The new Samsung Galaxy S4 Active comes with Aqua Mode for shooting stills and video underwater.

While Samsung is only claiming its newly announced Galaxy S4 active smartphone is dust- and water-resistant, able to withstand as long as 30 minutes in up to three feet (or 1 meter) of water, the camera also features an "Aqua Mode" meant to enhance visual quality and clarity while shooting stills and video underwater that's bound to tempt mobile photography mermaids to truly put the device to the test.

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Without having seen the device ourselves yet, we're intrigued by its specs and some clever camera additions. Standard specs are solid: The S4 Active is powered by a 1.9 GHZ quad-core processor and  2,600mAh battery, and is running Android 4.2.2. The 5-inch (443 PPI) full HD TFT LCD screen can be operated while wearing gloves. Its enhanced outer protective case has an IP67 rating and will be offered in Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare. The 8-megapixel primary camera can be controlled via the external volume key, and a long press of the volume key will keep the camera's LED flash turned on.

With the Galaxy S4 Active, Samsung seems ready to try to compete with the latest in the Sony Xperia line. Sony makes quite similar dust- and water-resistant claims about its Xperia Z, while the Xperia ZR can go to slightly deeper watery depths. 

Look for the S4 Active to start selling this summer, first in the U.S. and Sweden. We'll look forward to some underwater shootouts soon.

You can read Samsung's full press release here.