activation on a replacement phone?

[Android Central Question]

After introducing my HTC One A9 to a hot tub, I made an insurance claim to start the process of getting a replacement mailed to me. While waiting I found I was eligible for an upgrade, so I went to a Sprint store and (lease complaints redacted) walked out with a new activated Samsung Active.
I used to sell phones at RadioShack ages ago, I have older phones I can use to play music or get on WiFi, and I'm trying to do so with one of these new phones. I know it should be possible. I've rooted a phone, but that was back in the days of Palm Pre
What would be the easiest method? Currently, HTC wants nothing but activation when I power it on. Should I root the activated Samsung, then swap to the HTC?

 

[Rukbat]

You should be able to bypass most of the activation screens, but a few of them can't be passed, they have to be filled in. (And rooting the Samsung would, of course, instantly void the warranty. Even if you "unrooted" it if you needed service, there are signs left that the phone had been rooted. (Unless you know how to add su to xbin and flash the modified ROM. Then just doing an rm on su would leave the phone looking unrooted. [And you'd have to uninstall the Superuser app too.])

 

[LordRhythm]

<-- Original Poster (forgot I had an ancient account)

Rukbat, thank you for responding. Good info, and a good point about the warranty of the Samsung... I'm used to buying, not leasing, haha. I'd definitely rather root the older model replacement HTC that I own, just in case I don't want to buy the Samsung.
I neglected to mention I'd already tried to get around the HTC activation, though I'm not sure if I've tried everything. I know of no secret *#__# codes or such, I just let it do it's hands-free activation and hit skip where I can, but it fails and returns to the start with no options to do anything else. So, if no secret code can be entered into the emergency dialer, and there's not a way to root and install a custom kernel(?) into the "activation-locked" HTC through PC via USB, I think all I can do is swap devices via Sprint.com from Samsung to HTC and see if I can still use the Samsung afterwards, or if it locks up in a similar manner.