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Samsung Galaxy S8 torture test has some shattering results

Device warranty company SquareTrade brings out the big guns to take on the new flagship handset.

Eric Mack Contributing Editor
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Eric Mack
2 min read

The past year probably felt pretty torturous to Samsung with that whole Note 7 debacle, but that doesn't mean the torture-masters at gadget warranty outfit SquareTrade were compelled to cut the new Samsung Galaxy S8 any slack.

The company subjected the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus to its battery of breakability tests and found the new generation is a little more delicate than its predecessors, the S7 and S7 Edge.

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Robots were used to drop, slide, tumble and dunk the devices, and the results saw the sleek, glass form of the Galaxy S8 crack up under the pressure, literally.

Cracks appeared after the very first face-down drop, with pieces of glass missing from the corners of the S8. The S8's all-glass body also suffered cracks and dangerous breakage when the phone was dropped on its side and back.

There was some good news, with the water-resistant phones living up to their billing after taking a dip. Additionally, SquareTrade found that repairs on the S8 and S8 Plus are difficult but possible.

The company also polled 1,051 smartphone owners online in April and the results led to a prediction that the Galaxy S8 will be a hit.

"We found that 89 percent of Samsung owners reported having a positive view of the brand despite recent controversies, and 36 percent plan on buying an S8 in the next six months," SquareTrade's global creative director Jason Siciliano said before adding a little bit of advice for consumers: "Just don't drop it."

Watch CNET's own Galaxy S8 drop test here.

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