Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra undergoes durability and teardown tests

We’ve already seen durability tests for both the Galaxy S22 and S22+ courtesy of PBKreviews and now it’s time for the Galaxy S22 Ultra shine in the limelight.

The S22 Ultra durability tests reveal plenty of similarities to the other two S22 phones. The Ultra is unfazed by a short water submersion test – unsurprising given its IP68 rating. The screen scratch test however shows some surprises with light scratches at a level six on Mohs hardness scale while the S22 and S22+ only got scratches at a level eight. All three phones have the same Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection but it looks like the curved screen on the S22 Ultra is more susceptible to scratches for some reason.

The frame, camera rings SIM tray and S Pen top are all made from aluminum. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner continues to work flawlessly despite severe scratches. Bending the Ultra from either side yields no flex. The last obstacle in the way of the S22 Ultra is a full-blown car that runs over the phone with its screen facing down. The result is a few scrapes on the screen but no other structural damage. This earns the S22 Ultra a 9.5/10 durability score.

The teardown test starts by prying off the backplate which also houses the camera cutouts. Each camera cutout can be removed by applying heat. Taking out a total of fifteen more screws reveals the NFC and wireless charging coils, battery cables and the S Pen slot. Unclipping a few more cables frees up the mainboard.

It’s interesting to see just how much space the four cameras take up on the board. All sensors except the ultrawide snapper have OIS. Digging deeper gets us to the two speaker assemblies. The 5,000 mAh battery is held in with adhesive but there are no pull tabs to easily take it out so the host resorts to rubbing alcohol to pry off the cell.

There’s a large stainless steel vapor chamber below the battery as well as a protective film covering the in-display fingerprint sensor. Taking off the screen is no easy feat given the large amounts of adhesive holding in place. The verdict is a 7.5/10 score.