Samsung has taken the same direction as Apple and its iPhone 15 Pro by using titanium for the frame of its latest high-end smartphone, the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, titanium is very different from that used by Apple.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra not only features a stunning display, which has been named the best on the market, but also other significant improvements. One of the device’s selling points is the use of titanium, a strong and lightweight metal, for its chassis. However, a recent teardown by YouTube channel JerryRigEverything revealed that the titanium used by Samsung is of a lower quality than that used by Apple for its iPhone 15 Pro Max.
After a first video demonstrating the exceptional durability of the smartphone, Zach Nelson from JerryRigEverything decided to destroy the Galaxy S24 Ultra in order to separate the titanium from the central aluminum frame. To do this, he used a forge that could reach temperatures of around 1,100 degrees Celsius to melt the aluminum and separate it from the titanium. He then compared the titanium of the Galaxy S24 Ultra with that of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which he also destroyed in a previous video.
iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra don’t use the same titanium
Nelson discovered that the titanium in the Galaxy S24 Ultra was not pure, but rather mixed with a thin layer of plastic, using a technique called overmolding. This technique is cheaper and easier than the solid-state diffusion method Apple uses for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which fuses titanium with aluminum without any plastic.
Nelson also collaborated with Moxtek, a company specializing in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, to measure the quality and composition of the titanium in both devices. Moxtek’s XRF scanner showed the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s titanium was grade 2 or 3 at bestwhile the titanium of the iPhone 15 Pro Max was grade 5, that is, the highest and most expensive grade.
The YouTuber then estimates that Samsung used between $3 and $5 worth of titanium on each Galaxy S24 Ultra, while Apple spent between $10 and $15 on titanium for each iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, Nelson also revealed that the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s frame is slightly thicker than that of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which could be a way to compensate for the lower quality of titanium. As we saw in the previous durability test, the smartphone is the most durable on the market to date.