Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra shows some durability trade-offs in its latest drop test, particularly with the switch from titanium to aluminum frame. The flagship phone, which retains Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on its displays and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, survived multiple drops but showed more visible damage than its predecessor.

PBKreviews' testing revealed the first drop left the left corner frame visibly damaged while keeping the screen intact. The second drop cracked the glass covering the 5x telephoto lens, which completely shattered by the third drop. The phone's more exposed camera island and rounded corners may contribute to its slightly reduced drop resistance compared to the S25 Ultra.

Despite the cosmetic damage, the Galaxy S26 Ultra remained fully functional throughout testing. The teardown revealed nearly identical internals to last year's model, with one notable improvement: Samsung added more thermal paste around the motherboard and redesigned the vapor chamber for better heat management. The phone maintains its 9/10 repairability rating, matching the S25 Ultra.