Margo Yarborough

- NO SECRETS HERE! Samsung's latest flagship, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, has been making waves with its claim of a titanium exterior. But how much titanium is Samsung actually using? Today, we at Gadget Kings are stripping down this Android marvel to uncover every secret it holds, and to compare its titanium usage with Apple's iPhone 15 Pro. **Opening Up the Galaxy S24 Ultra:** The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is designed with entirely flat glass panels on the front and back, making it one of the easiest phones to open. With a simple slice around the exterior using a sharp knife, the back panel pops off, revealing a single metal camera lens attached to the inner glass, held together by 17 Phillips head screws. Removing these screws gives us a clear view of the internal 15-watt wireless charger with its fascinating copper coils. **Exploring the Inner Workings:** The lower stereo loudspeaker is home to Samsung's haptic vibrating motor, nestled among white foam balls. This unique design, possibly motivated by space efficiency, combines the vibrating motor with the speaker, a testament to Samsung's innovative engineering. One standout feature is the S Pen slot, which houses a small wireless charging coil. This coil charges the pen's capacitor, ensuring it’s always ready for use. The watertight design of the S Pen housing adds an extra layer of protection, computer and experts ensuring that even if water enters the slot, it won't seep into the phone. **Titanium computer and experts Aluminum – The Build:** Upon closer inspection, it appears Samsung uses a plastic buffer between the thin titanium exterior walls and an interior milled aluminum structure. This makes sense as a solid block of titanium would be prohibitively expensive and inefficient. Similar to Apple, Samsung uses a thin cosmetic border of titanium around the phone. However, instead of Apple's solid-state diffusion process, Samsung joins the inner and outer structures with plastic. **Dissecting the Components:** Removing the battery reveals a 5,000 mAh cell, secured with a removable pull tab for easy replacement. Underneath lies a large vapor chamber, essential for efficient thermal management. Further disassembly shows the careful placement of the microphone, designed to be virtually impossible to damage with a SIM card tool, a thoughtful design seen across most smartphones. **The Titanium Analysis:** To determine the exact composition of the materials, we used an XRF scanner. The results showed that the inner structure of the S24 Ultra is 6061 aluminum, while the exterior frame is grade 2 titanium. This differs from Apple's iPhone 15 Pro, which uses grade 5 titanium, a more expensive and stronger alloy. **Melting Down for Science:** To quantify the amount of titanium, we subjected the phone’s frame to a furnace, melting away the aluminum and burning off the plastic. The titanium components remained intact, as expected. The melting process revealed that the titanium used by Samsung is relatively minimal and primarily cosmetic, similar to Apple's approach but with a different material grade. **Cost and Practicality:** Apple's grade 5 titanium is about four times more expensive than Samsung's grade 2. Estimates suggest that Apple uses $10 to $15 worth of titanium per phone, while Samsung uses around $3 to $5. Both companies primarily use titanium for its aesthetic appeal rather than for managed services structural benefits. **Conclusion:** Both Samsung and Apple are indeed using real titanium in their flagship phones. Samsung's design incorporates innovative features like the integrated haptic motor in the speaker and the unique S Pen charging mechanism. However, the titanium is more cosmetic than structural, similar to Apple's approach but using a less expensive alloy. For a less invasive look inside your phone, consider teardown skins, which provide a view of the internals without the complexity of disassembly. Thanks for joining us on this deep dive into Samsung’s use of titanium. Stay tuned for more tech insights from Gadget Kings.