Popular tech YouTuber, JerryRigEverything, recently tested the durability of the new Samsung Galaxy S10 using his usual methods, and overall, the device performs admirably. With an aluminum frame surrounding the glass sandwich design, the device is structurally sound and does not flex or bend even when brute force is applied – unlike the mid-range Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 which failed the same durability test in a recent video.
Given the smartphone’s resilience, the most interesting test showcased in the YouTube video revolves around the in-display fingerprint sensor. For the latest flagship series, Samsung employed an ultrasonic-based fingerprint sensor, which is said to be faster and more reliable than previous optical-based solutions. But can the sensor still function if it has to scan through a scratched display?
The answer is, yes, and no, depending on how deep the scratches are. The Samsung Galaxy S10’s 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6, which means that, realistically, the panel can withstand scratches from most real-life usage scenarios. And even when the panel was scratched using appropriate picks, the ultrasonic-based sensor seemed to work just fine.
But for curiosity’s sake, JerryRigEverything took things to the next level and used a hard pick to carve grooves into the protective Gorilla Glass 6, deep enough to mimic a cracked screen. The result was that the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner no longer functioned.
It should be highlighted that the grooves were carved using the kind of pick that can only be outmatched by sapphire, so users shouldn’t worry about damaging the glass to this degree in day-to-day usage scenarios – unless they somehow crack the screen.
The larger Samsung Galaxy S10+ was not tested so it would be interesting to see if it would bend under the same conditions given its larger footprint, but other than that the device has the same type of Gorilla Glass 6 covering the screen, so it would yield the same results as far as the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner and display scratches are concerned.
The same can’t be said for the smaller Samsung Galaxy S10e, which protects its screen using the weaker Gorilla Glass 5. However, the Galaxy S10e lacks an in-display fingerprint sensor and instead it embeds the unit –presumably an optical-based one- in the side-mounted physical button.
Overall, the 6.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S10 performed very well in the YouTuber’s harsh tests, and this is quite a relief considering the high price asked by Samsung for its latest flagship models. The variant tested in the video below has a starting price of $899, while in contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S9 launched last year for the starting price of $719.
Nevertheless, the 2018 base model offered 64GB of built-in storage whereas the new Galaxy S10 comes with 128GB of memory at the very least. It also doubles the RAM from 4GB to 8GB and comes with a variety of other improvements among which resides the new ultrasonic-based sensor hidden behind the screen.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 series is presently available for pre-order and will ship to customers on March 8. Pre-orders are accompanied by free Galaxy Buds wireless earphones and buyers can also receive a $130 gift certificate.