Gadgetory

in front of me I have the new Samsung Galaxy s7 active it costs $100 more than the regular Galaxy s7 and is only available on one carrier in the USA at the moment so let's see how it survives my tests I have a set of pics that let me know where the scratch resistance of the screen falls on Mohs scale of hardness a level 1 would be the equivalent of talc powder and a level 10 is a diamond each pick has a different material on the tip to differentiate between the levels of hardness the vast majority of cell phones that I have tested end up scratching at level 6 unfortunately this galaxy s7 active scratched at a level 3 the screen is made of plastic and that's how it gets its shadow resistance plastic doesn't crack and shatter like glass does I have the droid turbo 2 here as well and it has the same technology a plastic screen that scratches at a level 3 the s7 definitely feels less like plastic than the droid turbo 2 I didn't think the screen was plastic the first time I picked it up motorola does sell replacement top layers for their phone though and as far as I know Samsung does not anything metal will scratch the new s7 active keys do scratch the screen scissors also scratch the screen and basically anything but this plastic Lego leg will scratch the screen so keep this military-grade phone out of your purse unless you want to damage it let's test the scratch resistance of the fingerprint scanner it is covered in paint just like the other fingerprint scanners that I've tested in the past it does scratch a lot if I would have stopped scratching after the paint layer there is a good chance that the scanner would have still functioned but my scratches went into the cop brush layer underneath the paint which killed any chance of the scanner functioning later on it would not even recognize my fingerprint even after attempting with multiple fingers the size of the s7 active are made of metal there is a light coat of paint but no thick plastic or primer covering so it does feel nice in your hands the buttons and SIM card tray are also metal the back panel has a rubbery feel to it and the sides are covered in an extremely thick rubber coating before this test I just assumed that the rubber would surround an internal metal housing but I was wrong it is just solid rubber on the sides when the rubber is broken which was difficult to do even with my razor blade the internal components of the phone are exposed the camera lens is made of real glass and won't be scratched by metal objects like keys or razor blades it is also protected by a little lip around the edge of the lens so setting it on a table or dropping it wouldn't be a big deal for the lens and probably won't break on the regular s7 the lens protrudes out of the back of the phone let's give a thumbs up for the active improving on the lens design onto the burn test this phone lasted 13 seconds with the flame directly applied to the screen but listen close the plastic screen melts and pops the thick plastic kept the heat from getting to the screen and discoloring anything like it did on the s7 edge but the plastic is now permanently melted kind of interesting this is where it would be nice as Samsung sold replacement top layers like Motorola does either way just make sure no hot coals or embers fall on your screen while you're camping onto the bin test I've tested over 24 high-end smartphones now it is an expensive hobby most every single phone survives the bin test I've only had three phones catastrophic we fail make sure your subscribe so you won't miss any of my future tests it is totally free the galaxy s7 active is one of the strongest phones that I've tested so far there is no flex in the device not even when I try and kink the top edge the iPhone 6 would always flex and kink along the top but this phone is incredibly sturdy even with that chunk of rubber missing from the site it'll be interesting to see during the teardown what makes this phone so strong remember that Samsung says the phone is ip68 water-resistant pay attention to the word resistant just like with the galaxy s7 it is not waterproof and Samsung will not warranty water damage or screen damage Samsung is not guaranteeing anything it is only resistant to that damage with each phone you win some and you lose some if you don't mind spending an extra hundred bucks on an exclusive carrier for a shatterproof very scratch able phone this is the phone for you check out the galaxy s7 edge durability test video and the video where I explain more about how exactly the galaxy s7 series is water resistant thanks a ton for watching hope to see you around