Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra titanium frame and screen upgrades appear to give no benefit in drop test

Could Samsung’s flagship be beaten by its predecessor?

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TheSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultramay be more susceptible to breaking when dropped than the olderGalaxy S23 Ultraand could be harder to return if it develops a fault.In a breakability test performed by the insurance company,Allstate Protection Plansall threeSamsung Galaxy S24models were dropped front-facing from a height of 6 feet onto a pavement (or sidewalk, if you’re American). As you can expect this resulted in shattered screens and loose glass in all models. The test was repeated on the back with all three shattering, again rendering all the phones unusable.

However, the Galaxy 24 Ultra appeared to have the most extensive damage in the test, the video states it was worse when compared to last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra was featured in another video that seemed to take the beating a little better than its newer counterpart. However, the biggest surprise was that theSamsungGalaxy Z Fold 5was featured in the same drop tests, proving to be the most resistant. This is surprising due to the more delicate and intricate parts used in a folding phone compared to the arguably more solid Galaxy S23 and S24 Ultra phones.The Galaxy S24 Ultra would be expected to be more resistant to damage, especially as two of the key features of the phone are its upgradedCorning Gorilla Armorand the addition ofSamsung’s first titanium frame, which should be much more resistant due to its higher tensile strength when compared to standard aluminum.

Titanium teardown

Zack Nelson, from theYouTubechannelJerryRigEverythingpreviously performedscratch testson both the screen and frame of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, stating the new glass and frame appear more resilient, but he also questioned the grade of titanium used.This was discovered in a recentfollow-up, Nelson tore down the phone, and using a special XRF scanner, he identified the grade of titanium used as grade 2 titanium. Grade 2 should still provide more protection than aluminum, but isn’t likely to be as resistant as theiPhone 15 ProandiPhone 15 Pro Max’s grade 5 titanium.

Repair nightmares

Adding to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s woes, users are reporting horizontal green lines appearing on their screens after only a few days.

On the Samsung Community forum user,Qu1JcMmaCOexplained after reporting the appearance of a green line on the screen to Samsung Care+, they were told it was a manufacturing defect and they couldn’t exchange it.

The users claimed that Samsung told them to return and repurchase the device and that they would lose their pre-order discount and need to pay more for the device. Samsung then apparently told the user to complain to their carrier, T-Mobile, which understandably left the user confused and disappointed.

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The same issue appeared on the Galaxy S24 Ultra of Reddit user,Independent-Bet-4916. The user claimed that speaking to Samsung was “the worst gaslighting experience of my life”. They were allegedly told to speak to their carrier, Verizon, and to receive a new device through them. The user then alleges that a Verizon store assistant accused them of damaging the phone and after speaking to another Verizon store they were advised to buy a new device and ship the old one off to Verizon to receive a refund.

However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s green line defects appearance is reportedly rare and will seemingly need professional display repair or replacement. We contacted Samsung and haven’t yet commented on these issues but we will update this article if and when we hear from the company.

While your phone breaking when dropped isn’t too shocking, the Galaxy S24 Ultra was expected to be far more resilient due to its new titanium build and upgraded glass; it’s also a reminder to consider a phone case or even opt for phone insurance to possibly save money and trouble in the long run.

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James Ide was a writer for TechRadar specializing in phones and tablets, having previously worked at The Daily Mirror since 2016, covering news and reviews.

James loves messing with the latest tech, especially phones due to their incredibly rapid pace of development.

When not surrounded by various devices and/or tinkering with gadgets while putting them through their paces, James has a love of handheld consoles.

He is almost the textbook definition of a geek, who loves sci-fi, comics, games and of course, all things tech. If you think you have a story for him or just want to challenge him at Smash Bros, get in touch.

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