[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BarryH_GEG:
Have fun. The LG G2X was released April 15, 2011 and

every single one

was hobbled by an electrical design issue that showed itself in multiple ways that, at times, made the phone unusable. I know because I lost several hundred dollars terminating my T-Mobile contract and selling mine on eBay as it was going down in flames. A class action suit was pulled together and filed on July 19, 2011. It's still waiting to be heard. And when all's said and done the attorneys representing the class will pocket several million dollars while the class will most likely receive $50 in credit to use at T-Mobile or $100 off another LG phone.

The iP4 was released in April, 2010. “Antennagate” took off almost immediately. Class action suits were filed in June, 2010. People started receiving $15 compensation checks in April, 2013; almost three years after the suits were filed. The attorneys’ fees were $5.9M.

So any compensation people receive should your “buddy” prevail over Samsung will be years in coming and a token amount when divided amongst the class. If you and others are going after these monolithic companies on “moral grounds” a couple of million dollars is the equivalent of petty cash and won’t do anything to alter their behavior. And most class actions settle with no admission of guilt by the defendant. For lawyers on the other hand these things are gold mines.

Here's a link to the G2X suit, it might help your "buddy."

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1176032

http://articles.law360.s3.amazonaws...um-6-dm_id-5305026-doc_num-1-pdf_header-2.pdf

And what exactly is the durability standard for mobile devices that you think Samsung has breached? In order for there to be "compromise" there has to be a standard to deviate from. “Customer expectation” isn’t a standard. “Reasonable performance” is but how are you or anyone else going to prove the SGS4’s not performing reasonably? And with just some random rumblings on XDA to go by for all we know it is.

Here’s two different stats on iPhone display breakage. I find both pretty appalling. If that’s deemed “OK,” why is what appears to be a far lower number of SGS4’s breaking their displays such a call to arms?

Half of all iPhone owners have cracked their handset’s display at some point during the device’s life whilst two fifths of all iPhones currently in use throughout the UK feature a broken screen, a new study has found. The research, carried out by discount website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, found that of 1,112 British iPhone owners 42 per cent admitted that their current handset had a cracked or broken screen following a drop or knock with more than half saying they continued to use the phone because it still worked fine despite the broken display. With the glass backed iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S renowned for their tendency to come off worse for wear following a drop a massive 27 per cent of those questioned said they have broken their iPhone’s screen within a month of owning the handset.​

I was at a Costco yesterday and thought about exactly this issue. They had a Volvo S60 on display in front of the store. The grille and front bumper offer zero protection from parking lot incursions; obviously forsaking function for style. Anyone who buys one should know just by looking at the front bumper it's going to be more susceptible to damage. Just like anyone who buys an ultra-thin and light mobile device should also know it'll be more susceptible to damage. Are potential S60 purchasers that dim that Volvo needs to provide a warning about potential front bumper damage during the sales process? Back to mobile devices, how many 6.4" displays do you think will be done in by stress on the Xperia Ultra that's thinner than the SGS4? Should Sony issue a warning or is its increased susceptibility to breakage in the name of thinness just common sense?