One of the more under-the-radar changes with the Galaxy S26 Ultra coming from the S25 Ultra is the switch from a titanium frame to an aluminum one, which naturally raises some durability questions. Luckily, PBKreviews delivered his signature drop test video to showcase how Samsung’s latest top-tier flagship fares.
Apart from the different frame material, the S26 Ultra features more rounded corners, and its camera island is more exposed than last year’s model. The new phone reuses the same Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protection across its displays and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on its back, just like last year’s model.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G
The first drop yields some visible damage to the left corner frame, but the screen remains intact. Drop #2, however, manages to crack the glass in front of the phone’s 5x telephoto lens.
That lens glass then completely shatters after the third drop, alongside some additional scrapes around the frame. In conclusion, the S26 Ultra fares a little worse than the S25 Ultra in terms of drops, but it remains fully functional.
Alongside the drop test, PBKreviews also releases his S26 Ultra teardown video, giving us a look at the insides of the phone.
The internals look nearly identical to last year’s model, which isn’t surprising. The disassembly procedure is pretty much the same as last year. Once we get to the motherboard, we can see Samsung did use more thermal paste around the back to help with heat management.
Galaxy S26 Ultra gets additional thermal paste around the motherboard and a redesigned vapor chamber
We also get to see the S26 Ultra’s redesigned vapor chamber, which looks to be the same size as the one on the S25 Ultra but with a slightly altered shape. Without any surprise, the S26 Ultra earns a 9/10 repairability rating, which is the exact same score as the S25 Ultra.
