Samsung Galaxy S21 And Galaxy S21 Ultra Drop Test: Too Vulnerable!

Previous Samsung Galaxy S smartphones were not very durable in drop tests. However, the Galaxy S21 models are made with curved displays, which are not as pronounced as their predecessors, while all the screens are protected with the strongest Gorilla Glass. But before claiming anything, let’s see how they survived this drop test.

Whenever a flagship is out, especially from Apple and Samsung, CNET always takes the time to conduct a drop test to see how durable the phones are. And to summarize the drop test results for the new Galaxy S devices, let’s just say you may want to think very carefully before deciding to go case-less with these handsets.

Despite the similar designs, three Galaxy S21 phones feature different materials on the back panel. Samsung uses glass on both sides of the S21 and S21 Ultra but uses plastic to cover the back of the standard S21. CNET reporters tested the S21 Ultra and S21.

Round 1: One meter high, screen down

This is the most common height from which a person may drop their phone and cause a cracked screen, especially if the phone lands on a sidewalk. So, this is always the first height to test.

In terms of the Galaxy S21, the top-left corner of the screen hit the ground first, then the bottom, then the whole right side of the handset. The phone then bounced once and landed the screen side on the ground. The bottom-left corner had shattered with some large cracks.

As for the S21 Ultra, it seemed that the initial impact of the drop was distributed evenly as the top edge of the display hit the sidewalk then the rest of the phone did. Then, the phone bounced into the air, flipped, and landed on its back. The paint on the top edge of the phone’s frame was scraped and there was a small crack in the top-left corner of the device.

Round 2: One meter, back down

The second drop was meant to test how durable the back of the phones are.

The top half of the Galaxy S21 hit the ground, the bottom edge next before the phone jumped in the air and landed on the sidewalk on its front. Except for some tiny scrapes on the phone’s bottom, there was hardly any damage to the plastic cover. The camera remained in good shape without any visible damage.

In terms of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, it also landed with its back side up. Unlike the S21, the S21 Ultra had several fractures at the bottom left corner running up the back panel. Also, some loose pieces of glass came off the corner. The camera module remains intact.

Round 3: 1.8 meters, back down (S21), screen down (S21 Ultra)

As for the Galaxy S21, the camera module hit the ground first, then the phone bounced, did a few flips, and landed with the screen side up. The back remained fine but there were some big scrapes towards the bottom along with some noticeable scratches on the top left corner of the camera module. However, the lenses were unscathed.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S21 Ultra landed nearly flat. This time, the tiny crack in the top corner of the phone became a web of cracks that covered almost the whole phone of the device. Some cracks even penetrated the screen and blacked out part of the OLED display. Tiny shards of glass came off the front but the screen still responded to touch. The cracks on the back also grew, just not as bad as those on the front.

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