Polycarbonate beats Glass Victus in this Galaxy S21 / S21 Ultra drop test

The Galaxy S21 Ultra wrapped in Gorilla Glass Victus was recently drop-tested alongside the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung's solution performed relatively well, but how about the rest of the Galaxy S21 series? The Plus and Ultra models have a glass sandwich design whereas the standard Galaxy S21 variant has Victus screen protection and a polycarbonate back panel. Can it be more resilient to drops on hard surfaces than its larger sibling?

To save you the suspense, yes it is, at least in this particular non-scientific test. It's no mystery that polycarbonate is generally less brittle than glass — though your mileage might vary — so it shouldn't surprise anyone that the base Galaxy S21 model has a higher drop resistance than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

This characteristic along with the lower production costs are the main attractions of polycarbonate, after all. But just in case you wanted to see for yourself how glass can lose out to plastic in the real world, the new drop-test video below by CNET might give you the visual representation you need.

If you've ordered a Galaxy S21 Ultra and you're fearful of damaging it, keep in mind that Samsung is selling countless cases in a wide range of designs. Likewise, screen protectors can work wonders and lower the chance of the beautiful AMOLED display cracking under stress.

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Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

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