Samsung has been releasing an “Active” variant of its Galaxy S flagship annually for several years now. The variant has often been launched in the month of June or July. We got one last year as well, the Galaxy S8 Active, but it appears that Samsung isn’t going to launch the Galaxy S9 Active this year.
As observed by the folks at SamMobile, it’s already mid-August and there’s nothing to suggest that a Galaxy S9 Active is in the pipeline. Samsung is only gearing up to release the Galaxy Note 9 on August 24 and will have its hands full with gradually releasing it in additional markets throughout the month of September.
These Active variants offered additional protection against the elements as well as bigger batteries. Much of the specifications would remain the same as is the case with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Active.
The dimension constraints could prevent Samsung from using the Galaxy S9 as a base for the Galaxy S9 Active. If it decides to use the Galaxy S9+ as the base then it risks cannibalizing the sales of the Galaxy Note 9 as the 4,000mAh battery is one of the biggest selling points of this new flagship.
In addition to this, there have been absolutely no leaks or rumors so far about the Galaxy S9 Active. It’s uncommon for Samsung to launch this handset this late in the year so the smart money’s on Samsung not launching this variant in 2019. What that means for the future of the Active lineup remains to be seen.