Why it matters to you
You’ve already paid $750 for your Samsung Galaxy S8, but you may have to pay a lot more if you tend to drop your phone. The handset is said to be very fragile.
You may have to keep paying for that Samsung S8, even if you paid for the handset all at once. And we’re not talking about the monthly bill from your mobile service provider — rather, it would appear that the new Samsung flagship phone is one the most fragile and breakable handsets ever, which means that you’re likely going to need repairs. And with a phone that costs in the ballpark of $750 to begin with, those additional fixes could add up.
As per a newly posted video from extended warranty service provider SquareTrade, both the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus are among the least hardy of recent smartphones. In fact, SquareTrade notes, it’s the first phone they’ve tested that has suffered cracks on all sides upon a single drop.
Of course, it comes as little surprise that the handsets are so delicate. After all, that trademark “infinity screen” comes at a cost — and it’s not just monetary. In something of a case study for “form over function,” the almost entirely glass body of the handset makes for a particularly fragile product. But luckily, it would appear that replacement screens for the Galaxy S8 are a bit less expensive than those for the S7, and prices are expected to drop even further as the fervor surrounding the phone wears off.
Of course, keep in mind that “less expensive” doesn’t mean inexpensive. Sure, the replacement screens for the S8 are about $50 to $100 cheaper than S7 replacement screens were at launch, but that still puts the price at around $200 wholesale. The good news, however, is that obtaining the parts needed for a repair is pretty easy, so at the very least, you won’t be paying a ton and waiting forever to get your new phone fixed.
“The price point is good; the repairability is there. Durability-wise, it’s definitely going to break, no question about that.” Justin Carroll, owner of the Richmond, Virginia-based Fruit Fixed smartphone repair shop, told Motherboard. But does that mean that you ought to buy insurance for your phone? Independent repairmen say not necessarily.
“If we can get repair price under $200 you take away all of the value insurance has,” Carroll said. “The only thing insurance can usually beat us on is price point. If they can’t do that, then there’s no reason to have it.”