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Display cracked while in my pocket

gearhead64

Lurker
Jul 23, 2011
9
3
Yesterday morning the display on my Samsung Galaxy S4 cracked while it was in either the front pocket or cargo pocket of a loose-fitting pair of cargo shorts. The only other item with it in the front pocket was a Chapstick. The display side was facing toward my leg. I carried a Motorola Atrix II like this for 3 years and never had a problem.

The only thing I can figure is either I leaned against something (the counter or the seat of my truck), or I twisted or bent it somewhat while taking it out of my pocket. Just prior to noticing the problem I started to place it in the cargo pocket but then changed my mind. While pulling it back out I remember my hand getting slightly stuck and putting a small amount of pressure on the phone (certainly not enough for me to have been concerned about).

The crack actually seems to be in the display itself, as I can't physically feel the crack in the glass. The crack runs horizontally across the middle of the screen in a shallow S shape. It does not run all the way to either end, but stops short about a 1/4 inch from either edge of the screen.

This phone seems very fragile. I was just thinking the other day about how my dad carries his iPhone in his back pocket and sits on it, and my wife did the same thing with her S3 before she gave it to my son, who always carries it in his front pocket. Of course I didn't buy the protection plan, because it's extremely rare for me to damage anything. Looks like I'll be out $200+ to repair it. The touch screen isn't working quite right now. I get a lot of extra i's while typing, and the swipe to unlock only works if you swipe in the top half of the screen, not to mention the discoloration where the crack is.
 
One of the issues that I have noted with the newer, thinner phones with larger screens is that the phone does flex when pressure is applied. Since the S4 has actual glass, this is a crack waiting to happen. Older phones tended to be thicker and had smaller screens and weren't, because of this, "flexible". I used to do the "Naked in the front pocket" thing with my phones, but with the S4 I have opted for a case and belt clip. I like the phone and my money too much to risk it with this handset.
 
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I think that phone is waterproof, but not rugged. I remember being disappointed with it in some way.
If you aren't bothered about how thick the phone is, cannot you just put your S4 in a rugged case like an Otterbox?

I hate cases but seeing this (and the thread Sydney99 linked to on XDA) is starting to make me worry. I have never even damaged a phone, much less broken one, but it does seem like something is wrong when the screen can break behind the glass.

Out of interest, does no-one here have household contents insurance? Mine covers me for accidental damage with a small excess (
 
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If you aren't bothered about how thick the phone is, cannot you just put your S4 in a rugged case like an Otterbox?

I saw someplace else that a guy had his in an Otterbox and it cracked also.

At this point I'm thinking maybe a solid steel box with padding, operate the touch screen with a feather.

Mine has an Incipio featherlight, same thing my Atrix was in for 3 years and never had a problem.
 
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If you aren't bothered about how thick the phone is, cannot you just put your S4 in a rugged case like an Otterbox?

I hate cases but seeing this (and the thread Sydney99 linked to on XDA) is starting to make me worry. I have never even damaged a phone, much less broken one, but it does seem like something is wrong when the screen can break behind the glass.

Out of interest, does no-one here have household contents insurance? Mine covers me for accidental damage with a small excess (
 
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Yesterday morning the display on my Samsung Galaxy S4 cracked while it was in either the front pocket or cargo pocket of a loose-fitting pair of cargo shorts. The only other item with it in the front pocket was a Chapstick.
I'm very sorry to hear about your misfortune.

This really hits home with me since I too have never damaged a phone in any way. You seem very mindful, aware, careful and smart. If this happened to you, it could happen to me. I can imagine your shock upon discovering the failure. And failure it is, it should hold up better than that.

I've read an tremendous amount about the Galaxy line including the Note, but until reading this thread I was unaware this was an issue. While I enjoy taking care of my gear, I don't baby it. It seems that I better do some focused research on this before my Note 3 arrives, as I'm not fond of the idea of having to risk such an event happening to me.

Am I overreacting?

All thoughts, comments or suggestions welcome from any of you.

Thanks !
 
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I'm very sorry to hear about your misfortune.

This really hits home with me since I too have never damaged a phone in any way. You seem very mindful, aware, careful and smart. If this happened to you, it could happen to me. I can imagine your shock upon discovering the failure. And failure it is, it should hold up better than that.

I've read an tremendous amount about the Galaxy line including the Note, but until reading this thread I was unaware this was an issue. While I enjoy taking care of my gear, I don't baby it. It seems that I better do some focused research on this before my Note 3 arrives, as I'm not fond of the idea of having to risk such an event happening to me.

Am I overreacting?

All thoughts, comments or suggestions welcome from any of you.

Thanks !

I don't think you're overreacting. Part of the reason I started this post was to give people who are thinking of buying one of these more information with which to make their decision. Buying a new phone (or tablet), and then having to spend $250 periodically to replace screens that haven't been treated roughly is a big consideration.
 
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For those of you talking about thin phones flexing and being more prone to breaking...
There is a video of Samsung's factory testing of the S3 that showed it in a device that was literally twisting the phone from the corners. It looked unnatural how much it could bend without the glass breaking. I am unable to readily locate that video.

Thinness is not the problem here. The problem is that a pressure point got applied to the glass and it broke.
 
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For those of you talking about thin phones flexing and being more prone to breaking...
There is a video of Samsung's factory testing of the S3 that showed it in a device that was literally twisting the phone from the corners. It looked unnatural how much it could bend without the glass breaking. I am unable to readily locate that video.

Thinness is not the problem here. The problem is that a pressure point got applied to the glass and it broke.




GALAXY S4 Factory Testing Reliability - YouTube
 
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