Samsung Galaxy S8+: The Fragile Champion

[datum9]

I was super careful for 1.5 years but finally it happened, dropped it and the screen shattered in multiple places. youtube is full of reports and I have seen many others cracked, not just the screen but the glass back. What a dumb design. I went back to LG V20 which is 300% better durability-wise.

I think the curved edge makes it inherently more fragile, which is a terrible combination given the very thin and slippery sides.


Galaxy S8 Screen TOO EASY TO CRACK?! Mine Broke TWICE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-vSOMWIN5g

Samsung Galaxy S8+ Review: The Fragile Champion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-bE944UDD8

 

[Rukbat]

The curved edge has to be annealed - perfectly. If there's a single stress point, even the size of a pinpoint, even placing the phone down gently, on soft padding, on its back, can cause the screen to shatter.

Which is why I don't buy phones with curved edges.

 

[datum9]

That is a very wise choice.
What I find disturbing this curved edge insanity has spread to other manufacturers. LG for example has swallowed it whole. As has Apple apparently. Their older phones were 16:9 and flat screen, now they embraced the 18.5 or 19:9 stupidity and curved edge. I really don't get what you gain with that "feature".

I think it's a fad that will go away in a few years.

Anyway, I went from the S8+ 18.5:9 to 16:9 ration of LG v20 and what a relief.

It's so much easier to read in the vertical mode when the screen is wider.

 

[datum9]

I got an update, my S8+ should be returning from the screen replacement people shortly. I sent it to this guy in TX. The entire cost was under 60 and I will report just how good of a job they do.

I did call a few local places and they all quoted me north of 200, which is clearly not worth it for a used, old S8+ that you can buy used for the same amount.

Anyway, be careful, this device is extremely slippery, desperately needs some kind of Otter-case. I usually keep it inside a ZeroLemon "battery" - it's more of an external charger type device which significantly adds to the thickness and durability and making it easier to hold. It's just too thin otherwise. I think the ZL case with the S8+ in it makes the whole contraption at least 20mm thick, maybe thicker. You push the button on the rear and it starts charging. I don't like it as much as a real battery that replaces the OEM battery a la Note 4 or LG V20.

I migrated to the LG V20 and haven't figured out what I will do with this S8+, probably give it to a relative.

 

[Golurk]

That is a very wise choice.
What I find disturbing this curved edge insanity has spread to other manufacturers. LG for example has swallowed it whole. As has Apple apparently. Their older phones were 16:9 and flat screen, now they embraced the 18.5 or 19:9 stupidity and curved edge. I really don't get what you gain with that "feature".

I think it's a fad that will go away in a few years.

Anyway, I went from the S8+ 18.5:9 to 16:9 ration of LG v20 and what a relief.

It's so much easier to read in the vertical mode when the screen is wider.

Half of what you said is more or less false, and the other half I disagree with (IMHO)

Firstly an 18:9 aspect ratio is far superior to a phone with 16:9 aspect ratio. This is because it allows space for a much larger screen than a 16:9 phone would. A common example is an 18:9 phone with a 6 inch display that is almost the same size as a 16:9 phone with a 5.5 inch display. It also means that bezels are slimmer.

The newer aspect ratios aren’t a fad and they won’t go away either...look at every new phone released within the past 3 years and nearly all of them have the 18/19:9 aspect ratio. Like it or not, the new ratio is here to stay (I do think that 20/21:9 is silly and too tall though).

Second thing is the curved edge. This has its advantages and disadvantages, and there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ to it. And you’ll find that a few manufacturers have used curved screens (Samsung on their flagship phones for the past 4 years, LG on the V30 and Huawei with the Mate 20 and P30 Pros.)

So you’ll find that the vast majority of phones still have flat screens. Google, Apple and LG all do flat screen flagships as well as premium devices from Huawei, Samsung and OnePlus.

The supposed advantage of curved screens is a much more immersive viewing experience (which I agree with) and many phones now have gesture-controlled side panels to quickly access important widgets. The downside is reading extremely wide text/pictures and accidental presses. But unless you’re clumsy or not used to them, accidental presses are usually be rare.

The metal/glass curved design really isn’t dumb either...otherwise it wouldn’t have been one of Samsung’s most successful phones. And unless you look at reputable sources (e.g TechRadar) I’d say many if not most of YouTube tech reviewers are clickbait. The glass back allows wireless charging but does mean more fragility+fingerprints...a case could solve that problem though.

On a side note, the S8 Plus is a much better phone than the LG V20...if you disagree then you must really like flat screens and older ratios/reading. The spec difference between the two speak for themselves...don’t even think about the LG software ‘experience’ XD

BTW, why didn’t you use a case with your S8+? If you knew it was made of glass/metal, had curved edges and that at some point you’d inevitably drop it, why didn’t you buy a case? Sorry if this post appears aggressive but I am genuinely confused as to how you prefer a device that (on paper) is vastly inferior to another.

So that’s my contribution to this thread

 

[datum9]

My LG V20 with the 5.7" 16:9 screen appears larger than the Samsung S8+ with the 6.2" and 18.5:9 ratio. Side by side, LG V20 looks bigger. At the very least, not any smaller. Just more useful. I like reading things in the portrait mode. They appear just right on a 16:9 phone versus the very narrow portrait mode in a 19:9 phone.

I used ZeroLemon extender battery or power bank for the S8+ and almost never remove it from the device. It didn't offer the degree of protection than a real otterbox would. The raised lip apparently did not extend above the curved screen. Given the very small 3500mAh battery of the S8+, I constantly had to recharge the phone with the power bank it was in. The fact it was very thick was a bonus as it was easier to hold.

S8+ is a lot faster than V20, it reboots much faster. Has more memory. The downside is the stupid Bixby button that's useless for anything, I remapped it to act like a camera button but even then it's not a completely satisfactory solution. What a dumb idea. I wish Samsung would let users define that button.

All in all I like V20 a lot more. It's the little things, like the power button replacement, and when I turn wifi or sound on/off it goes from white to black
while Samsung just changes the tone very slightly.

 

[Golurk]

Fair enough, the S8 does have its fair share of weaknesses, and reading is probably easier on the V20 for you.

But btw you can remap the Bixby button to open any other app.

 

[datum9]

I remapped the Bixby button a long time ago and it works, kind of. There is a split second when it tries to start the Bixby app but then immediately shifts over to camera, which is what I defined it as.
Just tired of fighting it.