The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra are now available worldwide. You can check them out in electronics stores and decide whether you want to buy one after your hands-on experience. But if you are considering picking up a Galaxy S22, you should know that the three models are more breakable than you might have expected. We saw a recent Galaxy S22 Ultra drop test that proved the largest model wouldn’t fare well without protective accessories. And now a brand new comparison reveals the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus perform just as poorly.
The Galaxy S22 series is already a huge success for Samsung, having sold better during preorders than its predecessors. The new phones feature great designs that are very durable and have high-end specs. Also, they’ll continue to receive Android OS updates for four years. Not to mention that the Ultra is practically a Note. Add to that the great price and preorder deals, and you end up with a Galaxy S version that’s quite exciting, especially to fans of the series.
The $799 Galaxy S22 is the phone many Galaxy S fans might end up buying. Unlike last year’s models, the entry-level device features a glass design. This makes the Galaxy S22 more durable, but doesn’t guarantee that it will survive drop tests any better than the Plus or the Ultra.
The drop test that we saw only looked at the Galaxy S22 Ultra, highlighting two immediate problems. First, the camera lens covers (see below) and the curved displays were prone to breaking. We also saw that the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Plus the front and back of the phone isn’t as durable as we might have thought. But that test did not feature the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus.
The Galaxy S22 drop test
Allstate put the Galaxy S22 through its standard drop tests and found that all three Galaxy S22 models will handle drops similarly. That’s to say there’s almost no difference between the smaller phones and the Ultra. All three phones sustained glass damage from the first drop, whether it was on the front or back.
As you’ll see in the video at the end of this post, Allstate dropped the handsets from six feet onto a rough sidewalk. This sort of drop test resulted in display and back panel damage on all three phones. The Galaxy S22 and S22 Ultra were unusable after the drop, however.
The back-drop test shattered the rear glass panels on all Galaxy S22 phones, but not the camera covers. The phones continued to function normally in this instance, camera experience included.
Finally, the side-drop test gives us a big difference between the three Galaxy S22 phones. The flat screens of the smaller handsets don’t get damaged, although the aluminum frame will take a hit. The Galaxy S22 Ultra shattered at the corners.
Consider protective gear
Allstate concluded that the Galaxy S22 models fared worse than their predecessors in drop tests. Here’s what Jason Siciliano, vice president and global creative director at Allstate Protection Plans, said:
With the new Galaxy S22, Samsung has again released a series of beautiful phones that feature incredible technology, design, cameras, and video functionality. Adding a built-in S Pen to the S22 Ultra is a real upgrade that consumers are sure to love, especially fans of the Galaxy Note. However, some of the design upgrades in the base S22 and S22 Ultra models have resulted in durability downgrades when compared to their Galaxy S21 predecessors. While these durability concerns shouldn’t prevent anyone from considering a Galaxy S22, they do increase the need for a case and screen protector.
You can check the results of the Galaxy S22 drop test below:
