iPhone 5 Durability?

w00t951 said:

Apple appears to have (for now and the future) switched to aluminum in their iPhones. Since aluminum is a much softer metal than the stainless steel used in the iPhone 4S, will the 5 be more subject to cosmetic damage?

I've seen some threads/reviews talking about it, but they appear to be relatively isolated events. My 4S looks brand new except for a microscopic nick near the power button that came from dropping my phone on a concrete floor.

Click to expand...

Judging from many threads here, it sounds like it may be easier to scartch/bend the phone.

I also believe that the 4S is much durable.

I have been reading all these posts about durability lately. First of all, no smart phones are "durable", it is all relative. The other thing is that I cannot understand how glass could be more durable than metal. I have 2 friends who dropped their 4s and shattered the back. The phones were still usable, but broken. I understand all the aluminum vs steel debates, but glass breaks, metal scratches. I loved my iphone 4, but never used it without a case. I love my iphone 5, but am not afraid to use it without a case.

Nolander07 said:

I have been reading all these posts about durability lately. First of all, no smart phones are "durable", it is all relative. The other thing is that I cannot understand how glass could be more durable than metal. I have 2 friends who dropped their 4s and shattered the back. The phones were still usable, but broken. I understand all the aluminum vs steel debates, but glass breaks, metal scratches. I loved my iphone 4, but never used it without a case. I love my iphone 5, but am not afraid to use it without a case.

Click to expand...

Well some smartphones are made to be durable...

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I547ZKAATT

My friend shattered the back of her 4S 3 times.... Want to explain how it is "more durable"???

I believe what you are looking for is "more succeptable to cosmetic damage".

The drop tests indicate the iP5 holds up quite well. If you are OCD and need a flawless phone to sleep at night, then ya, the 4S may be more your speed. Just don't drop it... Glass is not more "durable" than aluminum, it just doesn't mark as easy from normal wear and tear.

...And after all of that and the unscratched, unblemished, unbent phone is secured... its put into a plastic case..

aerok said:

Well some smartphones are made to be durable...

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I547ZKAATT

Click to expand...

Ok, I concede. I should have said most smart phones are not extremely durable

The iPhone 5 is not durable and is as heavy as a piece of paper. I think about going back to a 4S every day.

Eckscaliber said:

The iPhone 5 is not durable and is as heavy as a piece of paper. I think about going back to a 4S every day.

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It's also:

Slower
3G
Non 5Ghz WiFi N

With:

Less battery life
Older and slower charging technology
A quiter speaker
Glass camera lens
VGA Facetime camera

With a:

Smaller and poorer calibrated screen

And:

Not going to be supported by accessory makers going forward (both in size AND in charging capability, as everything is migrating to the superior Lightning standard).

But ya... it's heavy and has glass on the back.

Cool beans!

itjw said:

It's also:

Slower
3G
Non 5Ghz WiFi N

With:

Less battery life
Older and slower charging technology
A quiter speaker
Glass camera lens
VGA Facetime camera

With a:

Smaller and poorer calibrated screen

And:

Not going to be supported by accessory makers going forward (both in size AND in charging capability, as everything is migrating to the superior Lightning standard).

But ya... it's heavy and has glass on the back.

Cool beans!

Click to expand...

Everything has its ups and downs. Whether someone likes the 4S more than the 5 is dependant on the user. I like the 5's screen size and 45% more saturation. That is the main reason I will stick with it. I also like the 4S weight and durability, but not enough to go back to it or I would have by now.

I have a Palm Tungsten PDA. It's in perfect shape. Guess what, I don't really care that's it's in perfect shape a long time ago.

The iPhone 5, like all gadgets before it, is on the path to become obsolete the minute it is manufactured. There are 30 millions units sold so far, so it's not going to be a collector item.

With that perspective, I think is is made well enough that with a bit of care, it will still be in excellent shape by the time you replace it with a new model. Why sweat it?

Yes, it's a compliment to Apple for having made a device that looks nice enough that some people are afraid to scratch it. I admittedly have some reservation about scratching mine, but in the end, it's just a gadget that is going look like a cassette player in due time. It's what it does that matter to me, not how many scratches it has.

w00t951 said:

Apple appears to have (for now and the future) switched to aluminum in their iPhones. Since aluminum is a much softer metal than the stainless steel used in the iPhone 4S, will the 5 be more subject to cosmetic damage?

I've seen some threads/reviews talking about it, but they appear to be relatively isolated events. My 4S looks brand new except for a microscopic nick near the power button that came from dropping my phone on a concrete floor.

Click to expand...

Have you seen the drop tests? Yeah, it's pretty durable.

aerok said:

Well some smartphones are made to be durable...

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I547ZKAATT

Click to expand...

A great phone for the great outdoors
Built to withstand some of the toughest conditions. In military specification tests, the Galaxy Rugby Pro™ survived blowing rain and sand, high humidity and thermal shock

I think you misunderstood. This phone isn't meant to be more durable per say, it just has elemental resistances.

To answer your question: Yes, and now..

People already spoke here on the glass/aluminum.. shattering vs breaking.

But I wanted to add that the aluminum construction coupled with the fact that the Iphone 5 is so thin makes it especially vulnerable to warping - e.g. bending.

You can already see it if you look on youtube. And it will only become a bigger problem as phones get thinner.

oplix said:

A great phone for the great outdoors
Built to withstand some of the toughest conditions. In military specification tests, the Galaxy Rugby Pro™ survived blowing rain and sand, high humidity and thermal shock

I think you misunderstood. This phone isn't meant to be more durable per say, it just has elemental resistances.

Click to expand...

Ok then here you go...
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/casio-g-zone-commando/4505-6452_7-34660420.html

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TCU said:

To answer your question: Yes, and now..

People already spoke here on the glass/aluminum.. shattering vs breaking.

But I wanted to add that the aluminum construction coupled with the fact that the Iphone 5 is so thin makes it especially vulnerable to warping - e.g. bending.

You can already see it if you look on youtube. And it will only become a bigger problem as phones get thinner.

Click to expand...

Smart thing to do would be to change material, then going thinner shouldn't be an issue.

I've had a 3gs, a 4s, and now the 5. never a scratch or crack on any.
my phone is either on my nightstand, in my purse, on a table, in my pocket, and in my hand while in use.

to those that are smashing their screens multiple times, what are you doing with your phone? some phones dont even crack during "drop tests"...so what hardcore activities are you doing?