Samsung Galaxy S6 Torture Tests: Galaxy S6 Edge Survives Water Submersion, Being Slammed Into Concrete

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge haven’t even been released yet, but the devices are already being put through a battery of torture tests. Two separate torture tests have surfaced featuring the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, one showing the device surviving several minutes of submersion and another showing the device being slammed to the floor several times.

Let’s take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge water test. The smartphone has no official water-resistance rating, but it managed to last nearly 24 minutes of submersion. The blog TechSmartt performed the water test with a T-Mobile Galaxy S6 Edge model, by allowing the device’s stopwatch to run while it was submerged to track the time elapsed before the device died. The tester noted that there were no air bubbles visible after the Galaxy S6 Edge was underwater for over two minutes, which is the point when the iPhone 6 often dies after submersion.

After 10 minutes, air bubbles begin to appear, but the Galaxy S6 Edge still appears to be functioning well, as indicated by the stopwatch still running. At about 23 minutes and 47 seconds, the Galaxy S6 Edge’s screen goes black. The tester then removes the device, shakes out the water and begins testing functionality.

At this point, water is visible in the device’s screen and behind its camera lenses. The Galaxy S6 Edge handset does turn on but has trouble staying on and reboots constantly, even after being charged. The camera app preview screen is cloudy when launched and the device is unable to take a photo. But the fact that it took the device nearly 24 minutes to get to this point means Galaxy S6 Edge may be able to survive an accidental drop in the sink or toilet, as long as it’s not left there for over 20 minutes.

Samsung uses the ingress protection (IP) rating to certify many of its devices as water-resistant. The 2014 flagship Samsung Galaxy S5 was certified as water-resistant with an IP67 rating, which means the device can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes without damage. The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge did not receive this rating. As per the water test, however, the smartphones’ designs are quite rugged.

Recent rumors suggest that Samsung may release a variant of the Galaxy S6 called the Galaxy S6 Active, which would likely include a water-resistance certification.

Now, let’s take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge slam test. Most drop tests feature devices being released and allowed to fall from arm height, shoulder height or from above the head. But the Galaxy S6 Edge managed to survive being forcefully slammed to the ground three consecutive times without one crack to its display. The device’s touch-screen functionality also remained intact at the end of the 30-second clip.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are some of the first devices on the market to feature a Gorilla Glass 4 display casing. Gorilla Glass developer Corning claims that Gorilla Glass 4 can withstand drops two times better than Gorilla Glass 3, which is the casing on most smartphones currently on the market. This appears to be an accurate claim -- that is, if this slam test is any indication.

Samsung also claims that the metal on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge is 50 percent stronger than the metal on other high-end smartphones, which may also aid their sturdiness.

These are likely not the only torture tests for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. The Samsung Galaxy S5 was put through an array of abuse last year; in addition to standard drop tests, the smartphone was shot at with a Barrett M107A1 50-caliber sniper rifle, submerged in a pool, put in a 50-minute wash cycle and smashed with a hammer.