OK, the chances of your brand new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra smartphone ever coming into contact with the sharp edge of a razor knife are admittedly slim, but that didn’t stop popular YouTuber Zack Nelson from going ahead and demonstrating what will happen if it does.
One of the main reasons Nelson takes the blade to a range of smartphones on his JerryRigEverything channel is to test the durability of the device so potential customers can make a more informed choice when it comes to parting with their hard-earned cash. The videos also offer a bizarre form of entertainment thanks to his deadpan delivery, dry wit, and very sharp knife.
So, how did Samsung’s latest flagship fare? Well, after removing the screen protector for the screen protector (yes, there were two), Nelson gets to work on the $1,200 Ultra, subjecting the 6.8-inch, Gorilla Glass Victus display to a range of enthusiastically administered scratch tests. As you’d expect, it holds up pretty well, scratching at level six on the Mohs hardness scale — just like Apple’s iPhone 12 with its Ceramic Shield display.
He also focuses on the Ultra’s display-embedded fingerprint scanner, giving it some extra work with the scratch tool. “Even with that damage, the fingerprint scanner can still read my fingerprint and unlock the phone every single time,” Nelson comments, adding, “Not too shabby.”
Those who cringe easily may want to avoid the rest of the video as Nelson takes his infamous razor knife to all parts of Samsung’s new handset, dragging it across its various surfaces to see how much damage it incurs (spoiler: A fair bit). The YouTuber, who now has more than 6.5 million followers, also holds a naked flame to the display to see how long the glass lasts before it starts to deform.
On the matter of whether Samsung’s pricey handset is worth buying, Nelson suggests the decision rests with the quality of the camera. He then pulls a neat trick that will give you pause for thought about whether or not it’s time to upgrade from your current phone. Check the video (top) to find out more.
For more on the phone’s durability, find out what happened when Digital Trends’ senior mobile editor accidentally dropped his Galaxy S21 Ultra onto concrete from a height of three feet.
