Galaxy S21 drop test: it broke on the first drop

I had high hopes for the new Samsung Galaxy S21 phones phones that pass our drop test, even though Galaxy phones aren’t the most durable around our previous tests. The S21, S21 Plus and S21 UltraThe curved screens are not as pronounced as previous models and all screens are all covered in the strongest Gorilla Glass. But let’s just say my hopes were optimistic, and if you’re considering going without a case with your new Galaxy S21, you might want to read on.

While the three Galaxy S21 phones may look the same, the backs are all made of different materials. The S21 Plus and Ultra have glass on both sides, while the back of the regular S21 is made of plastic. Since this difference can affect the phone’s durability, we decided to test both the $ 1,200 (£ 1,149, AU $ 1,849) Galaxy Ultra and the $ 800 (£ 769, AU $ 1,249) Galaxy S21 at the same time.

Many factors play a role in the durability of the display, including the shape and thickness of the glass that the manufacturer decides to use. We know about our previous Note 20 Ultra drop test that even the strongest Gorilla Glass (Victus) is no match for pavement, with the screen cracking on the second drop from hip height. But that doesn’t mean the S21’s screen will share the same fate: the two have different designs, and the thick metal body protecting the camera looks sturdier than the all-glass module on previous Galaxy phones.

For our drop test, CNET senior video producer Chris Parker dropped a brand new Phantom Violet Samsung Galaxy S21 and Phantom Black S21 Ultra on a concrete sidewalk.

Drop 1: bag height (3 feet), screen side down

Falling from pocket or hip height is one of the most common causes of cracked screens, especially if your phone lands on a rough surface such as a sidewalk. We start all our tests at this altitude.

Galaxy S21: broken screen

The top left corner of the phone facing the camera hit the ground first, then the bottom corner, then the entire right side of the phone. This caused it to bounce back a bit and land with the screen down on the floor.

The lower left corner of the glass was shattered with a few larger cracks emerging from the point of impact, including a large domed one running through the center of the screen.

Galaxy S21 Ultra: a small tear

The initial impact of the drop seemed to be distributed relatively evenly when the phone hit the ground, with the top edge of the screen hitting the pavement just a little earlier than the rest. It then jumped back into the air, turned and landed with the screen up.

The top edge of the S21 Ultra’s metal frame had what looked like silver sand particles where the paint had been scraped, but the screen looked fine. That is, until we noticed a small crack in the top left corner of the phone. It was small enough that it probably wouldn’t bother you if you continued to use the phone, but it was still damaged and not the ideal scenario after just one drop.

Drop 2: bag height (3 feet), back down

To test the durability of the back, Chris dropped the phones from the same height with the screen facing up. Of course, we didn’t expect the plastic back of the S21 to break, but we wanted to see what kind of damage it would take and how the camera would survive the drop.

Galaxy S21: Small scratches

The top half of the phone hit the ground first and then the bottom causing it to jump into the air and do a few flips before landing back on the sidewalk back up.

Apart from a few small scratches on the bottom, there was hardly any damage to the plastic back as expected.

The camera was also in good working order, with no visible damage to the module or any of the three lenses carved into the metal case. Unlike previous Galaxy models where the entire camera bump is covered with glass, the module on the S21 is mostly metal and only the lenses are glass.

Galaxy S21 Ultra: shattered back

The phone almost fell flat to the ground, bounced a bit and turned on its side, landing backside up.

The glass back of the S21 Ultra did not survive. It had multiple breaks from the bottom left corner and ran all around the back of the phone and a few loose pieces of glass came out from the corner it hit.

The camera module, on the other hand, survived relatively unscathed, except for a few small dents on the metal housing.

Drop 3: 1.8m back down (S21), screen down (S21 Ultra)

Both phones were cracked at this point, but we decided to drop them one last time on the side that had the least damage.

Galaxy S21: Wear on the camera module

The weight of the camera module must play a role in the overflow, as this broke the fall again. Then as the camera hit first, the phone bounced on the other side and made a few somersaults in the air before falling to the floor with the screen up.

As expected, the back of the phone was still in good condition, but with more pronounced scratches to the bottom. The top left corner of the metal camera module, which broke the fall, also had noticeable scratches. But the lenses remained intact.

Galaxy S21 Ultra: Completely shattered screen

The phone landed almost completely flat, bounced up a bit, then hit his face first to the ground again.

The tiny crack in the top corner multiplied into a whole web of cracks that covered almost the entire front of the phone. Some were deep enough to penetrate the screen and obscure part of the OLED panel. The screen was still responsive to touch but small shards of glass came off so you wouldn’t have wanted to keep using it even with a screen protector on. The cracks in the back had also continued to grow, although they weren’t nearly as bad as those in the front.

A second opinion

Allstate Protection Plans performed a similar drop test on all three Galaxy S21 models with similar results. The screens broke after the first fall (in this case from 1.8 meters). The back of the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra also broke after the second drop from the same height (back side down).

The malfunction

While our tests are definitely not scientific and your results could be completely different if you drop your phone, our Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Ultra cracked on the first drop, which was disappointing. The S21 is ahead of the Ultra in that the back is unlikely to break, even if you drop it multiple times. But you still need to put a case on to protect the screen and I would consider investing in a screen protector as an extra layer of protection since the S21’s screen repair starts at $ 200. The silver lining is that the camera modules on both phones, which are more expensive to repair, due to the new metal casing appear more sturdy than in previous modules.

We contacted Samsung for comment on our results, but did not hear back at the time of publication.