Galaxy S20 Extremely drop take a look at: Best the digicam survives – CNET

The Galaxy S20 Extremely is the most important and priciest of Samsung’s 3 new S20 telephones, but it surely is probably not the hardest. It has a large 6.Nine-inch display screen with curved edges and a massive digicam module at the again that stands out like a sore thumb. To learn the way it holds as much as on a regular basis injuries, I subjected a brand spanking new S20 Extremely to 5 drops from other heights onto the sidewalk.

Not like final yr’s Galaxy S10 Plus, which used to be to be had with a ceramic again, all 3 of this yr’s S20 fashions have glass on all sides. However the Galaxy S20 Extremely is the one one with Gorilla Glass 6 on each the back and front of the telephone: The backs of the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus are lined in Gorilla Glass five. All of them include a preinstalled display screen protector, which I left on for the aim of this drop take a look at. 

S20 Extremely drop 1: Pocket top (three ft), again aspect down  

I began off through shedding the S20 with the again of the telephone dealing with right down to resolve how fragile the digicam module is. 

The telephone landed on its again as meant. It did a turn and ended up display screen side-up. The display screen, which I may just see from the place I used to be status, survived with out a scratch, however the again used to be already damaged. 

Two of the 4 corners of the telephone — most probably the place it hit first — have been totally shattered with one lengthy hairline fracture operating from best to backside. I may just really feel tiny glass debris come free on my hands as I assessed the wear and tear. The one nook that did not destroy used to be the highest left, the only closest to the digicam. The digicam module itself used to be intact with simply two tiny dents at the aspect of the body, kind of the dimensions of a grain of sand. 

I then opened the digicam app at the telephone and clicked throughout the 3 other lenses to check it out. The telephoto, wide-angle and extremely wide-angle lenses all looked at. 

S20 Extremely drop 2: Pocket top, display screen aspect down

Subsequent I dropped the telephone from the similar top (three ft) with the display screen dealing with down. Regardless that the S20 Extremely landed face first as meant, it did not fall flat. The ground left hand nook broke the autumn and sustained many of the injury.

Even the display screen protector wasn’t sufficient to stay the display screen from breaking. It landed proper at the tiny sliver of uncovered glass between the brink of the display screen protector and the steel body, inflicting the glass round it to shatter. A minimum of it averted the destroy from spreading past the nook of the telephone. The steel body used to be additionally considerably beat up and dented on the nook. 

S20 Extremely drop three: Eye stage (five feet), again aspect down 

At this level, the one a part of this telephone nonetheless intact used to be the digicam module. To check how a lot more it might maintain, I took it as much as 5 ft and dropped it once more with the digicam module dealing with down. 

This time my goal used to be missing. The aspect of the telephone hit first and it sooner or later landed display screen aspect up. The again had a brand new crack above the digicam module and a couple of scrapes at the body, however the glass at the digicam used to be nonetheless intact. 

Another time…

I tried the drop over and over again it landed on its aspect, and this time there used to be no further injury to the telephone that I may just see in the beginning look, so I went for it one final time to look if it could land at the again. 

3rd time’s the appeal

The telephone landed just about flat with the again dealing with down. The entire earlier cracks had persisted to develop and the again used to be totally shattered across the edges. It seemed love it used to be framed in shards of glass that have been coming free beneath my hands. The largest shocker: Nonetheless now not a crack at the digicam. A minimum of at the outdoor. On nearer inspection I realized a couple of specks within the wide-angle lens. They have been so microscopic that I simply may just’ve overlooked them after I first opened the telephone, and so they will have not anything to do with the drops. 

To check it out, I opened the digicam app and clicked throughout the other lenses once more. The digicam had some autofocus problems, which once more won’t were as a result of the drop, however another way it looked at and used to be nonetheless in operating order. 

The destroy down 

The Galaxy S20 broke at the first fall or even the display screen protector used to be no fit in opposition to the tough sidewalk. In case you’ve paid $1,400 (or extra) for this telephone, I implore you to place a case on it! The hero right here used to be the digicam, which I used to be anticipating to be its Achilles heel, but it surely proved to be cast — no less than all the way through this very unscientific take a look at. Your S20 Extremely digicam is probably not as fortunate.