Technology: Samsung Galaxy SIII Teardown + Drop test!!!

Image from Samsung

Many people think I am biased towards all Samsung products. I'm not. For example, I think The New iPad is still better than Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 in terms of the screen quality, although I must admit that the credit still goes to Samsung because they produce that 2048×1536 px color IPS TFT display (264 ppi).

Now, to show that I am not biased towards the Samsung Galaxy SIII (GSIII), I will offer you the latest drop test videos, this time, 2 of them --  the first one by SquareTrade,

and the second one is by Android Authority,

And after watching these movies, I do think, "What? How come Gorilla Glass 2 breaks on GSIII but Gorilla Glass 1 doesn't on GSII? This is not quite acceptable!" (For those of you who forgot about the GSII drop test, you can click here to see that video again.)

To find out why it happens, you have to cut into the phone to take a deeper look, and here's the video:

iFixit had just the same thought and so they tear down GSIII,

Image from iFixit

I think the most critical reason for the breaking of the glass is the thinness of the phone. How can it be so thin ? Most people will agree that if you compromise the thickness of the glass, you are going to make the glass weaker, which seems to be the case for the Gorilla Glass 2.

According to the official Corning Gorilla Glass 2 webpage, on theory, Gorilla Glass 2 "can be up to 20 percent thinner than the original, but still just as tough." It is "slimmer", "sleeker", "with brighter images and improved touch sensitivity", "lightweight", "scratch resistant" and "durable". In actual fact, seems like both iPhone 4S and GSIII's Gorilla Glass 2 have lost to  gravity.

Image from iFixit And Chipworks [PHOTOS]: PC World

After reading up the article by International Business Times which reports iFixit, I found that "the handset's glass cover is fused to the display and that in turn to the device's frame. Therefore, if there is need to replace the glass cover, then be prepared to shell out large amounts of money."

And this explains why in the Android Authority video when GSIII was dropped the screen couldn't come back to live.

The moral of the story? Don't ever drop your GSIII. Other than that, it is still the best phone you can get.


Vocabulary:
tear down - phrasal verb [M] to intentionally destroy a building or other structure because it is not being used or it is not wanted any more
compromise -- (vb)  [T] disapproving  to allow your principles to be less strong or your standards or morals to be lower 
sleeker -- (adj) (especially of hair, clothes or shapes) smooth, shiny and lying close to the body, and therefore looking well cared for; not untidy and with no parts sticking out
gravity -- (n)[U]  the force which attracts objects towards one another, especially the force that makes things fall to the ground

Resources:

News & Opinions: iPhone 4 Steve? Siri-ously? What about iPhone 5teve? @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/10/news-opinions-iphone-4-steve-siri-ously.html 

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 4s: Drop, Kid, Car Test. @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PbL7ciKmT7g

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 4S Drop Test @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=K7e9ebi41Wc#!


Samsung Galaxy S3 disassembly guide @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_49Vd8Yi1l8&feature=player_embedded#!


iFixit @ Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/ifixit

Samsung Galaxy S III Teardown @ iFixit
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung-Galaxy-S-III-Teardown/9391/1#.T812vbCQPIC

Samsung Galaxy S3 Teardown: Everthing You Need To Know @ Mobile & App
http://www.mobilenapps.com/articles/2473/20120602/samsung-galaxy-s3-teardown-everthing-need-know.htm

Samsung Galaxy S3 Teardown Process by iFixit and Chipworks @ International Business Times
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/347989/20120602/samsung-galaxy-s3-teardown-display-camera-battery.htm

iPhone 4S takes on Galaxy S III in drop test, gravity wins @ CNET
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57447107-1/iphone-4s-takes-on-galaxy-s-iii-in-drop-test-gravity-wins/

CORNING® GORILLA® GLASS @ Corning
http://www.corninggorillaglass.com/#faqs

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tear-sth-down#tear-sth-down__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/compromise_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sleek#sleek__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gravity_1