On paper, Galaxy S23 series devices are some of the toughest non-rugged phones the company has ever created. Samsung has covered the outer shell of all three models with top-of-the-line materials, including an Armor Aluminum frame all around the devices, IP rating for water and dust resistance, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection on both the rear and back, and so on.
Unfortunately, even after being wrapped in the latest and most durable hardware, the Galaxy S23 Ultra did not survive a drop test from waist height conducted by YouTube channel PBKReviews. While it was believed that the curved screen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra made the phone shatter when dropped, the flat glass on the Galaxy S23 Ultra couldn't produce a better result either.
The Galaxy S23+ was taking touch responses with no issues, even with the shattered display
The Galaxy S23+ was the next phone put through the same drop test by PBKReviews. And spoiler alert! The result is a disappointment. The Galaxy S23+ could not survive its first drop, which is not expected from a premium flagship phone. However, you also need to note that most accidental phone drops happen in a way that the phone falls on one of its corners rather than a complete face drop. So, this way of testing a phone's durability can be argued to be somewhat flawed.
The drop test reveals dents, cracks, and scratches on both the front and back glass panels. The drop also caused severe dents on the Armor Aluminum frame of the Galaxy S23+. The good thing was that the phone continued to respond to touch inputs, and there were no issues on the software end, at least.
So, to put it in a few words, you might want to apply a case to your Galaxy S23 series phone to protect it from getting shattered, which is the case with most modern glass-sandwiched phones. However, the Galaxy S23+ is a brilliant overall phone. If you are able to keep it protected, it will give you one of the best Android smartphone experiences.
