Anyone who has recently purchased the excellent Samsung Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S21 Ultra should be sure to choose a case. Allstate Protection Plans, the electronics insurance company formerly known as SquareTrade, conducted a series of drop tests on the Galaxy S21 and the results were not favorable.

All three Galaxy S21 models cracked their screens after a single drop from a height of 6 feet, with the Galaxy S21 Ultra suffering the most damage.

The 6.8-inch phone, the most expensive of the three models, suffered a cracked screen and loose glass that rendered it unusable after a single drop. The Galaxy S21 Plus also suffered from loose glass and a broken screen when dropped face-first, but the Galaxy S21 emerged as the least damaged model; the Galaxy S21 Plus had a cracked screen with raised glass, but the 6.2-inch phone was still functional.

The Galaxy S21 fared even better in a second drop test by Allstate. In this instance, the Galaxy S21 suffered some scrapes and scratches, but no camera damage.

Samsung's new Galaxy S21 lineup introduces a new look to the rear camera array, but the change is more than aesthetic. The contour-cut design prevents damage to the camera in the unlikely event that the phone is dropped.

The cameras on the Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra survived this test; the glass panels on the back of the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra shattered upon impact.

There is a reason the Galaxy S21 was relatively unscathed from this particular test over its more expensive siblings. Samsung used a plastic material for the back of the S21, which makes it less prone to shattering like glass. Therefore, the $799 S21 is the most durable of Samsung's new phones, and the S21 Ultra appears to be the most prone to breakage - at least based on Allstate's testing.

Allstate concludes that the Galaxy S21's front durability has not changed from previous models, although the camera's durability has improved; no comparison to the iPhone was made, but Allstate did test the iPhone 12 last fall and found that Apple s newest model, calling it the most durable smartphone tested.

The news that the front of the Galaxy S21 was damaged may come as a surprise, given that Samsung's latest model uses Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus. Samsung's website describes Gorilla Glass Victus as "the toughest glass in Samsung smartphones" and promises to prevent scratches and damage.

Allstate's tests not only showed that the Galaxy S21 model could pick up damage from drops; Cnet also drop tested the S21 model and dropped it from a height of 3 feet. Even so, the S21 still developed small cracks in the corners; in Cnet's tests, the S21's plastic held up well when dropped from the backside down, but the glass sandwiching the S21 Ultra quickly shattered. Not surprisingly, the situation worsened when dropped from a higher position.

Whichever Galaxy S21 model you purchase, you will want to invest in a case. We've looked at the best Galaxy S21 cases and the best Galaxy S21 Ultra cases.