[Q] is it really so fragile?! - Galaxy S II General

I'm thinking of buying a GS2 and what scares me the most are the threads by people who cracked the screen.
All my phones fall, from the first siemens (back in the '90) to my my last htc hero.
At least once a month it makes a flight off the sofa, off the table, on the cement ... at most the back cover comes off, the battery flies away and the body (not the display) reports some scratches.
My hero also shows signs of bites and scratches by a cat, but nothing more!
(try to control a cat a let me know ...)
I read the last post of a poor guy whose s2 fell to less than one meter on the gravel and the display cracked!
But is it really so fragile?!
Is there someone whose s2 has been dropped from a reasonable height and the screen survived ?
L.

volpe71 said:
I'm thinking of buying a GS2 and what scares me the most are the threads by people who cracked the screen.
All my phones fall, from the first siemens (back in the '90) to my my last htc hero.
At least once a month it makes a flight off the sofa, off the table, on the cement ... at most the back cover comes off, the battery flies away and the body (not the display) reports some scratches.
My hero also shows signs of bites and scratches by a cat, but nothing more!
(try to control a cat a let me know ...)
I read the last post of a poor guy whose s2 fell to less than one meter on the gravel and the display cracked!
But is it really so fragile?!
Is there someone whose s2 has been dropped from a reasonable height and the screen survived ?
L.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
at the right angle anything can crack
buy this
youtube

You have a 4.3 inch screen, 8mm phone, ofcourse it's fragile. All of them are. Like ^ said, buy a nice case, and you'll have some protection against small falls.

If you cannot afford the Case Mate Tough Case , then Amazon has some reasonably cheap gel cases , do not buy a silicone case as they attract dirt/dust like a magnet

OP, I dropped mine from 1 meter height a number of times, but always on wooden or carpeted floor. Never dropped on concrete or gravel. But I bet most modern smart phones with large touchscreens will crack if dropped on hard surface landing on the screen or even not on the screen but at a proper angle like someone already mentioned.
Either buy a good case, or buy a tough weather and impact proof phone.

dropped mine 100 times.....apart from a few cosmetic scratches, been fine

volpe71 said:
Is there someone whose s2 has been dropped from a reasonable height and the screen survived ?
My hero also shows signs of bites and scratches by a cat, but nothing more!
(try to control a cat a let me know ...)
L.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dropped mine the first day from about 1.7 meters/5.6 feet(?) (I guess that's the height my ear is at) on the pavement. It's fine, just scratches and scuffs on the corners and the back, but nothing bad.
Bought the CaseMate Tough Case though, just to be sure.
PS. Damn cats! mine keeps battling my remote, it lights up as he touches it... chews through the lcd screens

I have just a full-body screen protector on mine and have dropped it a couple of times and its been fine. What part of the phone that hits the ground first is going to make a big difference too. If it hits the ground vertically on a corner than yes, you're more likely to have the screen crack. A couple of the reported cracks were from stress where the screen was in someones pocket and either pressed against something or sat on. Also, consider how many are out there now and the cracked screen reports are less than a dozen. I was afraid of it when I first got it but less so now.

qwerty warrior said:
at the right angle anything can crack
buy this
youtube
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Gonna get one of those. Looks good.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Having come from Nokia phones and Htc phones.. this is as light as a feather and just slipped through my hands quiet a few times.. but you get used to it..
Once it dropped of the table but no harm done. yes it is very light and I would suggest getting it a case or something to make it feel more in the HAnds although I never used cases on any of my phones leave alone screen protectors.
But yeah you get used to it after a while so go GET one

i threw mine, it still works. Buy a big leather case. Top tip of the day, it saves you ££££'s

You guys just need to be more careful with your phones.

DVC1985 said:
You guys just need to be more careful with your phones.
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http://youtu.be/lcepWNOuUuM

LOL at "iPhone Dropped in Slow Motion"
Tinderbox (UK) said:
If you cannot afford the Case Mate Tough Case , then Amazon has some reasonably cheap gel cases , do not buy a silicone case as they attract dirt/dust like a magnet
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Click to collapse
600€ for the phone so the price of the case would not be a problem.
A must have accessory (for my use) is an active car holder; one you put the phone in without having to plug cables, to put the phone out from the case, etc. ( like the original samsung one )
Anyway, thanks to everybody.
At the end I think I'll go for the phone, some "invisible skin" protector and an insurance.
L.

I am really a bit confused about this entire thread. Maybe I just haven't seen the flood of threads complaining about cracked screens, but the only ones I've seen even remotely related are:
1) Some dude dropped a dumb bell on his phone. You be the judge of whether or not that is indicative of the screen's robustness.
2) Some dude dropped his phone into the toilet for a swim with some poo and water. And, it still survived.
So, I guess if you want a phone that is impervious to heavy metal weights being dropped directly on it, then yes, I would be wary of this phone. The good news is, if you're the type to possibly have your mobile phone go for a **** swim every once in a while, you're in luck.
All joking aside, get a decent case for it, screen protectors, and the phone is as well built as any other well built phone. Plus, the phone in its "naked state" is a bit too thin for me anyway.

I dropped mine from like 1,5M on solid stone. Landed on a corner which now has a little dent other then that there is nothing to see...
I was actually surprised it survived i have seen phones die from less.

1m height to solid stone
Dropped mine from 1m onto solid stone floor. Landed flat on the screen side. 2 or 3 fix points on backcover opened. Other than that, not even a scratch. Back cover was also ok.
I have read these unfortunate threads before and I admit I was scarred to to pick it up lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ErXqnQKs-tA

cmd512 said:
I am really a bit confused about this entire thread. Maybe I just haven't seen the flood of threads complaining about cracked screens,
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XDA is not the only place in the world talking about phones ... anyway, am I free to be scared and ask or not? ;-)
L.

dropped mine 2 days ago ad the screen is chipped and cracked, now on the lookout for a new piece of glass

Related

What ever you do don't drop it!!

My son woke me up in the morning i bent over to look at the time knocking my HD2 all of 2 foot onto my laminate flooring..... screen has completely shattered!! this is one fragile device. Thankfully its insured through Vodafone I took it into the store today, but there doubtfull it can be fixed as it also chipped a piece of casing off as well. Now I'm a bit concerned they have no stock of the HD2 . I'll be gutted if thats the case.
Another reason why I wont be having kids...
Hi, I rang Vodafone today and I think they have a few replacement unitsleft, as they said they'd bee shipping me out one in the next few days... see my thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=611939
I hope its actually a HD2 they are shipping me and not another phone, fingers crossed!!
The direct replacement number they gave me was 08448540430 but I'm not sure if thats the right one for insurance but you can try it. Let me know how you get on
Sounds promising, thanks! If I get another i'll be wrapping it in cotton wool...
hammers4life said:
Sounds promising, thanks! If I get another i'll be wrapping it in cotton wool...
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If I could I'd cover it in adamantium...
This is quite worrying. I mean sure dropping a phone would not be considered "normal use" but surely it should have been taken into account when designing the unit that phones do get dropped?
My Touch Pro has hit the deck on more than one occassion and it's unscathed!! I'm not the careless type either, I look after my tech but these things happen. It's worrying that a 2ft drop onto laminate could cause the screen to completely shatter.
Strange, dropped mine 6 feet onto a tile floor yesterday, i was like nooooooooooooo!, picked it up, still perfect, must have been lucky.
Syphon Filter said:
This is quite worrying. I mean sure dropping a phone would not be considered "normal use" but surely it should have been taken into account when designing the unit that phones do get dropped?
My Touch Pro has hit the deck on more than one occassion and it's unscathed!! I'm not the careless type either, I look after my tech but these things happen. It's worrying that a 2ft drop onto laminate could cause the screen to completely shatter.
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Your Touch Pro also happens to have a plastic screen. Sounds stupid comparing it to a thin glass screen, doesn't it? You make it sounds like it's the coming of the apocalypse because the HD2 is the first of its kind to have screen cracked when dropped. Take a look at iphones, droids, hero, etc...
People here freaked out because it's probably the first capacitive screen they've owned and continue using it like it's plastic like past HTC phones. Be extra careful. Period.
You were extremely fortunate, either that or I was extremely unfortunate. Ive been reading about the HD2 apparently theres alot of internal stress so although the screen is pretty much scratch proof its not so good on when struck. Very annoying as Ive been very protective of this phone
its actually pretty tough
in my drunken state on new years eve I dropped my phone from shoulder height onto tar! some little dents on the bottom but 100% fine! Impressed...
stefanfuchsuk said:
in my drunken state on new years eve I dropped my phone from shoulder height onto tar! some little dents on the bottom but 100% fine! Impressed...
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Being intoxicated whilst using this phone is what I fear the most...
lude219 said:
Your Touch Pro also happens to have a plastic screen. Sounds stupid comparing it to a thin glass screen, doesn't it? You make it sounds like it's the coming of the apocalypse because the HD2 is the first of its kind to have screen cracked when dropped. Take a look at iphones, droids, hero, etc...
People here freaked out because it's probably the first capacitive screen they've owned and continue using it like it's plastic like past HTC phones. Be extra careful. Period.
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I'm not saying your wrong, but things like "drops" should be taken into account at the design stage of a device such as a phone.
Your car keys are not meant to be dropped, but they'd survive wouldnt they? A mobile phone, by it's very nature, is prone to a drop or two over it's lifetime...
Your reply is very condescending and poorly thought out.
Seems like the phone is a bit like an egg. Squeeze an egg from the top and it won't break. Squeeze from the middle however...! So some drop the phone and it shocks the "middle" while others drop it and it shocks the "top". Some are lucky, some are not. Hey ho, them's the breaks! (No pun intended)
HTC HD2 very fragil
hammers4life said:
My son woke me up in the morning i bent over to look at the time knocking my HD2 all of 2 foot onto my laminate flooring..... screen has completely shattered!! this is one fragile device. Thankfully its insured through Vodafone I took it into the store today, but there doubtfull it can be fixed as it also chipped a piece of casing off as well. Now I'm a bit concerned they have no stock of the HD2 . I'll be gutted if thats the case.
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I recall at list 7 users in this forum having broken screen and so on, so it seems to be taken in consideration >> a hard protector box be highly recommended.
stefanfuchsuk said:
in my drunken state on new years eve I dropped my phone from shoulder height onto tar! some little dents on the bottom but 100% fine! Impressed...
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Click to collapse
hammers4life said:
My son woke me up in the morning i bent over to look at the time knocking my HD2 all of 2 foot onto my laminate flooring..... screen has completely shattered!! this is one fragile device. Thankfully its insured through Vodafone I took it into the store today, but there doubtfull it can be fixed as it also chipped a piece of casing off as well. Now I'm a bit concerned they have no stock of the HD2 . I'll be gutted if thats the case.
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Seriously. I let it drop like every god damned day from the 24th to the 1rst, and it's still pristine. no scratches. I even let it drop from my height (6 feet 2) while drunk and playing with a girl who tried to snap it out of my hands, my heart skipped a beat, but when I took it up, again, no scratches. I was like, God exists!
But neverthless, I ordered three different cases. I don't want to run out of luck.
Dropped mine from 1,5 meter on a stone floor, nothing happend....
Thank god!
I've dropped my HD2 more than 6 times already (usually from holding height, so about 4 feet) sometimes with the leather case sometimes without. It is still in perfect condition. Come to think about it, it think it always landed on the ends so that may prove the egg theory. I do not have it insured so I'm not gonna go prove that theory just yet
It really must depend the way it lands, but trust me 2 foot (bedside cabinet height) was enough to write off my new love lol. Or maybe someone didnt build mine and the other poor bast*rds phones right... maybe forgot to do up a few screws haha, but anyway all I'll say is be damned careful and take out that insurance it really is worth it.
hammers4life said:
It really must depend the way it lands, but trust me 2 foot (bedside cabinet height) was enough to write off my new love lol. Or maybe someone didnt build mine and the other poor bast*rds phones right... maybe forgot to do up a few screws haha, but anyway all I'll say is be damned careful and take out that insurance it really is worth it.
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Friday afternoon unit maybe!
Syphon Filter said:
I'm not saying your wrong, but things like "drops" should be taken into account at the design stage of a device such as a phone.
Your car keys are not meant to be dropped, but they'd survive wouldnt they? A mobile phone, by it's very nature, is prone to a drop or two over it's lifetime...
Your reply is very condescending and poorly thought out.
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Condescending? Poorly thought out? Like how you're comparing dropping your brick of a phone with plastic screen to a thin one with GLASS screen? LOL. I'm not even going to vilify that judging by your lack of common sense and logic.
Of course it's taken into account during the construction of the phone. Some people enjoy the finer things in life, and that means sacrificing some structural integrity for form factor. I'm sure being as naive as you are, you probably didn't think about that. You see, Syphon, the HD2 is like a Ferrari F430 comparing to your Civic of a Touch Pro. It has carbon fiber exterior mated with 490 ponies strapped to the back, and like any other cars out there, it has been crash-tested. It's expensive because of lightweight material, because of exquisite engine design, and because of engineering. All this to ensure that the driver gets the most thrill and satisfaction out of driving it. These cars are well maintained and pampered due to the common sense that these owners have and to be able to understand that these toys are expensive and you'd take the utmost precaution to enjoy them. Now the majority of the people who own these cars are smart, successful people who take pride in taking care of their valuables...the kind of stuff that you lack.
Your Civic, on the other hand, are a dime a dozen...and are the stuff that junkyards are made of. They're cheap, easily to get thrown around and can be easily fixed. The fact of the matter is, your civic is nothing more but a rolling scrap metal that attracts door dings, bird poo, and a variety of things that happen to a car with as much of a presence as a piece of rock. In case you're still clueless, your touch pro should never be compared to an HD2. It's a giant slab of plastic that doubles as a door stop.
Now, I was going to stop but you made another grand of a post. In case you haven't noticed, most car key FOBs are PLASTIC. Yep. Quite a shocker huh? You know what else is a shocker? It doesn't have a screen. All it is, is a small PCB board with a round battery attached to it. Though I wouldnt expect you to understand that based on your inane inability to understand what plastic is and what glass is. I suggest having a running start and smashing your head through your car window so you'll know what the difference is.
....I should aso tell you to put on a helmet to protect that smart brain of yours.

OK. How fragile is the screen, really?

Hello everyone.
I got my HD2 a couple of weeks ago and as usual with new toys, am still taking some extra care with it. I had a Touch HD before that withstood quite a few bumps and two small drops. I saw people carying iPhones in pants pockets, back and front. Given that HD2 screen is significantly larger, how fragile is it, really? I usually carry my phones in jacket pocket, screen towards the body, without any case or sleeve. Do I need to take so much care for it or is it actually more resilient than it seems? Yes, I've seen the threads with broken screens. Anything can break, given enough force.
Any serious feedback is welcomed. Thanks.
Cheers, R
Well I have had mine since it was released in the UK and have had it in my right hand side front pocket in my jeans/trousers etc, sat on floors etc and all sorts and nothing has ever happened to it at all. Its a pretty tough screen I think, as long as when its in you pocket its not at an odd angle, I cant see any problems keeping it in there. I certainly have no problems.
Scratch test
There is a YouTube video of a scratch test of the screen of an HD2, its in foreign but gives a good idea of its screen tolerances (those of a nervous disposition may wish to look away towards the end)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcEaehKWr2s
Hmm I can only speak for myself and my HD2... but my screen has 2 (really small) scratches..
I think these are from a keychain or maybe a lighter in my pocket. I don't really know where the came from - but not from dropping it.
I would recommend to use a (thin - not that thick vikuti) foil to protect it against scratches.
--> Question: What would you recomment regarding a foil to cover the screen? I bought 1 Vikuti foil and really disliked it - it is sooo thick
Edit: I think the knife in the video would be able to scratch the screen... only a matter of right angle an pressure
I dropped mine on new years eve - drunk and the only thing i noticed the following day was that i had lost the backplate lol
Someone on here very kindly gave me a replacement.
Other than that - no scratches so far
Had mine three weeks, using front trouser pocket though I am very conscious of checking the pocket for keys etc first.
I have a full body invisibleSHIELD skin, and i'm extremely happy with it.
I've knocked it a few times on the edge of tables and chairs, once on the metal hand grip on a bus seat, and theres not a mark on it anywhere.
I have a screen protector that covers the entire screen, and carry the phone in my pants pocket in the leather case that came with the phone (I'm waiting on a holster from eBay).
The screen is in perfect condition, however, I did scuff the corner of the HD2 by dropping it (in its leather case) as I went to put it in my pocket coming out of a movie theatre...dropped onto cement.
: /
I use a screen protector and have a very nice silicone case for it that fits very snug, but I'm just being careful.
I believe that common sense is enough to keep this device from being damaged. As you can see from the linked video above, the screen is very resiliant, but it's not scratchproof. Also, why on earth anyone would put it in the back pocket of their trousers and sit down is totally beyone me, but people have done it (and probably still do), but they end up on here asking how to fix their damaged screen. (My advice to them is to hook up a flex capacitor to their car, drive at 88mph, go back in time to before they broke it and slap themselves round the face and say "STOP BEING SILLY!!!")
It's tough, but not unbreakable. Just treat it with respect, look after it sensibly, and DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR BACK TROUSER POCKET OR FRONT SHIRT POCKET!!!
As the meerkats say... simples
(I hate those adverts, but I do like Back To The Future )
johncmolyneux said:
FRONT SHIRT POCKET!!!
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Why not...I put it in there all the time?
So it won't fall out or...?
Spike15 said:
Why not...I put it in there all the time?
So it won't fall out or...?
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lol - I've NEVER seen anyone on this forum say that that has happened to them <sarc mark>
johncmolyneux said:
lol - I've NEVER seen anyone on this forum say that that has happened to them <sarc mark>
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Just making sure I wasn't missing something.
Personally I don't bend over when I need to get something on the floor et cetera...I bend my knees...I've heard that bending like that is bad for your back.
Spike15 said:
Just making sure I wasn't missing something.
Personally I don't bend over when I need to get something on the floor et cetera...I bend my knees...I've heard that bending like that is bad for your back.
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Yes, and even moreso if you have a hernia! Good to see that xda is also responsible for good health advice too
I can't wait for mine to arrive next week. I can tell you from experience that the IPHONE has cracked 3 times in pocket when I put too much pressure. Apple does replace them on a regular basis. They allow for what they call a hairline. If it spiders they won't replace it but a hairline is within their tolerance and is common enough for them to replace it without question. That is how I ended up with a new replacement recently. I wasn't using the phone much but my HD battery died on site so I put the time into the IPHONE to use it. I squatted with the IPHONE in backpocket and CRACK. I probably should check my beltline while I am at it..
They replaced it and that worked out anyways as I am going to sell it. Keep my HD and Bold as backup.
The glass looks pretty solid and as many people reported it a good solid piece of hardware.
i keep mine in the case it comes with when i am carrying it around... any pocket really.
i just make sure i dont sit on it! lol
the screen itself is extremely resilient when it is out and in use.
I leave mine lying around all of the time out of the case and it still looks brand new.
I dont use any screen protector.
screen strength
being a kapasitive screen it uses a propper glass cover instead of ****ty plexi glass or resistive glass as most phones use, this naturally gives it a more scratch proof serface but makes it less resilient to actually breaking. like one guy said it all has to do with angle and preshure.. and abit of bad luck when it comes to screen protection i recomend invisiShield. they are nice and thin, VERY clear plastic so it doesnt disturb teh screen quality. and last but not least, the fabric its made of is teh same as teh stuff that they use to cover helicopter rotor blades with, so it comes with a 30 year waranty.
Thanks for all the replies so far. I suspected as much, but it sure is nice to hear other people's experience
Cheers, R
Impunitus said:
Thanks for all the replies so far. I suspected as much, but it sure is nice to hear other people's experience
Cheers, R
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I had the same fear with its screen .. i posted a poll on the screen
see this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=618978

HD2 is TOUGH!

A few days ago, I managed to drop my HD2. This would normally be a bad situation at the best of times, but this was from the top of my stairs at home. The phone fell through a gap in the bannisters and fell SCREEN DOWN on a stack of CAST IRON weights that were stacked on the floor below! I would've bet a lot of money that the phone would've been very badly damaged and was FULLY expecting to find the screen totally smashed with tiny splinters of glass everywhere. I trudged downstairs and, fearing the worst, picked the phone up and turned it over........ the screen wasn't smashed... it wasn't even cracked. I put the battery back in (which had been fired across the room from the impact) and turned it on... PERFECT. The case wasn't even marked or scratched.
Don't get me wrong, I count myself freakishly lucky, but I was truly staggered the phone survived that fall in the WORST of circumstances and didn't even get a scratch.
Just thought I'd share!
did u have any case on it ?
show a Pic of ur phone with its case
thanks
No case. Phone was naked.
astonishing..
I am amazed as well at the durability of the hd2. Dropped a 3 month old iphone about 15cm off the ground and shattered the screen. Annoying cause of the $ but was an iphone so didn't really concern me greatly. Someone got a used ipod as the phone part died. Anyway so when i was putting stuff in a cupboard with the hd2 in hand inside the stock leather pouch, i tipped the phone upside down by accident trying to keep the pile of junk in the cupboard from crashing down and out of the pouch she slid. This dropped almost 2 metres onto concrete tiled flooring on the top right corner of the phone in what i can describe as an almost vertical fall. I was thinking that the screen was long gone too but to my amazement she was still running fine with only a very slight warping of the hard plastic shell in the corner from where it hit. You have to be looking for it to see the warp that is how minute the damage is but i think i tempted fate once too much also. But hey... a really good phone that has survived a bit already. The only downfall so far is it turns on easily when in your pocket on the plane.
it is tough. accidentally dropped mine from the dressing table to the hard woord floor. did not find a scratch
you guys are lucky, back in february when I'd only had mine for 5 days I dropped it taking it from my pocket, just over a metre, shattered the whole screen to pieces, still used it for a week or so before the touchscreen failed to, god bless insurance!
i felt it 4 or 5 times on the floor witbout one scratch, to be honest only few ones barely visible on the battery cover like 1 or 2 mm long. probably lucky too.
now ... i use my fixed on my motorcycle (gps), went for a 7 days trip with you can guess, a lot of vibrations and sun heat. nothing
I read on here somewhere that the screens most likely to break if the first contact between the phone and the floor is the bottom corner near the hardware buttons because of the gap for the buttons which makes sense........
I would have just sat at the top of my stairs crying if I was the OP.....
Lucky lucky lucky.....
The center of the screen is the place for it to be hit. It's the strongest part of the display, the further out from the center you go, i.e. the edges, the weaker the display gets.
Try smashing a window hitting it in the center with a bat, it will just bounce right back at you with considerable force, hit the corners and you'll get a lot less recoil and you have a much higher chance of shattering the glass. Of course this is just a very crude example of what I mean.
id say you just got lucky
I wish the crap LCD panels HTC use for the HD2 were tough. I have had to return mine twice since I got the phone in November due to developing white patches on the display.
Strange that my 3 year old 2G iPhone doesn't have the same issue.....
Pagnell said:
I wish the crap LCD panels HTC use for the HD2 were tough. I have had to return mine twice since I got the phone in November due to developing white patches on the display.
Strange that my 3 year old 2G iPhone doesn't have the same issue.....
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And I am sure that someone with an iPhone is saying the same about HTC phones. It swings in roundabouts, no manufacturing process is perfect.
Kalavere said:
Try smashing a window hitting it in the center with a bat, it will just bounce right back at you with considerable force, hit the corners and you'll get a lot less recoil and you have a much higher chance of shattering the glass. Of course this is just a very crude example of what I mean.
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You owe me a new kitchen window.
Kalavere said:
And I am sure that someone with an iPhone is saying the same about HTC phones. It swings in roundabouts, no manufacturing process is perfect.
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I must know about twenty people with iPhones and can't think of one who has had a single hardware issues with them. A couple of them dropped their's which resulted in cracked screens but that applies to any device with capacitive displays. I'm not an iPhone fanboy here, I love my HD2. But despite Crapple being **** when it comes to their obsessive control of what the end user can do (which renders their phones unusable without a jailbreak in my view), they are renowned for the quality of their hardware and for good reason.
I just find it annoying that I have had to return my Leo twice for exactly the same issue without treating it any different to my numerous other phones, and I have no doubt the same thing will happen again within 3-5 months. This points to shoddy materials.
Wish I could say the same for my HD2. Slipped out of my hand the other night and onto concrete from about 4 and a half foot up. Screen is cracked all over, gutted. I've dropped it before but its just scuffed the rubberised edges, made a right meal of it this time.
Pagnell said:
I wish the crap LCD panels HTC use for the HD2 were tough. I have had to return mine twice since I got the phone in November due to developing white patches on the display.
Strange that my 3 year old 2G iPhone doesn't have the same issue.....
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sorry for possible hijack, but were those patches that bad? I have some, but I am not bothered bout them as I can only see them browsing xda developers. (whiteish background )
Kalavere said:
The center of the screen is the place for it to be hit. It's the strongest part of the display, the further out from the center you go, i.e. the edges, the weaker the display gets.
Try smashing a window hitting it in the center with a bat, it will just bounce right back at you with considerable force, hit the corners and you'll get a lot less recoil and you have a much higher chance of shattering the glass. Of course this is just a very crude example of what I mean.
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Good to know even the common house thief has knowledge to share with the community
bronx said:
sorry for possible hijack, but were those patches that bad? I have some, but I am not bothered bout them as I can only see them browsing xda developers. (whiteish background )
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It doesn't stop the phone being usable, but why should I put up with a defective screen on a phone that costs this much?

Screen shattered

Just a quick warning, I dropped my streak from a height of about 2ft onto my floor at work, picked it up and put it in my pocket.
When I unlocked it, to my absolute horror, I noticed the LCD has cracked underneath the glass (which is undamaged).
Gutted.
msx999 said:
Just a quick warning, I dropped my streak from a height of about 2ft onto my floor at work, picked it up and put it in my pocket.
When I unlocked it, to my absolute horror, I noticed the LCD has cracked underneath the glass (which is undamaged).
Y
Gutted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RIP. Insured ?
Pictures?
i would say one downfall of the streak is that its so slim and smooth it is very easy to drop,
i wish they had put a lanyard strap hole like on the psp so you could have it around your wrist
not insured
no pictures - took it straight back to o2 after work - they said they will make an assessment on whether it was my fault or not....
Note to self; don't drop dell streak
wondercoolguy said:
Note to self; don't drop dell streak
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL can you send me one of them notes please
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
That is extremely unfortunate, at least the glass held up
But in reality, any smartphone device owner is extremely lucky when they drop a device on a hard floor above 1 foot and it survives. Carpet helps a lot, but wood/cement/tiles just destroys gadgets. I would not even consider dropping my main monitor even 4 inches above ground, why would I treat my phone any different?
The only solution is to never drop your device!
.
....i just dont understand people who dont take care of their gadgets, my G1 is still in perfect condition, not a single mark. the same gos for all my other gadgets too. i wrap them in microfiber cloths, treat them like new born babies.
i just dont get it, i was watching techzilla the other day and they were both saying how they already dropped their brand new iphone 4s multiple times. i mean, you have in your possession and extremely expensive device yet you STILL treat them like there some old nokia brick from 10years ago.
my streak cost me £450..to me thats a hell of allot of money for something so small, it is at this moment in time completely irreplaceable and if anything ever happened to it id need happy pills just to avoid hanging myself..
The problem with the Streak is that while the Gorilla Glass allows some flexibility, the LCD screen behind it does not and is extremely rigid. Pair that with a case which is too thin to prevent bending, the size of the phone which means it's going to be stressed in a pocket when you move around, and you have a real design weakness.The G1 had a big chunky case round it to protect it - and of course the LCD was much smaller.
There are several reports of this happening to the Streak, and you don't have to abuse the phone for the LCD glass to fail. Sounds to me that they haven't made any shock absorbtion or flexible mounts for the screen in the the drive to keep size down, so any impact or distortion to the case is instantly transmitted to the LCD panel. It's happened to those who cosset their devices with kid gloves, even [email protected] (who got it replaced by the O2 store)
http://android.modaco.com/content/d...-com/312203/my-streak-screen-self-destructed/
http://android.modaco.com/content/dell-streak-streak-modaco-com/313359/broken-screen-after-4-days/
Moral - don't drop it, sit or bend down with it in your trouser pocket, and make sure it's insured!
Ineedtoys said:
The problem with the Streak is that while the Gorilla Glass allows some flexibility, the LCD screen behind it does not and is extremely rigid. Pair that with a case which is too thin to prevent bending, the size of the phone which means it's going to be stressed in a pocket when you move around, and you have a real design weakness.The G1 had a big chunky case round it to protect it - and of course the LCD was much smaller.
There are several reports of this happening to the Streak, and you don't have to abuse the phone for the LCD glass to fail. Sounds to me that they haven't made any shock absorbtion or flexible mounts for the screen in the the drive to keep size down, so any impact or distortion to the case is instantly transmitted to the LCD panel. It's happened to those who cosset their devices with kid gloves, even [email protected] (who got it replaced by the O2 store)
http://android.modaco.com/content/d...-com/312203/my-streak-screen-self-destructed/
http://android.modaco.com/content/dell-streak-streak-modaco-com/313359/broken-screen-after-4-days/
Moral - don't drop it, sit or bend down with it in your trouser pocket, and make sure it's insured!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Droped mine today,
I was going out to the car and it was in the Dell case which was not closed.
It fell out of the Dell case onto the concrete floor face down (just like a buttered peice of toast) sods law.
But its insured and O2 are sending me one out in two days.
Note to self, close case properly, get a new case and just be more careful.
Never done this to a phone before in 15 years. Perhaps too much glass.
Carrying mine in my hand (in the Dell leather case) the other day it knocked against a post , I didn't notice until later that there's a tiny chip on the glass below the on/off button and the casing has raised a bit so that the button is now slightly inset. The Dell leather case does not offer any protection on three edges and it's the edges that need it most. I'm lucky, only a small chip and the device still works perfectly, it's taught me a lesson in how fragile it is, my next case will be better designed if I have to do it myself.
flumps said:
....i just dont understand people who dont take care of their gadgets, my G1 is still in perfect condition, not a single mark. the same gos for all my other gadgets too. i wrap them in microfiber cloths, treat them like new born babies.
i just dont get it, i was watching techzilla the other day and they were both saying how they already dropped their brand new iphone 4s multiple times. i mean, you have in your possession and extremely expensive device yet you STILL treat them like there some old nokia brick from 10years ago.
my streak cost me £450..to me thats a hell of allot of money for something so small, it is at this moment in time completely irreplaceable and if anything ever happened to it id need happy pills just to avoid hanging myself..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I agree, all my devices have been wrapped in either silicone case or invisible shield at the very least. Usually, I wrap em with both cause sometimes the dust gets in between the case and the phone and it scratches the surface of the device. Maybe its overkill, but the amount I paid for my devices (especially the Streak) is also overkill.

How durable is our HD2?

Hi,
Got my HD2 couple months back and using it with silicon cover since beginning but now I want to take the cover off and show the real beauty of the phone to everyone but I am too scared to take the silicon cover off because I am clumsy and I drop my phone way too frequently.
I know the phone looks very durable but exactly how durable is it??? can people share some experiences like oh I dropped it from 5ft and it was intact or oh I dropped it from 2ft and the screen broke etc etc.
I used to have HTC Kaiser/tilt and I dropped it way too my times without any covers but it never gave up on me.
PS: I know there is no real way to define durability of a cellphone but u know there are some cellphones which are really delicate and u have to handle them with extra extra care. While there are some like the kaiser who are made for rough use. Just want to know which category our HD2 belongs to?
Sorry for the double post, by mistake i posted it in accessories section!
Hey, i droped it many times and nothing happens.
Sometimes from 150 cm and a bit more and less.
I have thrown my Diamond down the street many times on a night out, but I would never want to drop my HD2 outside of a case, the entire front of the phone is glass, so you may get lucky a couple of times you may not. I wouldn't want to take the chance, it's expensive to replace.
I've dropped my HD2 a few times, most recent was when my mate rugby tackled me on a night out and broke my hand in the process, the HD2 survived almost unscathed due to it being in its case, although there is now a tiny chip on the front-facing bezel above the headphone socket where it meets the glass.
I never bothered with a screen protector and the screen looks as good as new and I've had mine since Nov2009. It's a tough little phone. As long as you keep it in its case when its not being used you will be fine.
hardik119 said:
Hi,
Got my HD2 couple months back and using it with silicon cover since beginning but now I want to take the cover off and show the real beauty of the phone to everyone but I am too scared to take the silicon cover off because I am clumsy and I drop my phone way too frequently.
I know the phone looks very durable but exactly how durable is it??? can people share some experiences like oh I dropped it from 5ft and it was intact or oh I dropped it from 2ft and the screen broke etc etc.
I used to have HTC Kaiser/tilt and I dropped it way too my times without any covers but it never gave up on me.
PS: I know there is no real way to define durability of a cellphone but u know there are some cellphones which are really delicate and u have to handle them with extra extra care. While there are some like the kaiser who are made for rough use. Just want to know which category our HD2 belongs to?
Sorry for the double post, by mistake i posted it in accessories section!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're that clumsy, I'd suggest you keep it in it's case Hardik119 as Murphys law says you'll drop it as soon as you take that cover off?
Hulmeman said:
If you're that clumsy, I'd suggest you keep it in it's case Hardik119 as Murphys law says you'll drop it as soon as you take that cover off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hehe, i can see tomorrows post already
'so last night i fumbled whilst taking the case off and the phone exploded into 900 pieces'
hardik119 said:
Hi,
Got my HD2 couple months back and using it with silicon cover since beginning but now I want to take the cover off and show the real beauty of the phone to everyone but I am too scared to take the silicon cover off because I am clumsy and I drop my phone way too frequently.
I know the phone looks very durable but exactly how durable is it??? can people share some experiences like oh I dropped it from 5ft and it was intact or oh I dropped it from 2ft and the screen broke etc etc.
I used to have HTC Kaiser/tilt and I dropped it way too my times without any covers but it never gave up on me.
PS: I know there is no real way to define durability of a cellphone but u know there are some cellphones which are really delicate and u have to handle them with extra extra care. While there are some like the kaiser who are made for rough use. Just want to know which category our HD2 belongs to?
Sorry for the double post, by mistake i posted it in accessories section!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's great, I dropped it several times from 0.5m-1.0m and it's working perfectly ATM.
Had mine for 9 months now, never put a silicon case or it or screen protector. Only use the leather-ish case that came with it, have dropped my HD2 loads of times. I am litterally the worst person with phones, i had four new phones in a 2 year contract before this because i am so clumbsy, including the kaiser and tp2. HD2 is far more resilient and mine has not noticable marks on it.
Maybe i'm lucky with this phone, but i have seen videos of hd2 and iphone being pushed together screen to screen and the iphone breaks way earlier and considering the screen is that much smaller more pressure would be technically be being applied to the HD2.
Dust in your HD2's USB port is more likely to break your phone than dropping it.
The screen is gorilla glass, check out youtube for some videos of guys trying to break or scratch it, not easy! As for the case, I dropped it a couple of times on asphalt, and while the case looked fine, there is a rubbery edging around the screen that did get gouged. You can't really tell by looking, but you can feel it.
Such a classy device needs to be treated elegantly!!
A screen protector is a must have.
And to show off with ur sexy phone use a OEM leather pouch (slim and rich looking) that can be bought from ebay with a reasonable price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Leather-pou...389855?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item415267839f
for such a big screen with lots of glass, its pretty tough, im a bit clumsy with phones, like some, i dropped by LG BL40, good job, it was ****e, but screen shatterd, chucked it in the bin and got this...always used the pouch, but had it out playing music, a broom(yes a broom) fell over and i have a c shaped scratch, drives me mad...but did scratch easier i thought..the case marks pretty easy to. But for such a large phone, thumbs up.
sevoflurane said:
Such a classy device needs to be treated elegantly!!
A screen protector is a must have.
And to show off with ur sexy phone use a OEM leather pouch (slim and rich looking) that can be bought from ebay with a reasonable price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Leather-pou...389855?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item415267839f
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure I agree with the screen protector. I can never keep one on the phone, it will be on for a couple of months, then start annoying me and I take it off. The screen is very scratch resistant and I don't tend to drop phones. It stays in it's bodyglove kickstand case (which adds a little lip to the edges) and goes in a leather beltclip case.
hardik119 said:
I know the phone looks very durable but exactly how durable is it???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen is very durable. Over the 9 months I've owned my HD2 the screen hasn't had one scratch on it despite no screen protector.
Drop it and one of two things will happen: nothing or total destruction of the screen.
Unfortunately, after 9 months of being careful I recently dropped my phone onto concrete from about 2 feet and the screen is totalled
The problem lies with the thinness of the bezel where it meets the screen (it deforms easily) and the tight tolerances of the join between the bezel and glass.
The combination is deadly and any design engineer ought to have noticed that at pre-production.
Someone at HTC sacrificed how the phone felt in the hand to how the glass screen reacts to side on pressure as a result of the bezel deforming on impact.
I'd be happy to have a chunkier bezel with just a few more mm of metal on the bezel if it prevents deformation on impact.
The phone is insured but I'll probably get reamed at policy renewal time next year.
the hd2 is durable as far as drops go (i don't use a case) - i've dropped mine twice, once on a wooden floor from about 5 ft up,no damage, and once onto concrete from the same height,only damage a very tiny dent/scratch on the corner of the case where it hit the street.
however, do NOT believe the bull**** about the screen being super scratch resistant !! after only two weeks of GENTLE use,and only being kept in my back pocket with nothing else,there was a one inch scratch across the front. i know,i saw the videos as well, but the fact remains. it scratches,and it scratches pretty damn easy.
GET A SCREEN PROTECTOR IMMEDIATELY !!!!
Neither case nor screen protector has (or will) ever touched the perfect curves of my hd2. Furthermore, it has seen a heavy ammount of abuse.
As far as dropping it goes... I wouldn't reccomend it. Mine has survived chest high (I'm 6'4") drops on to concrete (landing screen first) and not broken. However, many a sad story has been told by users with falls from lesser heights. The unlucky folks notwithstanding, I have to say that the screen is certainly well-made. In the 6+ months I've owned it, the screen remains conspicuously scratch-free. It should be noted that I often take out my car keys and and aggressively assault the screen with them (to the horror of onlookers). I also regularly lay my device down face-first. Still can't seem to find a single scratch.
As previously mentioned, I do not have or use a case of any kind. I keep my phone on me at all times in my front pocket (screen facing my leg). This includes when I am at work. I work... at a warehouse. Which means my hd2 gets to enjoy pallets, boxes, and various other blunt-force trauma slamming against it in my pocket. Here's what I have found.
The parts that are NOT so tough:
1) Battery cover.
I have noticeable scratches and marks on the battery cover. There is a thin coating on it that will flake off after a certain ammount of abuse.
2) The flash.
My led flash was dislodged slightly (some time while at work) and pressed up against the vibration motor. Although it was easy enough to fix by popping the phone open and remounting it.
The parts that ARE tough:
So far... everything else.
jamima69 said:
it scratches,and it scratches pretty damn easy.
GET A SCREEN PROTECTOR IMMEDIATELY !!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. It really doesn't. Whatever happend to your phone to cause a scratch is unfortunate... but it is the exception, not the rule. When I am unable to INTENTIONALLY scratch something, aforementioned "thing" can not be considered "easily scratchable".
I dropped mine from 4-5 feet high a few times (a couple onto concrete) and it was fine.
Then yesterday I dropped it from 2 feet high onto a wood floor and the screen was totally destroyed. Must have just hit at the right (wrong) angle...
Also, my screen has several scratches on it, so saying it is EXTREMELY scratch resistant is BS. However, now that my screen is destroyed anyway, I tried scratching it with a key, and knife, a pushpin, and a couple other things (haven't tried my wife's diamond ring, heh) and cannot for the life of me scratch it. But it DID get scratched somehow... and one of them was there after only a few days of use.
jamima69 said:
however, do NOT believe the bull**** about the screen being super scratch resistant !! after only two weeks of GENTLE use,and only being kept in my back pocket with nothing else,there was a one inch scratch across the front. i know,i saw the videos as well, but the fact remains. it scratches,and it scratches pretty damn easy.
GET A SCREEN PROTECTOR IMMEDIATELY !!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the one inch scratch on your HD2 is very unfortunate, but does not mean at all that it scratches "pretty damn easy". At this point I totally disagree. I have my HD2 now for more than 1 year and I'm a heavy user, but after all this time there is not one single scratch to detect on the screen. I must say though, that I always have my HD2 in a leather belt case when not in use, but never used a screen protector on my HD2.
So in conclusion: the HD2 does not scratch easlly at all, but you have just been unfortunate and very unlucky.
regards, Kuzibri
I've recently replaced the screen in my HD2 because the old one had sustained some serious damage through an unfortunate encounter with asphalt. The device can handle some serious punishment, but the screen can crack quite easily when dropped just the wrong way. I've heard the screen can handle 400 newton of force which is quite a lot, but a 1 meter drop and slide across asphalt was too much.
Also, the screen is almost scratch-free except for sand! Sand can scratch the screen easily (had it in my pocket when working on the beach) so use a screenprotector when in a sandy environment.
While the phone is durable, it is always a good idea to to have the phone in a gell case to keep it from getting mangled when dropped. having owned several touch phones I have not found a need for a screen protector as I do not put my phone face down or in a pocket with other things...

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