Samsung mentions that it placed a 20% thicker Gorilla Glass 5 covers on the Galaxy S9 and S9+, compared with their predecessors, and tougher, 7-series aluminum frame in the middle. Those reinforcements did indeed influence the newest breakability test that SquareTrade just outed. The tests pegged the S9 and S9+ at medium to medium-high breakability risk, 71 and 76 points, respectively, while the S8 and S8+ earned 76 and 77, i.e. shattered worse than their successors.
The firm uses drop machines to exclude as many variables as possible in its quest to hit the pavement with the newest phones, and the drop tests go front, back, sides, as well as some tumble drying, and you can observe the results in the video above. The S9 and S9+ displays and backs did shatter from the preset drop height, though, and the best you can hope for if you plop the S9 without a case while you are talking on it, will be "they were missing the sharp shards of glass that were seen during last year’s tests on the S8."
Corning, the makers of this toughened glass, is actually promising shoulder-height drop survival rates of up to 80% with Gorilla Glass 5 (it was waist-height with its predecessor Gorilla Glass 4), but before we see the Galaxy S9 fall face down on concrete, it's hard to gauge whether it would survive unscathed. Well, there are a few amateur drop tests from waist height circulating the YouTube confines already, and they indeed confirm that GG5 is pretty tough when the S9 was dropped from waist height, which is a pretty common scenario.
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When elevated six feet to -talk-on-the-phone height, though, and then slammed into the ground, as SquareTrade does in its latest round of standardized drop tests? That one didn't go so well, as you can see in the video, so we'd advise putting a case and screen protector on your precious the second you get it from the shop, or on your front porch. Still, the side drop showed a big improvement over the S8, so that's what you should pray for when the rubber glass meets the road.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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