It started when I felt a small ridge — an imperfection — on the perfect plane of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s gleaming Gorilla Glass.
My fingers caught something I couldn’t see. I absently moved my finger back and forth across the screen, which was displaying my Twitter feed. Do I feel anything? No…no, wait…that’s it.
I stopped reading angry tweets and started checking my screen as my mind flashed back to two days ago.
Standing in my kitchen, I fumbled for my 6.8-inch Android 12 smartphone (I’ve been using it, especially with its great photography), and it slipped out of my hand, clattering to a tile under a meter on the floor.
“What is that? Is that your cell phone?” My wife called from another room.
I quickly snatched the prone unit from the floor. It’s housed in a rubber Samsung case, so I’m not too concerned. I looked, didn’t find a break, and yelled, “Yeah. It’s okay.”
“Why is it only my phone that breaks?” my wife asked.
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
First, I don’t lose my phone. In nearly 20 years of testing, I’ve never broken a review unit. I once dropped a 12.9-inch iPad Pro on a glass table and smashed the screen, but it was a bulky tablet. I don’t drop the phone…or rather, I don’t.
Now, on the train, I run my fingers through the cracks I realize, and I understand what I’ve done.
Looking closer, I could see a thin slit snaked across the top of the phone, just above and to the right of the selfie camera, running down from the front of the display to nearly two-thirds of the way down the right edge.
When the phone is on, you hardly notice it unless a letter falls right under the crack and is split into two slightly misaligned halves.
This shouldn’t happen.
With the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Samsung built a phone based on the original Galaxy Note design. It’s a large, sturdy, rigid device that’s not unpleasant to hold, at 229 grams, and by the looks of it, it should hold a drop or two.
The phone is wrapped in Gorilla Glass Victus+ (rated by Corning to handle drops of up to 2 meters). It covers the back and my now broken 6.8″ AMOLED screen. Also, I put it in a case.
The tiny crack starts at the top of the phone, just above and to the right of the selfie camera, and snakes along the surface of the display nearly two-thirds of the way to the right edge.
You might be wondering why I didn’t come to this conclusion when I looked at the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The truth is, I don’t use a review unit for drop testing, and the manufacturer handed me the device ad-hoc with the full expectation of returning it in reasonably pristine condition.
I’d happily submerge them in water, but don’t put them on concrete because even if they don’t crack, they’ll get some unsightly wear. I don’t think it’s a good idea to do this with equipment you don’t own.
Also, my review process reflects how I would use these products if I had them. I usually don’t give up on technology (or anything).
Still, I ran into unexpected drop test results, which weren’t great.
A 3-foot (or 1-meter) drop of the smartphone with the case should not cause this crack. However, I know that with any glass screen device all you need to do is find the sweet spot of stress and where the physics happens to break the toughest screen.
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
At least it’s a clean crack and not a shatter — you know, those cracks that make the screen unusable or even dangerous to touch (those tiny shards of glass). It’s a breakthrough, and while important, you do have to look closely to see it or turn off the screen, which seems to accentuate it even more.
It’s also worth noting that screen cracks in no way affect the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. It’s as quick and fun to use as ever—until my fingers jump over that fine, sharp edge. The interruption also means that the device no longer seals the element. I wouldn’t confidently put it in a bucket of water, or even use it in the rain for too long.
I’m disappointed by my clunkiness, and disappointed that the Galaxy S22 Ultra isn’t as short of a drop.
The look of this Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra isn’t great, but I warn against assuming all S22 Ultras are vulnerable. My guess is that it fell to the top edge of the phone, and the screen falling first might have had a different result.
On the other hand, put a case on your Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and hold it tight.
