S21 Durability

[reintgenrc]

This post is in response to CNet's drop testing of the S21 and S21 Ultra. I will include a link. But the jist is the S21's screen broke from only a 3' drop. I know most people in these forums will be utilizing a case but regardless is anyone concerned about these findings?

https://www.cnet.com/news/galaxy-s21-drop-test-it-broke-on-the-first-drop/

 

[felloffthetruck]

That's that tough Gorilla Glass Victus for you. :-\

Not even going to use my phone until I get the dome glass installed.

 

[chimpboy74]

I'm not concerned, no. When I've spent this amount of money on a phone I'm going to be ultra cautious about dropping it.

Case, screen protector, Insurance etc and a good grip to protect my investment.

 

[reintgenrc]

I'm not concerned, no. When I've spent this amount of money on a phone I'm going to be ultra cautious about dropping it.

Case, screen protector, Insurance etc and a good grip to protect my investment.

I'm right there with you in terms of protection. The S21 Ultra I'm getting this week is going to be suited up with a screen protector, UAG case, and backed by insurance.

I guess my reason for the post is that I've seen drop tests before on the S20 and S10 and for the most part the phone screens did not crack as such a short distance. It seems to me that the S21 is a step backwards in terms of durability. Not sure if that's the fault of the Gorilla Glass Victus or perhaps other material choices (plastic back plus flat screen).

 

[Morty2264]

I'm wary, but most phones seem to be in that "fragile" boat. Plus, footage figures aside, it's also *how* the phone falls that can cause the break. A three-foot drop at a certain angle could shatter the screen; whereas a five-foot drop at a different angle may cause little to no damage. I've dropped glass phones face first and had no issues... But I still think it's all in the way they fall; and, like you've said, if the user has cases and screen protectors installed. So many variables!

 

[Rose4uKY]

I'm wary, but most phones seem to be in that "fragile" boat. Plus, footage figures aside, it's also *how* the phone falls that can cause the break. A three-foot drop at a certain angle could shatter the screen; whereas a five-foot drop at a different angle may cause little to no damage. I've dropped glass phones face first and had no issues... But I still think it's all in the way they fall; and, like you've said, if the user has cases and screen protectors installed. So many variables!

I just don't see how certain people and it's just their preference like to go naked with no case at all. That would scare the crap out of me on such an expensive phone! I mean we have insurance and I always get a good case and a screen protector. Which I need to do right now I don't have a screen protector yet.

 

[Gary02468]

I just don't see how certain people and it's just their preference like to go naked with no case at all. That would scare the crap out of me on such an expensive phone!

It really depends on how careful a person is able to be. Some of us drop our phones less than once a year; for others, it's several times a month. If you drop the phone infrequently enough, it may only suffer damage once every decade or two. And in that case, it's more expensive in the long run to buy cases, screen protectors, and/or insurance each year than it is to skip all those things and just pay for repair in the rare event that it's needed. But if it happens much more often, then the extra cost of protection will save you money in the long run.

 

[anon(19759)]

I just don't see how certain people and it's just their preference like to go naked with no case at all. That would scare the crap out of me on such an expensive phone! I mean we have insurance and I always get a good case and a screen protector. Which I need to do right now I don't have a screen protector yet.

I used to go naked with every phone until this one. It's so slippery, so I got a Bare Naked case and it's really just for scratch protection. I can't stand thick bulky cases that provide drop protection.

 

[CaribMas]

I'm not concerned. These drop tests don't prove anything to me. When a phone or other object containing glass is dropped onto concrete or another hard object, I expect it to get damaged. It doesn't matter if it's gorilla glass or not. I think there are too many variables to reliably determine the extent of damage if a phone falls or is accidentally dropped.

 

[consultant1027]

The most well controlled tests have shown that the Victus has no real-life significant improvement in break and scratch protection over Gorilla Glass 6. Yes it's better but only by a very little bit. The "4 times better" is marketing hype. Keep your case on. And unfortunately, unless you are coming from a Note 20 or an S20 Ultra, an S21 Ultra with a case on is relatively one big chunky and heavy phone. For the young crowd that considers their phone sort of a status symbol, huge and noticeable might be a good thing. For those of use with average size hands and aren't fat asses wearing 38-inch plus pants with huge pockets, the S21 Ultra size is pushing the limits of good ergonomics.

 

[J Dubbs]

The most well controlled tests have shown that the Victus has no real-life significant improvement in break and scratch protection over Gorilla Glass 6. Yes it's better but only by a very little bit. The "4 times better" is marketing hype. Keep your case on. And unfortunately, unless you are coming from a Note 20 or an S20 Ultra, an S21 Ultra with a case on is relatively one big chunky and heavy phone. For the young crowd that considers their phone sort of a status symbol, huge and noticeable might be a good thing. For those of use with average size hands and aren't fat asses wearing 38-inch plus pants with huge pockets, the S21 Ultra size is pushing the limits of good ergonomics.

So you're saying it's not a pocket phone, but more of a man purse/backpack/belt holster/carry in your hand fashion statement type of phone? I haven't seen one in person yet but it sounds like it could double as a nice hand weapon in a pinch I've heard of pistol-whipped but never phone-whipped lol.

 

[Larry 609]

The S21 Ultra will be the first phone I haven't had any insurance for in years. Or at least where I'm not paying for it during the initial year or two anyway. I've dropped phones plenty over the past decade, but have never so much as damaged or cracked one. I also usually have a case on mine at all times, so I'm sure that factors in too!

Overall, the cost of insurance just doesn't add up to where it's worth it for me at this point. And I figure if something does happen down the road, I'll probably pay as much as I did (or a bit less) with the insurance I would've paid by then. Having a Samsung phone also brings some peace of mind, since that basically means most (if not all) third party repairs are possible. If this had been an HTC phone two years ago, there's almost no way I could have had something fixed locally.