Samsung Galaxy Note5's first drop test proves the brittleness of the glass design

Samsung's latest duo of devices - the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5 have been official for a few days now, after the eagerly-anticipated |August 13 release. So, what can you do to celebrate the shiny new Note? Well drop it repeatedly on to a tiles and concrete blocks, of course and wait for its inevitable demise.

A new YouTube video, courtesy of PhoneBuff shows us just how fragile the curved glass design on the Note5 actually is. A drop from around 1 meter, which is usual waist height, instantly cracked the unit's back, resulting in an extensive and nasty spider web crack. Interestingly enough, the top most layer of the back remained smooth and intact with the damage contained underneath. So, at least, there is no danger of cuts.

To be fair, this was all but expected, considering the Note5 carries over the glass design of the Galaxy S6 edge, down to the curves and is thus likely to be just as brittle. In fact, because the sloping edges are now on the back, instead of the front, the Note seems to be even more affected by a drop on its back. Furthermore, the 5.7-inch phablet is considerably bigger than the edged flagship, which also spells out trouble.

Naturally, in typical YouTube viral fashion, the drop test didn't stop there and continued on to plunging the Note5 on its side and front. The former experiment actually left almost no mark on the unit's metal frame. This is one area in which Samsung has definitely cut no corners with its 6013 grade aluminum alloy, as opposed to the inferior 6063 grade, widely used by other OEM's.

But, having a sturdy frame can only go so far when the rest of the device is so fragile. The face-on drops definitely prove this. The display of the Note got cracked on first impact as well, but touch still remained functional, for which we have to give it credit. However, the final few drops on the concrete did the trick and damaged the Note touch input.

This brutal carnage did yield some results. According to PhoneBuff, the Note5 is plagued by its glass exterior just like the S6 and S6 edge and we can only imagine that the S6 edge+ is in the same boat. It is worth noting that the touchscreen on the Note did arguably put up more of a fight than the S6, but that is more or less subjective and a cracked screen is a cracked screen no matter how you look at it.

The bottom line being that Samsung's new design language, while undoubtedly aesthetically pleasing, does take its toll on device durability, something you might want to consider if you're pondering on whether you should get a protective case of not.

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