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Dropped my new iPhone 3G... It's TOUGH!

Icewind

Icewind

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 23, 2006
166
13
Scotland
Hey Guys,

Just thought I would share my little nasty experience from yesterday.

While in my kitchen, I got an SMS message on the iPhone and pulled it out my pocket. Unfortunately, it slipped from my hand and started to fall. So what do I do? My reflexes instantly went to try and grab it as it was falling, but only managed to bounce it higher and further away from my hand. It was like the world went into slow motion. I could see my gorgeous little iPhone spinning in a white, black and chrome blur as it hit the solid slate tile floor and bounced like 3 times, finally coming to rest (face down) under my kitchen table. All I could do was stand there with my hands covering my eyes in shock :eek:

I eventually plucked up courage and lifted it up... thinking that the screen is gonna be cracked or smashed after only 6 days. To my surprise, the screen was still perfect and a quick glance about the device turned up no immediate damage. I pressed the home button with a trembling finger... Up comes my wallpaper and the "Slide to Unlock" message and all was good :D

On closer inspection (after taking some Valium) I have noticed the tiniest little scuff on the chrome bezel, right up in the top left hand corner. This must have been where the initial bounce happened.

I am amazed that the iPhone stood up to this abuse! There are absolutely no other marks on it and it's still working perfectly. I now take extra care while pulling it out my pocket lol.

I think this says a lot for the build quality... Apple have really made a solid little device here. Can't believe my luck really.
 
probably because it landed on the chrome part, lol. otherwise it was toast!!

but probably not.
 
ive dropped my first-gen phone so many times, at least three times on asphalt, a few more on tile, and a bunch on the carpet. other than some scuffs and tiny dents, its absolutely fine. i had a friend who had a flip phone that she dropped from about two feet onto a high-pile carpet and it SHATTERED. i felt very superior... :-D
 
Actually all phones are supposed to be made to a standard which says the phone has to handle a fall from certain hight without any consequences.
 
superstrikertwo said:
It's still nerve-racking as it happens.
Click to expand...

That's an understatement lol ;)

I'm so glad nothing serious happened to it. Now I keep rubbing my finger over the little ruff scuff and it's annoying the hell out of me. It was a perfect build before "The Tragedy".
 
No you must enjoy your product, the iPhone... Damn the amount of times i have dropped EDGE iPhone 8gb of mine.. It's not damaged at all thanks to several invisible shields.. get a couple now.. highly recommended...
 
Good to hear it didn't smash! I'm yet to drop mine (touch wood) but glad to hear it'll stand up to some abuse
 
zainjetha said:
No you must enjoy your product, the iPhone... Damn the amount of times i have dropped EDGE iPhone 8gb of mine.. It's not damaged at all thanks to several invisible shields.. get a couple now.. highly recommended...
Click to expand...
Hmm well I used invisible shield on my Nano and it prevents scratches from general use but obviously can't really help much if you drop it - as I found out when I dropped my nano and got a big dent in the corner where it hit the ground. I'm using a clear case on my iphone at the moment but I agree that you should basically just enjoy using your iPhone and not worry too much about scratches or dents.
 
it's the best phone in the world.. just feel privileged that you own one.. forget the scratch.. and its not noticeable as a first impression.. the first thing people look at is screen and back panel..
 
Icewind said:
Hey Guys,

Just thought I would share my little nasty experience from yesterday.
Click to expand...
Great post and glad your iPhone is not damaged.

One time I dropped my first gen iPhone down a flight of stairs. I was reaching for it and it slipped out of my hand while I was standing at the top of the stairs. It rolled end to end all the way down (cement stairs mind you) and landed at the bottom landing. The phone actually survived! A few scuff marks but the screen was perfect and all functions worked.

Like you, my hands trembled when I turned it on. :)
 
tallyho said:
Hmm well I used invisible shield on my Nano and it prevents scratches from general use but obviously can't really help much if you drop it - as I found out when I dropped my nano and got a big dent in the corner where it hit the ground. I'm using a clear case on my iphone at the moment but I agree that you should basically just enjoy using your iPhone and not worry too much about scratches or dents.
Click to expand...

Invoking the Nano in this discussion isn't fair... that thing is invincible! lol

I had mine pop out of my pocket while biking, it stayed attached to the earphones... until I caught in my rear wheel, got launched 6-7 feet it the air, landed on asphalt and continued sliding on it for another 10-12 feet... earphones destroyed by wheel, and one hella-scratched Nano, but still working perfectly!
 
I dropped my 3g right outside of the apple store. The girl put it back in the box after purchase and of course I wanted to see it right away. While opening the box it bounced and slid right down the mall floor, face down. I just knew it would be all scratched after 5 hours in line and holding off for 6 months to take the leap.

All is well though, not even a scratch! :D
 
My original iPhone was dropped several times with nary a scratch. Then one time, it slipped as it was coming out of my pocket (not a huge fall) and the glass front shattered.

I'm a strong beleiver that while the iPhone is generally tough, there's definitely a sweet spot somewhere that will cause instant problems. :(
 
All about what area the impact is spread out, and what force. The initial tests for both v1 and the 3G iPhoen showed they could withstand a fair lot, and work even with a broken screen. Nice to know it's pretty sturdy. I'd imagine packing it in tightly helped.
 
well, you're lucky. mine just shattered, from 3 feet.

(venting) i've had it 2 days. my first iphone. maybe the plastic back isn't as tough. the case had already been ordered online. the glass is sharp and i can't even use it. that combined with a 50/50 dropped call rate on at&t is making me regret this very expensive choice. i am so freakin upset. years of electronics and never have i broken anything this way.

(question) i'm hoping my credit card or homeowner's will cover. anyone know where you can order a replacement screen?? ifixit hasn't posted a guide yet, but if apple won't give me any love, i think that's the alternative.
 
Anything that can cover the scuff???

Hey everyone whats up thought I'd explain whAt happened on my end on new years and I'll tell you it wasn't my resolution for new years either!! I had my iPhone out of it's case for once and I was drunk and had dropped it in the snow..a few times as I can remember and all that happened was I got a about 3 minor scuff marks on the back where all the black is and what I want to know is if there is anything I could get to fill these in??? back to the perfect black iPhone I once was...like maybe paint marker? Spray paint? please help! Thank you and happy new years everyone :)
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5G77 Safari/525.20)

Glad that there wasn't a lot of damage.
It scares me to death I drop my phone... I'd hate to ruin such a wonderful device.
 
OP,

That must be reeaaaally tough! I dropped my iPhone to in a height from my pocket on my jeans to the floor and my eyes couldn't believe what I saw, thankfully the Neo case protected it. Yet it was really hard to accept I dropped it by accident.
 
They are very tough!

At thanksgiving I was showing my brother in law my iPhone and some of the games. I showed him iBowl and he wanted to play, so I handed him my phone in a slide case.

He brought his arm back, imitating the bowling movement, and then whipped his arm forward... My phone came flying out of the case, slamming into the angled ceiling, then off the wall, then to the floor coming to a sliding stop about 2 feet from where I sat, face down.

The room instantly became quiet, like the OP, I was sure my iPhone was toast. My brother, also an iPhone devotee, rushed over to pick it up. As he turns the phone over his face makes the "Ohhh" face and he starts shaking his head. Then he hands it to me, face down.

The screen was fine, the bowling lane image was still there. I turned it off and on, made a call, had my brother call me... It was fine, worked great!

I then handed the phone back to my brother in law to finish his game, but first I took the phone out of the case and explained to him that he needed to hold onto the phone. :D

Apple built these iPhones very well indeed!

Coachingguy
 
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