Quality of finish on the Galaxy S (epic fail)

[Guest mickeko]

I've had my phone since release, and it has no wear at all. I use it every day for surfing while commuting/listening to music/what have you. I don't usually put it on tables though, it rests on a cloth at work, and has a stand at home. Other than that it's in my hands or my pocket.

I'm thinking that Paul and some of the other people here are doing some more serious labour than I (and likely you) do. Obviously the phone will be more worn out if your hands are like sandpaper. :D

[Guest Paul]

Haha, unlikely! :D

P

[Guest chookmeister69]

Interesting seeing all the discussion about this. I had an Iphone 3G before I bought my SGS. I broke the screen twice, I scratched the crap out of it. It had dust under the screen within 2 weeks. It's now such a mess with worn and broken plastic holding it together after 18 Months. I treat my Galaxy S the same as I did my Iphone 3G. It just stays in my pocket and gets bashed around. After 2 months there is a tiny scratch on the home key but otherwise the phone is completely flawless. I use no protectors at all. It's an Australian bought phone from an official Optus store. I'm actually massively surprised at how well this phone has held up to my abuse considering it's 100% plastic. For that reason, I am quite surprised others have had different experiences.

[Guest DistortedLoop]

Gorilla glass? Neither Corning (makers of Gorilla glass), Apple or Samsung has come out and said Gorilla glass is being used on any of the products. So I'm assuming it's some other kind of tempered glass being used.

If unlucky, *all* smartphones will shatter on the first drop. That means none of them have a particularily good build quality. Obviously some will have better than the other, that's a given... As far as the iphone goes, I'm not saying it's necessarily worse build quality than the SGS. It's possible that the iPhone4 has better build quality than the SGS, but I wouldn't EVER call it "superb". I reserve that for the phones that survives being run over by a truck and bashed into walls at full force without breaking. That's REAL build quality. No smartphone available today will ever come close to the superb build quality of those phones, no matter what kind of case you wrap them in.

It's not Apple hate, it's common sense.

Nah, it's not common sense, it's just silliness and semantics.

If that's your definition of "superb" you have far higher standards than most people I know. I think the proper adjective for the type of build quality you're discussing is "indestructible".

In the end, I'll just say "whatever, dude, it's pointless to bicker about something we're not going to agree on." These are consumer grade products, not military.

[Guest jotapesse]

I have 3 SGSs, the older 1 month old, the newer 2 weeks old. Two are 8GB versions, the third is a 16GB version. All of them have no scratches or worn out surfaces, with light to moderate use. I keep them on soft glove type pouches. Although they seem flimsy plastics at first, I'm quite happy and surprised with their "roughness". Very happy. :-)

[Guest septic]

a Norton line leather case of x10 and a full body protection should do the job..

[Guest tomolewis]

I've had my SGS for over a month now........ and i dropped it from about 2-3 feet in a car park and its totally fine not a mark on it...... strange indeed

[Guest bigbadwolfie]

Paul,

Have you got sandpaper-tipped fingers or something?!? That's pretty crappy I have to say!

I've had mine since launch day and it's holding up very well, still nice and shiny all round with no obvious sign of wear. I have to say it's quite similar to an iPhone 3G/GS in it's resilience to scratches.

[Guest DistortedLoop]

Gorilla glass? Neither Corning (makers of Gorilla glass), Apple or Samsung has come out and said Gorilla glass is being used on any of the products. So I'm assuming it's some other kind of tempered glass being used.

Oh ye of little faith, looks like you assumed wrong. :huh:

They must have announced or leaked it earlier, because I didn't pull my original comment that the SGS had gorilla glass out of thin air.

From this news post.

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW), a world leader in specialty glass and ceramics, announced today that Corning® Gorilla® glass has been designed into the Samsung Electronics Galaxy S, a newly released premium smartphone.

“Device makers are challenged with designing stylish yet durable products. The Galaxy S is a fine example of a premium device created through the combination of Corning’s specialty glass and Samsung’s mobile display technologies. Corning’s Gorilla glass enables device makers to introduce durable display products with innovative designs.”

The Samsung Galaxy S features a four-inch super AMOLED display, while weighing roughly 119 grams in a slim, highly durable design. The enhanced super AMOLED display is enabled in part by using Corning Gorilla glass as the protective cover. Gorilla glass is an environmentally friendly alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass that is both scratch resistant and durable.

BJ Kang, senior manager of Samsung Electronics said, “Advanced display technology plays a crucial role in meeting consumers’ growing expectations on high-end mobile devices, especially smartphones. Corning’s Gorilla glass has helped maximize Galaxy S’s unique smartphone features by enabling a high-quality touch display.”

Haeng Hee Lee, president of Corning Korea Company Ltd added, “Device makers are challenged with designing stylish yet durable products. The Galaxy S is a fine example of a premium device created through the combination of Corning’s specialty glass and Samsung’s mobile display technologies. Corning’s Gorilla glass enables device makers to introduce durable display products with innovative designs.”

More than 20 major makers of PC and handheld devices have already recognized the benefits of Gorilla glass by designing it into more than 225 devices, and more than 55 models will be released over the next six months.

Edited August 24, 2010 by DistortedLoop

[Guest klug]

Well Paul,

I would say that the most annoying feature of the phone's design (so far) is the little raised bit above the speaker....this kind of screams out "I want to be scratched, so I'm going to be!". This showed signs of wear first of all, due to me placing it on tables, etc. However the back cover has shown signs of minor scratches already. That said, I did shell out on a ADVERTISING SPAM silicone case for the back, so I dont mind so much now.

With regards to the front, I've not noticed anything wearing away, especially around the 'capacitive" buttons. I will, of course, keep an eye out on that...but perhaps it's only an issue on some handsets.

I make this last statement, but I think I saw a post over at XDA, where the bezel corners showed unequal gaps around the handset...whereas mine seems fine.

Mike, is the ADVERTISING SPAM you mentioned this one? http://www.ADVERTISING SPAM.com/catalog/index.php?cPa...000000_11001021

They provide a large variety of cases for this Samsung model. I want to buy a leather one. Do they really offer free shipping as shown in their webiste? :huh:

Edited September 1, 2010 by klug

[Guest mickeko]

Oh ye of little faith, looks like you assumed wrong. :huh:

They must have announced or leaked it earlier, because I didn't pull my original comment that the SGS had gorilla glass out of thin air.

From this news post.

Yes you did. Or well, you probably pulled it out of some blog that pulled it out of thin air just as everyone else did. :(

(Sorry for the late reply. ;) )

[Guest DistortedLoop]

Yes you did. Or well, you probably pulled it out of some blog that pulled it out of thin air just as everyone else did. ;)

(Sorry for the late reply. :huh: )

LOL...no I didn't pull it out of thin air. Perhaps my source just had it from a non-publicized info...

Just can't admit you were wrong, huh? Whatever. Enjoy your gorilla glass phone. I'm enjoying mine. :(

[Guest Andrew Luecke]

http://www.corning.com/news_center/news_re...2010082301.aspx Corning themselves said it..

[Guest AndroidOSFan]

Samsung Galaxy S is hit the market also...

I've had mine for a month. The back cover shows no sign of wear, but the main button certainly does.

[Guest AndroidOSFan]

Samsung Galaxy S is better device in new os. :huh:

[Guest Billus]

I've had my Galaxy S for round 3 months or so(?), well, whenever it was released by Optus in Australia. Phone has no scratching or markings on it whatsoever. I've got no case or screen protector, just keep it in my pocket (front and/or side) and treat it like I treat any other device. Plastic is perhaps the best material to use on a phone as it has a much better chance of surviving a drop whereas aluminium may cause the internals to shatter inside (blah blah blah something like that).

The only thing that shows on my Galaxy S are fingerprints but I fix that with a cloth or wiping on my shirt or jeans.

[Guest Andrew Luecke]

You can now protect your device using a good case, like ADVERTISING SPAM. I am not a big fan of phone cases, but I am having a pleasant experience using ADVERTISING SPAM products.

Be aware that Miss_jane is possibly a spammer

[Guest exadeci]

I have mine since beggining of July and not even a scratch I dopped it several times from around 40-50 cm (near my bed on wooden floor) and I bought this really nice protection

Because I don't want to have it scratched but I hate the ones that you have to clean an look ugly on my phone

[Guest DistortedLoop]

Mine's officially 9 weeks old now, and has had heavy daily use, is thrown in my pocket with another device (nexus one or iphone), has been dropped a few times from table height onto concrete and hardwood floors.

Still not a scratch or sign of wear on the front, including the home button.

[Guest Pud]

The very first thing I done when I purchased my SGS was got the salesman to throw in a silicon case and screen guard. If you haven't got your SGS yet, tell them to give you one. If you're spending up to 800 bucks there, they can give you $15 worth of gear for free surely!

I have always ALWAYS made sure I had protective cases/screen guards etc to keep in great condition for resale.

[Guest hexxor]

My home button has signs of use. On mine it seems like the paint or whatever the finish on the button is rubbish as I got marks from where I was cleaning it :lol:

[Guest Kaiser Chief]

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

Paul,

I do agree it's not the best we seen from Samsung. In this case I don't care we did not pay excessively much for the Galaxy S.

We get great hardware the best there is due to the badword brilliant screen.

The software sucks a bit but I think we get fair ware for the price we paid.

After one year we want new hardware and this Galaxy will be obsolete again.

I think it's clever marketing from Samsung, it's fully functional and leading at this moment.

I told myself never buy samsung until the day I see the amoled.

When there going to be a better build quality I will move from Samsung without a doubt but for now I more then happy.

Why ? Because it's works (thanks to guys like Ryanza, Paul and you guys), it's simply the best screen it does what it supposed to and snappy like hell.

My humble conclusion: Enjoy your Galaxy S and why look at the back cover if you have such a nice screen to look at :-)

I think quality design would cost a few millimeters, extra weight and not forget real money. I think the balance is good, sorry but these phones only last for a while 2 year is the max if you asked me.

I don't want a strong and perfect piece of equipment that's still looking perfect after 2 years and still is obsolete due to non upgrade possibilities and quick evolution of android and phones in general.

[Guest vhsss]

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

Hello Paul.

Have you found any solution that polishes the scratches on the home button ? I have them too and don't know what to do. Do you have any ideas ?

[Guest DistortedLoop]

3 months of owning this phone now (wow, is that all, seems longer!).

No signs of wear on the front at all, but the top part of the back cover does show some wearing where it starts to curve towards the side near the speaker. I've placed an invincible shield on the back (only), not so much to stop signs of wear, but to make it a little less slippery in my grip.

[Guest AXIS of Reality]

Thought I'd post an update on mine, 3 months of owning it.

Home button: no signs of wear

Screen: no scratches, haven't used a screen protector because I hate them

Rear: no scratches or signs of wear

My Galaxy S has 90% of the time been inside the hard plastic/rubber rear cases you commonly get from eBay for a few dollars. It typically is inside my pocket with unplugged earphones (yes, with the metal jack against the screen).

The only issue I've had is the top and right side can creak a bit when squeezed depending on the case it's in. At first I thought it was the chrome band around the screen, as it feels like it moves a bit but it does not creak when the battery cover / back plate is off, so I assume it's the battery cover moving against it a bit.

I'd suggest everyone get one of the plastic/hardened rubber cases from eBay, as they don't add much extra bulk at all and seem to do a great job. The ones with the holes punched in them actually improve the look of the phone too!