• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechBest Companies

Samsung Galaxy S8 Torture Test: An Easily Breakable Smartphone

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 24, 2017, 2:05 PM ET

If anything is certain, dropping the Samsung Galaxy S8 on the sidewalk is a bad idea.

The folks over at SquareTrade, a company that offers warranties on electronics and appliances, tortured the Galaxy S8 in a video published on Monday, subjecting it to a series of tests to discover how it would hold up against falls on pavement and other beatings. It found that the Galaxy S8’s glass design makes it vulnerable to serious cosmetic damage.

In its testing, which CNET earlier reported on, SquareTrade started first with a “face drop test,” in which it drops the handset face-down on the pavement at a height of six feet. On just the first fall, the smartphone’s display glass came loose and cracks dotted the screen. It was a similar result on the Galaxy S8’s glass back, which was also dropped at a height of six feet. After the fall, the handset’s backplate had “spiderwebbing” glass cracks and other dings.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Samsung (SSNLF) released the Galaxy S8 on Friday. The device is the company’s latest high-end handset, offering an all-glass design and curved 5.8-inch screen. It’s designed to compete at the high-end of the smartphone market and costs $750. The Galaxy S8+, which comes with a larger, 6.2-inch screen, costs $850.

Many Galaxy S8 users have touted the handset’s design over the last several days on social media, and the device’s look and feel earned impressive reviews from media outlets. But if the SquareTrade test is any indication, its good looks won’t protect it from damage.

After its drop test, SquareTrade, which has performed similar tests on competing devices like Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, put the Galaxy S8 into a box for its 60-second tumble test. After the test was over, the smartphone’s front and back glass panels were shattered and the glass became loose. The front camera also suffered some damage.

SquareTrade then dunked the handset into five feet of water for 30 minutes. While the smartphone was still operational, SquareTrade said that it suffered from some “audio muffling and distortion.”

Ultimately, SquareTrade warned users in the video that both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ carry a “medium-high risk” of suffering damage due to accidental drops or spills.

“S8 is the first phone we’ve tested that’s cracked on the first drop on all sides,” SquareTrade wrote.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump may have shot himself in the foot at the Fed, as Powell could stay on while Miran resigns from White House post
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 4, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Tech stocks go into free fall as it dawns on traders that AI has the ability to cut revenues across the board
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
In 2026, many employers are ditching merit-based pay bumps in favor of ‘peanut butter raises’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 2, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Gates Foundation doubles down on foreign aid as U.S. government largely withdraws
By Thalia Beaty and The Associated PressFebruary 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Peter Thiel warns the Antichrist and apocalypse are linked to the ‘end of modernity’ currently happening—and cites Greta Thunberg as a driving example
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 4, 2026
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Top AI leaders are begging people not to use Moltbook, a social media platform for AI agents: It’s a ‘disaster waiting to happen’
By Eva RoytburgFebruary 2, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

broker
InvestingMarkets
Traders pile into tech hedges after software rout
By Bernard Goyder and BloombergFebruary 5, 2026
55 minutes ago
stocks
BankingMarkets
Global tech stock selloff deepens, silver plunges
By Anand Krishnamoorthy, Winnie Hsu, Carmeli Argana and BloombergFebruary 5, 2026
1 hour ago
broker
AIMarkets
Trillion-dollar tech wipeout ensnares all stocks in AI’s path
By Brody Ford, Carmen Reinicke and BloombergFebruary 5, 2026
1 hour ago
Marc Rowan, chief executive officer of Apollo Global
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The 2026 private equity outlook appears hazy, says PitchBook
By Allie GarfinkleFebruary 5, 2026
2 hours ago
InvestingMarkets
The ‘dumb money’ steps in as traders lose $1 trillion on the realization that AI will eat tech companies first
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 5, 2026
3 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
The sky’s the limit for Google capex
By Alexei OreskovicFebruary 5, 2026
3 hours ago