Drop test shows Samsung Galaxy S22's flat display is pretty easy to damage
During drop tests with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the curved sides of the screen were identified as a weak spot. Does that mean that the Samsung Galaxy S22, which has a flat screen, is more durable? PBKreviews endeavored to find out.
Long story short, you should really put on a screen protector, Gorilla Glass Victus+ is prone to cracks even from waist height falls. If the phone hits the pavement metal side down, it gets banged up but is mostly okay. Falling glass side down (be it the front or back Victus+ pane) causes cracks.
Keep in mind that replacing the screen on the vanilla Galaxy S22 costs $200, unless you subscribe to Samsung Care+ (which drops the repair cost to $29). Note: the repair pricing page seems to have been removed from Samsung.com, but you can easily check the cached version. Also, the back isn't immune to damage, so a putting on a case may be wise.
Here are some relevant prices for screen replacements:
| Model | Screen replacement cost (in the US) |
|---|---|
| Galaxy S22 Ultra | $289 |
| Galaxy S22+ | $229 |
| Galaxy S22 | $199 |
| Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | $289 |
| Galaxy S21+ 5G | $229 |
| Galaxy S21 5G | $199 |
| Galaxy S21 FE 5G | $169 |
Source