Not necessarily, depends on the user. The S4 active can still be broken and also suffer damage from water. Best bet is to find a good quality phone and utilize the Best Buy GeekSquad as a protection plan (better value than through the carrier) ex. monthly for any android phone is $9.99 or you can pay an out right amount of $169.99 for 2yrs. iPhones are more costly $14.99 a month or buy out right for 2yrs at $229.99. There are no deductibles. If for example you have ATT and an iPhone, you pay $7.99(ex.) a month and also a $199.99 deductible, max out at 3 phones a year. if you go the inexpensive route, Samsung Galaxy S3 is great because you have LTE capability at a great price. Otherwise the S4 is great.

It's no more different than any other phone except that it's water and dust resistant but it doesn't mean the phone is more rugged than the regular S4. It's just as fragile and I'd recommend a case and screen protector like any other phone to protect from accidental damage and wear and tear.

You can do it, but you will need to pay a penalty dictated by the carrier