Repair Shops Stoked: Samsung Galaxy S8 Most Fragile Phone Ever Made

Megalith

Megalith

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The Galaxy S8 is expected to be a huge hit for the smartphone repair industry, as the design of its Infinity Display and glass back has made it incredibly delicate. Tests show that the phone can easily crack when dropped on any side, and what makes it even better for repair shops is that the prices of wholesale replacement screens are significantly cheaper compared to last generation’s displays. I wish there was a design flaw that would force Samsung to go back to flat screens…

…electronics insurance company SquareTrade put Samsung's new flagship phone through its breakability test, a series of drops, dunks, and tumbles. It was deemed the most breakable phone of all time: "S8 is the first phone we've tested that's cracked on the first drop on ALL sides," SquareTrade wrote in a video demonstrating the drops. There's an obvious reason for this, of course. The S8 is made almost entirely of glass, and has barely any top or bottom bezel, which is why the phone is marketed as having an "infinity screen." The upshot here is that screen replacements on the Galaxy S8 are cheaper than the Galaxy S7 was at release, and the prices figure to come down even further quite quickly.
 
This whole "less bezel" trend looks like the "thinner phone" trend to me...All these manufactures pushing to reduce bezels and make the phones thinner at the expense of battery life, durability, usability, etc, etc.

Seems like the "infinity screen" and "super thin" designs are always just covered up by a tough Otterbox-style case right away anyway, so why even bother?
 
Folks, as someone that knows first hand how delicate these are.... I don't often say this but I highly advocate voting with your wallet and going with any other android maker until Samsung gets a clue.

My S7 Edge that I had for work had a cracked screen in less than 6 months of normal use. It cracked when dropping it on carpet for christ sakes. Thankfully through my work I was able to trade it in for an S7, the IT guy was a little dumb founded when I said I wanted to trade in my S7 Edge for the S7 at first. I'm incredibly glad I was able to because the flat screen is a million times better.

As far as personal phones, I won't be buying any samsung until they drop this stupid shit.
 
I like the look of the no-bezel screen and I've never managed to crack one before. However I've always at least had a "bumper" style case with additional grip and a lip to protect the front/back. I don't want or need one of those giant ass cases. At that point, I might as well just lug a tablet around.
Not gonna buy a Samsung either way, but I'm hopeful that other devices with this design won't be as fragile. Either that or they have a design that better accommodates edge protecting cases.
 
minimalist flexible silicon cases are perfect for preventing this .. they aren't expensive and can last well past the (expected) service life of your phone.. most folks upgrade after less then 2 years anyways...
 
Lets not forget that this *is* an insurance company posting this video. Their goal isn't to educate you on the breakability of the phone but to convince you that you need phone insurance...
 
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I'm eye'ing the Blackberry KeyOne, physical keyboard (hnnnng), rubberized back, big battery.
 
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Why is it so difficult for people to just be careful with their damn phone? Just replaced my Galaxy Note 2 after using it for 5 years. Only two small scratches in the whole screen, which is more than I can say for most people who have had their phone for a single week. I just picked up a Galaxy S8+. No screen protector or any of that bullshit either. I'm sure I'll be just fine with my "fragile" phone lol.
 
Still blows my mind people want phones this large but want it skinny to the point of fragile at such a high price point. I'll stick with my IP:SE.
 
That_Sound_Guy said:
Still blows my mind people want phones this large but want it skinny to the point of fragile at such a high price point. I'll stick with my IP:SE.
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Is it a matter of that being what people want?

Do people have a choice?

I spent years waiting for a phone that was actually large, and didn't care if it was thick. They don't exist, even for those who want one. I used an aftermarket ~10,000mah battery on my Note 2 that made the phone almost an inch thick and I loved it. I probably wouldn't have even gone with an S8+ if my Note 2 hadn't up and died.
 
I held a s8 demo and I found it very uncomfortable to hold also curved glass makes screen protector difficult to get good ones. My motoxpure has a slight curve at the edge there are 0 good glass screen protector and 2 good cases...
 
I purchased an S8+ on Sunday. It was to replace my S3, an old soldier for sure. I took it back yesterday, put my S3 back on the line and put an Asus ZenPad Z8 on instead. Way, way happier now.
In my location, the S8+ got worse signal coverage in the exact same spots. Ran them individually just to be sure. That and the very unconvincing otterbox were deciding factors. Nice phone and all, but not for me.

Also, if I'm going to lug around something the size of a tablet, it might as well be a fuckin tablet
 
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Exactly Rice. If you walk in today and want to get a new phone you actually have very few options if you want a phone that supports all the wireless networks, etc.

I broke my S8 within a couple of days of purchase, Best Buy was out of screen protectors and a passed on the case the salesman showed me, an Otterbox, because the phone was so pretty and the case so ugly. I intended to get a case as soon as I had a chance and I set the damn phone on my dash, the same way I always used to set my Droid Turbo on the dash, that slick assed Samsung bitch slid right the fuck off and cracked the screen in two corners, one from the initial impact the second from the rebounding action of the opposite corner.

Now the phone still works and I do have a case on it. I'll take it back and have it fixed soon. But I agree, the options are just not there. My Droid Turbo was a tank, find me a new offering anything like it, I didn't.

EDITED: Oh, and Best Buy is charging $160 deductible for an S8 screen replacement, that's if you bought their insurance.
 
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GotNoRice said:
Why is it so difficult for people to just be careful with their damn phone? Just replaced my Galaxy Note 2 after using it for 5 years. Only two small scratches in the whole screen, which is more than I can say for most people who have had their phone for a single week. I just picked up a Galaxy S8+. No screen protector or any of that bullshit either. I'm sure I'll be just fine with my "fragile" phone lol.
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It's not really the point...Accidents happen! I'm VERY careful with my phone, but I've still lost one due to an accident. The phone was in an Otterbox-style case, in a padded pouch in my backpack on the beach. My wife dropped a beer that landed upside down inside the backpack. Phone toasted, and totally not my fault.

The point is that a phone should be able to survive SOME minor abuse. It's not something you keep locked in a display case, it's something you carry and use daily, and it's eventually going to be dropped or banged into something, no matter how careful you are.
 
I broke my old HTC 8x by having it in my front pocket and leaning on a pool table to make a shot. Accidents do indeed happen.
 
Scratched my S8 with a grain of sand. This phone is the most delicate thing I have ever used. And I had a GS3 and GS6.
 
Bandalo said:
This whole "less bezel" trend looks like the "thinner phone" trend to me...All these manufactures pushing to reduce bezels and make the phones thinner at the expense of battery life, durability, usability, etc, etc.

Seems like the "infinity screen" and "super thin" designs are always just covered up by a tough Otterbox-style case right away anyway, so why even bother?
Click to expand...

So my OtterBox can be even thinner!



But seriously. When my LG G5 died, I switched to an S7 only because of the OLED. The glass also seems better (no scratches whereas the G5 did scratch).

But had it not been free (had a spare from the company), I wouldn't touch a Samsung. I like my bootloader's unlocked and my repairability to be high.
 
I baby my Nexus 6P, after hearing stuff like this about this new phone, I am glad I do [baby the phone]. I have dodged the two big issues with the 6P so I feel pretty lucky.
 
My wife's Note 5 in an Otterbox Commuter got annihilated when it fell off the bench and onto the floor in the Y women's locker room. Like, 2 feet. Cracked the screen and caused the screen to totally fail, then later that night the phone wouldn't power on, even when plugged in to the wall outlet.

She got an S7 Edge and another Otterbox and we're hoping for the best. So yeah, accidents happen. Replacement deductible was $112.

Meanwhile my S7 Active is a fucking tank. I put a screen protector on it just because reviews said the screen scratches easily. I'll be due for an upgrade around the time the S9 line is released and I'm hoping they release an Active version of the S9, I'm so sticking with this type of phone.
 
Still using a Galaxy S5. Only had screen protectors because I work in a lot of dust and sand environments. I don't care how good the screen is, fine sand will scratch the shit out it in a pocket that has some grains of quartz sand in it.
Before the S5, I had a Droid Razr with the Kevlar back. Both have been very durable and neither had a case on them.
I have said this before. We pay $500 to $800 for a phone that the manufacture can't protect, but an aftermarket company can come up with a $20 piece of plastic or rubber that will protect it? Why can't the manufacturers build the case with padding and reinforcement from the factory?

That being said, my S5 is getting old. If I have to replace it I may go with a Pixel. At least it does not have a glass back.
 
Bandalo said:
Seems like the "infinity screen" and "super thin" designs are always just covered up by a tough Otterbox-style case right away anyway, so why even bother?
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Because if it had a thick bezel and was thick and THEN you put a case on it, it would be even thicker... right?

8mm thick phone + 3mm thick case = 11mm thick.
12mm thick phone + 3mm thick case = 15mm thick.

A penny is about a mm thick, and so it all adds up and can become bulky.

Now you might ask, why bother making the back pretty if you are going to use a case? Because they might use a case like mine that is clear:
https://www.amazon.com/Spigen-Hybri...494382579&sr=8-1&keywords=galaxy+s8+plus+case

Why not build the phone to have case-like protection included? If its NOT integrated, consumers have choice over phone case designs and bulkiness/protection level, and as a case is scratched up and damaged from use (or the consumer just gets tired of it), they can change it for around $10-15, which they can't if its built in.
 
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PNut12345 said:
My wife's Note 5 in an Otterbox Commuter got annihilated when it fell off the bench and onto the floor in the Y women's locker room. Like, 2 feet. Cracked the screen and caused the screen to totally fail, then later that night the phone wouldn't power on, even when plugged in to the wall outlet.
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You sure she didn't lie to you, so you wouldn't get mad? I've seen videos of otterboxes thrown down the street and picked up and working like a champ. *shrugs* It sounds like something I'd do to deflect if I put my phone on top of my car and drove off and noticed it fall off at 40mph and get hit by a car, and I'd be all, "G'damn otterbox, I held it up to my ear too hard and the case exploded, strangest thing, what a ripoff case!"

"The only thing worse than making a tragic mistake is admitting to it." - me, just now
 
LOL everyone cried about how outdated it the iphone 7 looks now yet its one of the most durable phones out there. Apple will go edgeless next gen to please the haters then they will bitch about how fragile it is.

Consumers are dicks in general lol, would hate to design products for a living.
 
I'd be concerned about it snapping in my pocket too.

So they've gone from not giving enough space for the battery to not enough space for the screen. lol.
 
Should've made the fucking thing from composite layers of plastic like the display (a POLED display is buried in there) on the Droid Turbo 2 is: it's not glass at all so there's no real chance of it shattering at any point and someone could put a tempered glass screen protector on top of that if they wanted some level of scratch protection (as the composite layered plastics don't have the same level of scratch resistance as Gorilla Glass does).

Got no use for a smartphone with that much glass in it, just ain't happening. Metal, plastic, some glass on the display or composite layered plastics along with a POLED or something similar, I'm game. :)
 
hahahaha...like my S8+...otter box defender works fine ...no complaints....awww sorry that it doesn't suck
 
6p owner here as well -- I'm past the phase of "gotta have the latest" at this point. I bought it direct, and put a case on it. I've had it maybe a year, but it already has a chipped edge of the glass, and two scratches from falling face first into the edge of my glass night stand. Love the phone, but honestly wish i'd gotten the 5X, this one is just a wee bit too big for my liking.
 
Bandalo said:
This whole "less bezel" trend looks like the "thinner phone" trend to me...All these manufactures pushing to reduce bezels and make the phones thinner at the expense of battery life, durability, usability, etc, etc.

Seems like the "infinity screen" and "super thin" designs are always just covered up by a tough Otterbox-style case right away anyway, so why even bother?
Click to expand...

Which is why I own a Moto Z Force -- 3500mAH battery and a shatterproof screen.
Plus, with the MotoMods I have a secondary 2200mAH battery that seamlessly attaches to the back of the phone.

Is it heavier than average? Sure.
Do I really care? No.
Do I absolutely love being able to go 3-4 days without charging (when using the MotoMod)? Oh yeah.
 
A buddy of mine dropped it on sand. SAND. It looked like when you drop an uncased device on concrete and pebbles.
 
This is why stick to some $120 Chinese phones (hey it's octa core after all!), if you either drop or accidentally put it in the washing machine you won't be too damned about it. :p
 
I somehow fumbled my LG V20 4 feet onto tile, it hit face first! The back flew off, the battery came out, but no issue at all. I couldn't belive it, but I read where the V20 was designed to protect against falls. I'm convinced! It's a great phone BTW, and a replaceable battery!
 
Cyraxx said:
Folks, as someone that knows first hand how delicate these are.... I don't often say this but I highly advocate voting with your wallet and going with any other android maker until Samsung gets a clue.

My S7 Edge that I had for work had a cracked screen in less than 6 months of normal use. It cracked when dropping it on carpet for christ sakes. Thankfully through my work I was able to trade it in for an S7, the IT guy was a little dumb founded when I said I wanted to trade in my S7 Edge for the S7 at first. I'm incredibly glad I was able to because the flat screen is a million times better.

As far as personal phones, I won't be buying any samsung until they drop this stupid shit.
Click to expand...

I've long stopped buying Samsung phones, cause they been making stupid decisions and before that, at least one thing on their phone was broken.

I've been buying Sony Xperia phones. Minor design changes throughout it's life. Only annoyances is that they too went with a thin bezel and they got rid of their magnetic charging port like 2 generations ago.

Right now using a Sony Xperia X, which kind of sucks. It's actually slower than my old Xperia Z2.
 
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