Galaxy S24 Ultra's best new feature is Gorilla Armor, and Samsung really undersold it

Samsung has just launched the Galaxy S24 series, and the company spent a lot of time on stage talking about the slew of Galaxy AI features on the devices. But Samsung did not spend much time talking about the new Corning Gorilla Armor on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, just about mentioning how it is optically enhanced and has superior durability. However, after using the Galaxy S24 Ultra for a few days now, we can confidently say that Samsung undersold Gorilla Armor and should have spent more effort publicizing what it brings to the table.

Corning and Samsung haven’t shared the fine print on their claims for the new Gorilla Armor. Gorilla Armor is said to perform “up to three times better” on drop tests and shows “over four times more” scratch resistance, but this comparison is done with unnamed “competitive aluminosilicate cover glasses.” Gorilla Armor is also said to reduce reflectance by up to 75%, promising to enhance display readability and minimize screen reflection in almost any environment.

We can attest to Gorilla Armor’s improved optical performance. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display has significantly lower light reflectance: using the phone under sunlight or other bright lights doesn’t cast an annoying reflection. It is shockingly glare-free, to the point that you start noticing how bad the light reflections can be on other competing devices.

You no longer have to angle your phone or shade it to see what is on the display, as the bright and glare-free display does the job without needing any assistance. It sounds like a small change, but it has a good impact on the overall user experience of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

For its scratch resistance, the YouTube channel PBKreviews tested the Galaxy S24 Ultra with Mohs hardness picks, and the results were surprisingly good.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display scratched visibly with level 8 picks. There were also faint scratches at level 7, but the camera couldn’t pick them up, so they should be light enough to ignore. For context, most other phones, including the Galaxy S23 Ultra with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, scratch quite visibly with level 6 picks and get deeper groves at level 7. The S24 Ultra appears to perform significantly better in this regard.

If you don’t buy into the scratch resistance claims and prefer to use a screen protector on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, there is good news on this end, too. The flat display of the Galaxy S24 Ultra makes it super easy to use screen protectors of all kinds, plastic or glass. And from the look of things, the Galaxy S24 Ultra may not even need one, and trading off the anti-reflective properties of Gorilla Armor may actively dissuade people from installing one.

I installed a tempered glass screen protector on my Galaxy S24 Ultra perfectly within minutes. In contrast, it was pretty difficult to source a good (and inexpensive) tempered glass screen protector for the Galaxy S23 Ultra and apply it perfectly on the phone.

However, as expected, the tempered glass screen protector does not let you enjoy the anti-reflective properties of Gorilla Armor on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I might remove the protector on the phone in a few days since the anti-glare display is that good. It remains to be seen if the anti-glare properties return or if this experiment permanently affects the coating.

Either way, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Gorilla Armor is a winner that Samsung isn’t hyping enough.