Samsung's latest phones feature big wraparound screens and lots of glass. They also appear to break more easily, according to tests run by SquareTrade, a company that sells gadget-repair plans.
The nearly all-glass design of Samsung's Galaxy S8[1] and Galaxy S8+[2] makes them beautiful, SquareTrade said[3], but also "extremely susceptible to cracking when dropped from any angle." Samsung had no comment.
Despite the tests, a SquareTrade survey found that smartphone owners are twice as likely to buy the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ as they are an iPhone in the next six months.
The new phones have received positive reviews from The Associated Press and other outlets. Samsung[4] says advanced orders for the Galaxy S8 were 30 percent higher than that for the Galaxy S7[5] phones. The company didn't release specific figures. The Galaxy S8 starts at $750, which is about $100 higher than the Galaxy S7.
SquareTrade said Monday that cracks appeared on screens of both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ after just one face-down drop onto a sidewalk from six feet. The phones had similar problems when dropped on the backs and sides, "losing the glass from its lower left corner, making access to software buttons a little dangerous."
Unsurprisingly, both models did well in water-drop tests. The phones had some audio distortion, but that is typical and temporary. The latest flagships have water-resistance features and are IP68 certified.
Meanwhile, SquareTrade also noted that in terms of repairability, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are difficult to open as their front and back panels are strongly attached, but concluded that components inside can be easily replaceable.
SquareTrade didn't test the...