Let’s face it; everyone drops their smartphones at some point in time. Some people drop theirs more than others. For reasons known only best to them, manufacturers are now pushing smartphones with a glass body and Samsung is no exception. The glass-heavy design of Samsung’s smartphones drives people to use a case, lest they want to risk shattering their $500 plus investment. When your phone has a slab of glass on the front and back, it’s prone to damage no matter how durable it may be. But like everything else, luck’s a huge factor in deciding whether a drop will let your phone get by with a few minor scratches or make it shatter on impact. For its latest flagships, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the company has made a few key design changes to improve durability compared to the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

For starters, the front glass has been made slightly thicker – the S9’s front glass’ thickness value stands at 0.6T, while the S8’s was 0.5T. A thicker glass can only do so much protecting a device from shatter, which is why Samsung upgraded the metal on their flagships as well. The company has used AL 7003 high-strength aluminium on the S9, which doesn’t deform as much compared to the AL 6013 aluminium used on the Galaxy S8. The metal rim on the S9 and S9+ is 0.2 mm thicker, and thanks to the stronger type of aluminium, the metal transfers 1.2 times less shock to the glass around it upon drop impact.

When the glass is curved, even small improvements can work wonders. These build changes do mean the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are slightly thicker than the S8 or S8+. It’s a good thing that companies are focusing on durability rather than making wafer-thin smartphones that’ll snap when you sneeze. Other than adding that extra bit of durability it is also partly because of the repositioned fingerprint sensor. Another reason is that Samsung wanted to keep the same battery capacities (3,000 mAh and 3,500 mAh).

Now, no smartphones are a hundred percent drop resistant (except for the recent CAT phones). Yes, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ might let you drop the devices an extra time or two, but if you’re one with butterfingers, we’d still recommend a solid case to encase your precious smartphone in.