Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra squares off against Mohs hardness picks

Summary

• The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features Gorilla Armor protection for the display, offering greater toughness and scratch resistance than the S23 series.
• The Gorilla Armor on the S24 Ultra scratches at level eight on the Mohs hardness scale, two tiers better than the Victus 2 protection on the S23 series.
• The titanium frame of the S24 Ultra scratches easily at level four on the Mohs hardness scale, so investing in a protective case is recommended, even if a screen protector may not be necessary.

Samsung unveiled its latest flagship, the Galaxy S24 series, earlier this month at the Galaxy Unpacked event. The hardware isn’t visually different from last year’s S23 series, but Samsung has updated the internals and worked with Corning to outfit the top of the line S24 Ultra with Gorilla Armor to protect the screen. Although the company is confident in the display’s abrasion resistance, there’s only so much one can determine from tall claims marketing materials. YouTuber PBKreviews has finally used Mohs hardness picks to determine the new material’s real-world toughness.

During the Galaxy S24 launch event, Samsung emphasized that the new S24 Ultra is the first phone to sport Gorilla Armor protection for the display. Besides being Corning’s toughest glass yet, the display is also less reflective than other screens. Interestingly, the new Gorilla Armor tech is an S24 exclusive, because the basic S24 and S24+ models stick with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection from last year.

In JerryRigEverything’s durability test of the Galaxy S23 series, we see that a Victus 2 screen scratches at level six on the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves at level seven. Now, YouTuber PBKreviews sacrificed an S24 Ultra to test its screen with similar Mohs hardness picks. In the video, the Gorilla Armor scratches at level eight, with deeper grooves visible at level nine — that’s two whole tiers better than Victus 2, meaning that screws, thumb tacks, and even dull knives should not leave scratches on your S24 Ultra’s display.

Deeper grooves made by a level nine Mohs hardness pick are visible on the left

However, PBKReviews also tested the Mohs hardness of the new titanium frame Samsung has used on the S24 Ultra. The material scratches immediately at level four with visible scuffing when a level five pick is used, and that’s perfectly understandable. Although titanium is known as a premium lightweight material with military-grade strength, it has lower tensile strength and stiffness than steel, which doesn’t help the abrasion resistance.

Scratching from the level four pick is visible on the right

So, although the giant glass canvas of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra may bear the brunt of sharp items, the phone’s frame may end up with a lot of scratches and scuffs. For this reason, we suggest you invest in a Samsung Care+ subscription to protect against accidental damage, or just get one of the best S24 Ultra cases for the frame, even if you deem screen protection unnecessary. We loved how PBKreviews gets straight to the testing in their video, which is just a few minutes long: