The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra aces our favorite durability test

Summary

• The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a titanium frame and Gorilla Armor protection, making it more durable and scratch-resistant than previous flagship phones.
• The phone’s display shows significant improvements in scratch resistance, with deeper grooves appearing at level eight instead of level seven like other flagships.
• The S24 Ultra’s titanium frame is more scratch-resistant than aluminum, and the phone demonstrates excellent structural integrity even during a brutal bend test. However, caution is advised when handling the integrated S Pen.

Apple was the first brand to introduce titanium-bodied smartphones and now, they are all the rage. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is the newest Android flagship crafted with a titanium frame. However, the choice of materials isn’t the sole determinant of a phone’s durability. Zack Nelson of the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel knows this all too well, and given how fragile modern flagship phones can be, he took the S24 Ultra through his usual battery of tests. Let’s just say the results did not disappoint.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC paired with oodles of storage and memory for all your media requirements, but that’s all consumed through the display. After bucking the curved display trend with the Galaxy S7 Edge years ago, Samsung has ditched it for a classic flat display with the S24 Ultra, and we couldn’t have been happier. Moreover, Samsung has partnered with Corning, the makers of Gorilla Glass, to make the S24 Ultra the first phone with Gorilla Armor protection. Corning claims the tech makes the new phone’s display four times more resistant to micro-scratches, while cutting reflections to boost optical clarity.

Zack notes how the reflections are significantly lower on the S24 Ultra as opposed to his Samsung phone from a few years ago. In his famed scratch test performed with Mohs hardness picks, the Galaxy S24 screen shows visible marks at level six, but Zack remarks the pick doesn’t feel like it’s digging into the glass. A cursory glance at the scratches through a microscope proved him right, too. Proper scratches appear at level seven, where most flagships with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection would display deeper grooves. On the S24 Ultra, deeper grooves only appear when level eight picks are used. This is a nice step-up from the current crop of flagships using Victus 2 for protection.

Scratch resistance of the Gorilla Armor

Importantly, Zack’s results seem to align with PBKreviews’ tests from last week, where the phone scratched at level eight, with deeper grooves at level nine. As for the light scratching at level 6, Zack reasons that it could have been material transfer from the Mohs pick onto the oleophobic coating, but quickly dismisses that explanation when the scratches don’t fade upon heating, because coatings should evaporate when heated. That said, the demonstrable improvement in resistance to micro-scratches is remarkable because our phone picks up a lot of them when sharing pockets with keys, coins, and other hard objects.

Scratches on the frame

The titanium frame is also more scratch resistant than aluminum, scratching at level six of the Mohs hardness scale instead of level three like aluminum. This means the S24 Ultra’s frame is scratch resistant and sturdier than the average smartphone, but it has weak spots, such as the metal insert buttons along the sides, which aren’t made from titanium. However, the new material makes the phone incredibly stiff, which helps it survive Zack’s brutal bend test. While phones like the Pixel 7 cracked up and the OnePlus 10 Pro simply folded over, the S24 Ultra didn’t even crack, groan, or exhibit panel delamination.

Bend test on the Galaxy S24 Ultra

Snapping the phone’s integrated S Pen like a twig reveals familiar internals, featuring a capacitor instead of a battery at the top, and a set of copper coils near the tip to help it register on the magnetizer layer of the display. Structural integrity clearly isn’t the S Pen’s forte, so we suggest you handle it with ample care.

JerryRigEverything’s familiar durability test shows the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a serious piece of kit, built to withstand bending if you sit on it by accident, and abrasion from other items in your pocket. With proper care, it should serve you well for several years. However, glass tends to shatter when impact is concentrated at a single point along its edge. So, perhaps a top-tier protective case would be a good idea, even if you think a screen protector isn’t needed.