Quality of finish on the Galaxy S (epic fail)

[Guest Paul]

Like I say, the flash makes it looks worse than it is. But I don't expect the most used button on the phone to scratch and show a 'dot' where it's pressed after a short period of time, that's my biggest issue with it.

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[Guest miker71]

Mine has no serious signs of wear. I've had it ... errr ... a few weeks. Not sure. I keep it in the pouch that my ex-Nexus One came with. It's been dropped twice (onto soft carpeted surfaces). I just have the usual small bits of dust and lint that show up so well on black.

No signs of wear on the middle button.

Only thing I do have is a really small chink taken out of the glass, on the right-hand side and level with the top of the home button. I'm assuming it's a result of one of the drops, OR it could be designed that way (ie a little nook to get a tool in to prise the glass off?) - I really don't know and don't have anything to compare with - although I can't make it out on your pics above, hmmmm).

I'd say the build quality is "okay", it's MUCH better than my old iPhone 3G (the back cover scuffed, split from the dock connector, dust under the screen arrrgghhh!), and I actually quite like the fact it's lighter than my old Nexus One. It does creak a bit which seems a bit "cheap", but it is £200 cheaper than the iPhone (when buying carrier unlocked which I always do).

Overall I'm pretty happy with the hardware. It's the lag and the bloatware and reinvented wheels that annoy me the most. I much preferred Froyo in the form it was running on the N1 (I know XXJP3 is buggy but even so things like Samsung's "My Calendar" are totally superflerous and there's no Google sign-in at boot so you LOSE the ability to restore settings from previous Froyo - but maybe that will get fixed for the final release).

Anyway, as you can tell, I have more rants about the software than the hardware .... (assuming they fix the GPS within a couple of months ... if not, bye bye Galaxy S)

Edited August 16, 2010 by miker71

[Guest Paul]

AFAICT, the Zagg Invisible Shield doesn't even protect the main button...

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[Guest sprucas]

I won't be getting me a Galaxy S then!

Still very tempted for a desire. I'm procrastinating a lot at the moment though!

why get a desire when the snapdragon chip was released in 2007 and the samsung hummingbird chip was released in 2010?

i think you will use the extra gpu of the samsung - maybe better to wait for a newer model - or even the desire HD

sprucas

[Guest DougEdey]

I'll let you know how mine goes in a few weeks Paul, the backing on my Bell i9000 is different to yours, it's not a jet black for one.

I'm keeping it in my Nexus one pouch untill I get my invishield for the screen.

[Guest Dan Mullen]

Gotta be honest, I've had mine a few weeks and even after VERY heavy use there are no signs of wear at all. I'm notoriously careful with my phones and gadgets, so when it's not in my shirt pocket or on the desk, I keep it in a soft pouch.

[Guest Matty Dee]

I've had mine about 2-3 weeks now and the first week I didn't have a case or anything and the past two weeks I've used a gel case to protect the sides/back but the phone seems in pristine condition still, even the main button is which isn't protected.

I'm glad that someone mentioned the raised bit over the speaker - I thought mine was faulty until I read that!

[Guest skinnypupp]

Is yours not a pre-release demo model?

[Guest Paul]

Is yours not a pre-release demo model?

Nope, retail... I bought it...

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[Guest Paul]

It's exactly 2 months old.

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[Guest baley]

Hmm :D I am getting mine tmw. I might opt to sell it to get a nexus one instead. What do you think which is better for a long term use more than a year hopefully!

Edited August 16, 2010 by baley

[Guest forelli]

That's just not acceptable is it!

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Maybe if you complain about it to Apple on twitter you could have an iPhone 4 for free? Just like Samsung did for complaining iPhone 4 users?

[Guest aballads]

Hey everyone,

I knew from the moment I saw this phone that it would be a difficult one to maintain, so I got a clear case and screen protector.... It's a pretty easy fix!

[Guest Paul]

Maybe if you complain about it to Apple on twitter you could have an iPhone 4 for free? Just like Samsung did for complaining iPhone 4 users?

:D

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[Guest twit_xp]

Hmm i've been using a SGP Ultra Slike Case (imported from Korea) ever since i got the phone so i cant really comment about the back cover. The case is really good though. Coated silicone so it isnt sticky like usually silicone cases and doesnt give you a hell of a hard time when putting into/taking out of a jean pocket :D

However i have noticed some faint hairline scratches on the home button so i purchased a sheet of those pop up plastic stickers for children/girls and pasted it directly onto the button to prevent further wear. A little gay i know, but at least it prevents the button from wearing any further :D

[Guest denvro]

I have my device for a couple of weeks now. Not a single sign of scratches. Not on the back and not on the main button. I don't use a case or other protection and the phone is in my pocket all the time.

[Guest rafyvitto]

paul get a samsung captivate, it has the best build quality out of the galaxy S family variants.

Edited August 16, 2010 by rafyvitto

[Guest SC001]

I am not having problems with my phone finish etc.

But then again i always have clean hands with no mud on em and i always clean my phone with those alcohol towels wich people who wear glasses use to clean them.

Also my phone is in my right pocket and keys in my left pocket so i dont get any scratches.

So if you want to keep the phone pretty use a microfiber towel to wipe of the dirt and your phone should be looking fine....

[Guest bigbuffalo2009]

I'm very unimpressed with the quality of finish on my Galaxy S.

I treat my phone VERY carefully, transporting it always in a pocket on it's own and cleaning it periodically with a soft cloth, the same way I look after all my phones. Simple reason: I like my phone to look good as new and I like to preserve any resale value.

I'm sad to say that the Galaxy S is probably one of the worst phones i've owned with regards to longevity of finish... I already have some issues such as...

• The main action button is scratched and has a 'wear dot' in the centre where it is pressed
  
• The back cover is scratching easily on the edges and the top left and right corners are very 'cloudy' and scratched
  
• The bottom corners on the back cover are also looking worn
  

Now, the back cover wearing I could probably cope with (I could just get a new back cover), but the action button wear is totally unacceptable. I've not had the phone long and don't abuse it or even excessively use it.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

I'll post some pics in a bit.

P

Had mine since day one, and still looks brand new. No signs at all. Very happy with it.

[Guest NisseGurra]

I use mine heavily in work for a month, not a single scratch. You must have a faulty unit Paul, or been abusing it heavily...

[Guest Mike Beecham]

I've been looking at mine under different lighting conditions and cant really tell that many marks apart from the rear cover (which is now covered). I'm not sure what constitutes heavy or moderate use...I guess my using habits dont include the main button that much?

Will keep an eye on it for now, but overall I'm really happy with it.

Cant wait for the JP3 repack from Paul...will be great to see if it removes all lag? Paul, have you tried these one-click lag fixes, as shown here and at XDA? Would be interesting to see how your repack fares with the fixes?

I really dont care about Quandrant scores, as there are so many factors...what I'm more concerned with is the overall feel. I'm interested to see what the i/o feel is like and whether there is any lag opening / closing apps, etc.

[Guest DistortedLoop]

Picked my SGS up on 7/7. The phone's showing no sign of wear and tear that I can distinguish in normal room lighting. I use it a lot, including the home button. No scratches on the back, no sign of wear on the home button, which I'm always pushing (iPhone habit, I guess).

My SGS is the Singapore model, and it has the black back with a mesh type design. IF I had to say something was showing signs of wear, MAYBE the U in Samsung on the back of the phone shows some wear, maybe.

Still, Paul's wear on the home button is disheartening if the rest of us have that to look forward to. I'm not the kind of guy who cares about the back of the phone, but I do like the front to be unmarred. I never use cases on my iPhones or Nexus One, and with the exception of my white iPhone 3G, none of them ever got scratched up. The white iPhone was a crack/scratch magnet though, cracked on its own within a month of owning it (bad design on the screw attach points, imho), but like I said, never bothered me. I don't spend a lot of time looking at the back of my phone, and I don't resell them when I move on.

There are some serious humps you have to get over on the SGS to be in love with it. The NEED to hack to address lag, the cheap feel of the plastic back, the flakey GPS. I can live with these, but hard to recommend the phone to friends that aren't so willing to put up with that kind of stuff.

Based on some recent traveling I've done, I'm really thinking I need a Verizon phone...these AT&T & T-Mobile phones just can't get a signal in some places that Verizon does. If only CDMA phones did voice/data concurrently - I do that all the time. Not sure what I'd replace the SGS with, anyways - maybe the Droid X...?

[Guest Paul]

I can't emphasise enough how careful I am with my devices, which is why this is particularly worrying... the device is 2 months old, so I worry others have this to come...

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[Guest ikhfa]

Since I had a Magic beforehand, I found out not to put coins or keys into the same pocket together with a smartphone. My phone looks new eventhough I got it quite early. First thing to put on would be the screen protector. Never did look back since then. Recently, I wrapped the back cover with a translucent carbon fibre-like wrap at a nearby shop. It is available here in Singapore. It looks clean and you can still see the 'with Google' and 'Samsung' print.

[Guest thecresta]

I've always got mine in a soft Mofi pouch. Case and button has a few tiny scratches but nothing major.

HOWEVER I've recently noticed a nice little hairline scratch right down the middle of the screen. I'd imagine it was caused by the marble fastening on the pouch, which is amazing seeing as the scratch tests around the net showing keys and the like failing to do any damage at all.

Also strange is that I can make the scratch disappear - as in, completely disappear, if I wipe it with a good quality cloth! After a few minutes of use, there it is again. How does that work, then?

Anyway, the Mofi pouch is annoying during normal use, I can't get it out of my pocket in under 20 seconds and without serious risk of dropping it the damn thing. So I've got an all-over silicon skin, and martin fields protector on the way.

That action button is going to take a battering, but at least I'll be using it as it's meant to be used...