"From S23 to S24, with that Gorilla Armor, we had a 60% decrease in screen repairs...proof positive that durability is king."
Samsung Smartphone Product Manager Charles Uptegrove
Samsung phone screens are tougher now.
Each year, the Samsung Galaxy S series phones arrive with the latest Gorilla Glass, now Gorilla Armor, from Corning to protect the display. While it's never the highlight feature, there are always compelling claims about enhanced protection against scratches and cracks.
It sounds great, and while you can drop-test or scratch the screen to see how it responds, nothing is a perfect simulation of millions of people in the real world using their phones and seeing what happens to these screens over time.
This year was no different; Samsung announced on Wednesday at its Unpacked event that the Galaxy S25 features Corning Gorilla Armor 2, the "industry’s first anti-reflective glass ceramic for mobile devices."
Marvelous, but one of the little asides regarding the Galaxy S24 display in a session with Samsung Smartphone Product Manager Charles Uptegrove grabbed my attention more than the pronouncements about the new Gorilla Armor.
Uptegrove tells Laptop Mag that "from S23 to S24, with that Gorilla Armor, we had a 60% decrease in screen repairs...proof positive that durability is king."
Durability and sustainability go hand in hand
That 60% statistic means so much more than any claim that a display is 4x more scratch-resistant or less likely to break than ever before.
This is complex data to back up the claim that Galaxy S24 series owners were far less likely to experience a broken display.
I asked Uptegrove to confirm this wasn't a limited data set, like phones brought into specific Samsung service centers in Switzerland. He confirmed that this was a global figure.
This one shouldn't be ignored in the face of all the sustainability programs and other eco-friendly messages we see from tech companies. Part of the problem is the disposability and fragility of modern phones and other tech, necessitating recycling parts as much as possible and disposing of others.
Offering a more durable product is ultimately an outstanding ecological benefit, as it allows the owner, or even multiple owners, to get the most use possible out of a device before eventually turning to recycling.
At the same time, we'll have to wait and see how the latest Gorilla Armor 2 fares this year, it certainly gives me added confidence to see hard data supporting the resiliency of its predecessor.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Galaxy S25 | Galaxy S25+ | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Snapdragon® 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) | Snapdragon® 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) | Snapdragon® 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) |
| OS | Android 15 / One UI 7 | Android 15 / One UI 7 | Android 15 / One UI 7 |
| Dimensions | Dimensions 70.5 x 146.9 x 7.2 | 75.8 x 158.4 x 7.3 | 77.6 x 162.8 x 8.2 |
| Memory / Storage | 12GB RAM | 128GB, 256GB | 12GB RAM | 256GB, 512GB | 12GB RAM | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Screen | 6.2" FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate | 6.7" QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate | 6.9" QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate |
| Battery | 4000mAh | 4900mAh | 5000mAh |
| Colors | Icyblue, Navy, Mint, Silver Shadow | Icyblue, Navy, Mint, Silver Shadow | Titan Black, Titan Gray, Titan Silverblue, Titan Whitesilver |
| Wired charging | Super Fast Charging | Super Fast Charging 2.0 | Super Fast Charging 2.0 |
| Wireless charging | Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare | Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare | Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare |
| Durability | IP68, Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2, Armor Aluminum (Frame) | IP68, Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2, Armor Aluminum (Frame) | IP68, Enhanced Corning® Gorilla® Armor (front glass), Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2 (rear glass), Titanium (Frame) |
| Biometrics | Ultrasonic Fingerprint, Face Recognition | Ultrasonic Fingerprint, Face Recognition | Ultrasonic Fingerprint, Face Recognition |
| WiFi | 5G (sub6, mmW) Wi-Fi 7 | 5G (sub6, mmW) Wi-Fi 7 UWB | 5G (sub6, mmW) Wi-Fi 7 UWB |
| Other | Galaxy AI, Cross-app action with AI Agent and native app integration, Now Bar, Now Brief, Audio Eraser for Videos, improved Cooling System | Galaxy AI, Cross-app action with AI Agent and native app integration, Now Bar, Now Brief, Audio Eraser for Videos, ProScaler for QHD+, improved Cooling System | Embedded S Pen (passive experience), Galaxy AI, Cross-app action with AI Agent and native app integration, Now Bar, Now Brief, Audio Eraser for Videos, ProScaler for QHD+, improved Cooling System, High-res details near and far |
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Galaxy S25 | Galaxy S25+ | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main camera | Row 0 - Cell 1 | Row 0 - Cell 2 | Row 0 - Cell 3 |
| Wide | 50MP Wide AF OIS | 50MP Wide AF OIS | 200MP Wide AF OIS |
| Ultra wide | 12MP Ultra Wide | 12MP Ultra Wide | 50MP Wide AF OIS |
| Telephoto | 10MP 3x Tele AF OIS | 10MP 3x Tele AF OIS | 10MP 3x Tele AF OIS 50MP 5x Tele AF OIS |
| Zoom | 3x Optical Zoom (2x Optical Quality)30x Space Zoom | 3x Optical Zoom (2x Optical Quality)30x Space Zoom | 3x, 5x Optical Zoom(2x, 10x Optical Quality) 100x Space Zoom |
| Video | 4K @ 60fps 8K @ 30fps | 4K @ 60fps 8K @ 30fps | 4K @ 120fps 8K @ 30fps |
| Selfie camera | Row 6 - Cell 1 | Row 6 - Cell 2 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
| Wide | 12MP Wide AF | 12MP Wide AF | 12MP Wide AF |
| Video | 4K @ 60fps | 4K @ 60fps | 4K @ 60fps |
| Miscellaneous camera features | ProVisual Engine, HDR Portraits, Selfie AI ISP, Nightography, Log Video, False Color, Zebra Pattern | ProVisual Engine, HDR Portraits, Selfie AI ISP, Nightography, Log Video, False Color, Zebra Pattern | ProVisual Engine, HDR Portraits, Selfie AI ISP, Nightography, high-res Marco shots, high-res zoom photos/video, Log Video, False Color, Zebra Pattern Memory / |
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