Is a Galaxy S20 Ultra design flaw causing the rear camera glass to break?

- April 28, 2020

The Galaxy S20 Ultra has had more than its fair share of stumbles out the gate but they don't seem to be over quite yet. Dozens of users have now taken to Samsung's official forums to complain about the rear camera glass on their unit breaking for no apparent reason.

It's not quite clear why so many people are facing the same issue when they all maintain that they didn't drop their phones. It seems that the rear camera glass on the Galaxy S20 Ultra just fails one fine day. That's really not something you want happening on your $1,400 phone.

Does the Galaxy S20 Ultra have a design flaw?

There are reports on Samsung's US forums about this happening from well over a month ago when it had only been a couple of weeks after the Galaxy S20 Ultra was released. Dozens of users say the same thing, that they didn't drop the phone yet the rear camera glass on their Galaxy S20 ultra broke on its own.

Most users claim that they're using good quality cases with their devices and that they didn't drop the phone or bump the camera module against something that would cause the glass to crack. For some, the problem appears to start with a hairline crack across the glass which limits the camera's ability to zoom past a certain level. It continues to expand and further limit the zoom capability. Others note that the glass on their units shattered completely, leaving behind a gaping hole.

Since Samsung isn't considering this anything other than cosmetic damage, which isn't covered under its standard phone warranties, users are left with no choice but to pay out of pocket for the repair. It costs $100 for those enrolled in Samsung Premium Care and almost $400 for those who are not. Owing to the COVID19-related lockdowns in place across the globe, quite a few users are also unable to get their units repaired.

Samsung hasn't acknowledged this as an issue on the forum. Many of the users are now throwing around theories of this being a design flaw with some even calling on the company for a recall. It doesn't appear to be a very widespread issue, though, so there may be another explanation here.

Some of our team members in different parts of the world have been using the Galaxy S20 Ultra as their daily driver and haven't experienced a similar issue. If you have, please do share it with us in the comments below. We have reached out to Samsung for a comment on the matter and will update once we hear back.