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New Galaxy S7 Active smartphones won't leak, says Samsung

Samsung fixed a manufacturing problem that plagued the devices.

It's official: the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active isn't quite as rugged as it was originally advertised. Well, it wasn't, but it is now. Following failed underwater tests from both Consumer Reports and CNET, Samsung looked into the phone's production process and found manufacturing problems that were compromising its water-resistance. Fortunately, the issue has been resolved. From here on out, the Galaxy S7 Active is expected to be sufficiently water-tight.

Although the production process is fixed now, there's no real way to tell how many units in the wild are effected, though Samsung told Consumer Reports that "compared to the total number of devices sold, it was tiny." Even so, the company says it will replace any S7 Active with water damage through the warranty period, or up to one year after the device is purchased. Unfortunately, this replacement does not apply to phones that haven't been damaged, making it difficult for current S7 Active owners to know if it's safe for them to take their phones in the water.

It's never good when you have to treat your rugged phone with kids gloves.