new phone help cracked screen

[dasyad]

Hi, got my new S4 approx a month ago, got it out my pocket last night and noticed only the AMOLED screen is cracked, spoke to Samsung customer service just now, who wasn't very helpful and they basically they said it was physical damage, this was in a Aegis case protector and had a screen protector fitted too, so basically told them it seems the phone is not fit for purpose, to which they told me to go see the phone provider I bought it off!!! Any thoughts??

A thin plastic screen protector is not going to stop it from cracking due to an impact, it will stop scratches at most. Your case has a lip at the front to try and mitigate against screen damage when dropped but that isn't necessarily going to stop damage caused by a frontal impact.

Is it possible you banged into the corner of a table and unluckily hit your screen?

 

[GeX]

I think it's more likely that the chassis of the phone isn't strong enough and that it's been flexed slightly taking it out/putting it in the pocket.

 

[tom_e]

A thin plastic screen protector is not going to stop it from cracking due to an impact, it will stop scratches at most. Your case has a lip at the front to try and mitigate against screen damage when dropped but that isn't necessarily going to stop damage caused by a frontal impact.

Is it possible you banged into the corner of a table and unluckily hit your screen?

I would have thought if you'd had enough of an impact to crack the screen there would also be damage showing to the glass.

 

[dasyad]

Ahh I thought they meant the glass. As it is less than 6 months old isn't the onus on Samsung to prove it isn't a fault that existed from manufacturing?

 

[GeX]

If this is the case, it's not a manufacturing fault - it's a design issue. Find enough examples and argue it's not fit for purpose? Good luck.

 

[BuckOff]

The crack runs across the screen, just over half way up, its defo no impact damage, gutted to be honest and just don't know what to do, being the lazy B I am, I hadn't sorted my insurance out through the bank

A thin plastic screen protector is not going to stop it from cracking due to an impact, it will stop scratches at most. Your case has a lip at the front to try and mitigate against screen damage when dropped but that isn't necessarily going to stop damage caused by a frontal impact.

Is it possible you banged into the corner of a table and unluckily hit your screen?

 

[Nexus18]

That seems to be a common problem with the gs 4 screen i.e. the AMOLED itself cracking but not the glass.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2287882

+ the above threads linked in my previous post.

Probably because it is too thin for the size of the screen and the body isn't as sturdy compared to a uni-body/metal design/chassis.

One S has the same width as the GS 4 (7.9mm) but doesn't have this problem at all, probably due to it having an aluminium-uni-body, smaller screen etc. as well though

IIRC isn't the SAMOLED panel used in the GS 4, the thinnest one to date?? Probably another reason/factor if yes.

The main reason so many screens are cracking/breaking now is because the bezels are getting smaller and the screens getting bigger..
So With hardly having any bezel to take the shock from an impact all the impact force goes straight to the screen....

Plus you most likely find the Gorilla glass is much thinner on the lastest very slim mobiles like the S4

True.

Gorilla glass has been getting thinner ever since GG 1, but in their words "it still has the same toughness" and for the GG 3, supposedly it was "much" stronger/more resistant against cracks but then a knowledgeable source said that there is actually virtually no difference between it and GG 2:

https://plus.google.com/116988351660148062102/posts/R7EWuTeEbqr

Just to clear up some speculation in regards to Gorilla Glass 3 vs. 2 using science and official specification documentation.

The difference in brittleness (determined by Young's Modulus) between Gorilla Glass 2 and 3 is 71.5 and 69.3 GPa respectively. This is a 3% difference, and barely any difference. Just as a comparison: glass is usually around 50-90 GPa, mother of pearl is on average 70 GPa. (lower=more elastic, higher=more brittle)

The axial stress (aka Poisson's Ratio) is almost exactly the same, 0.21 to 0.22, which can easily be down to systematic and rounding errors.

The fracture toughness (how hard it is for a crack to elongate/propogate) actually decreased from 0.68 to 0.66 MPa m^0.5, so if you have a crack in your screen, it will spread 3% easier.

And finally, the hardness of the glass did not change. It is just as easy to scratch a Gorilla Glass 2 panel as it is to scratch a Gorilla Glass 3 panel.

tl;dr - There are very little differences between Gorilla Glass 2 and 3. It should not be a deciding factor when you are deciding which phone to buy.

 

[GeX]

Oh look what Samsung have announced;

Today, Samsung is announcing a new variant of its Galaxy S4 more suited to the great outdoors. The phone has a high degree of dust and water protection (IP67), allowing it to be submerged in water up to a meter (about three feet) deep for up to 30 minutes. Inside, the phone has the same 1.9GHz quad-core processor and removable 2,600mAh battery, nestled behind the same 5.0-inch 1080p LCD screen as its less robust cousin. It's not clear whether that battery is removable like the original S4's, though — the backs look different, but Samsung didn't reference any change in its press release.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/5/4398052/samsung-launches-waterproof-galaxy-s4-active

<cynic> Bit more rugged you say.. oh </>

 

[chaparral]

My S4 took a huge fly of about 5'6ft high and 6ft long and it then landed on a rock hard floor...

I was really Lucky that I had it in 2 cases at the time and didn't suffer any damage...