Samsung uses lower quality titanium than Apple on its flagship phone

Apple switched to titanium edges for the iPhone 15 Pro’s frame in 2023. Apart from a more premium in-hand feel, this also led to a notable weight reduction. Not to be left behind, Samsung uses a chassis with titanium edges on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But unlike its primary competitor, the Korean giant uses lower-grade titanium. Additionally, contrary to Apple, it uses a combination of aluminum and plastic for the internals.

YouTuber JerryRigEverything, who previously put the S24 Ultra through our favorite durability test, took the phone apart to find out how much titanium Samsung uses. As a part of the process, he put the metal through a 2,000°F (1,100°C) furnace to separate the materials.

Unlike aluminum, titanium is much more expensive. So, Samsung uses it only for the edges of the chassis. Internally, the company uses aluminum for the frame, fusing the two using plastic. Using titanium for the entire internal frame makes little sense, as the metal is a lot more expensive and difficult to cast and mill into a particular shape.

This is unlike Apple, which developed a custom process to fuse the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium edges directly with the aluminum frame. There’s no superior method here, though Samsung’s implementation allows it to integrate the antenna lines into the S24 Ultra’s edges.

Further, an XRF scan reveals that Samsung uses grade 2 titanium on the S24 Ultra, while Apple uses grade 5 titanium on its 2023 iPhones. This means the Cupertino company is paying more for sourcing titanium than Samsung. But, since both companies use the metal purely as a cosmetic addition, Samsung’s use of a lower-grade titanium does not make much difference.

The titanium also improves the S24 Ultra’s durability, which is a welcome addition. Plus, the titanium frame does not scratch as easily as aluminum. No wonder Samsung’s latest flagship did so well in JerryRigEverything’s bend test.

Corning’s newest Gorilla Armor glass perfectly complements the improved durability, as it only shows scratches at level seven, with deeper grooves appearing at level eight on the Mohs scale. This is a step up from the current crop of Android phones, which use Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and show deep scratches at level seven. That’s on top of the cover glass’s ability to reflect less ambient light for a better viewing experience.

Even if you are not interested in how much titanium Samsung uses on the S24 Ultra, you should watch the video by YouTuber Zack Nelson. It reveals the phone’s internal components in all their glory, including the Korean company’s placement of the haptic motor inside the bottom speaker chamber. You also get a look at the bigger vapor chamber, which is almost twice the size of previous flagship Galaxy phones.