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Aluminum vs Tile: First drop of my iPhone 5

Kadman said:
Well, that didn't take long! Had my first drop of any iPhone since my first gen. Ironically it took place while cleaning off the fingerprints to try on a new case. I had the phone wrapped up in a micro fiber cloth, cleaning it up and the dog was going nuts trying to get outside to chase a squirrel. I set the cloth down and let him out. When I came back I grabbed the Otterbox case and pulled it apart. I noticed there was a smudge on the rear lens (where the Apple logo show through) and grabbed the cloth to clean it. Yep, forgot the phone was wrapped in the cloth and it tumbled straight to the tile floor.

Pic attached to show the results. This would be about a 36" fall. Not bad, all things considered. In normal light you can't even see it. I had to take a flashlight, get just the right angle, and zoom in close to see it. The shot makes it look far worse than it is.

So, just in case you were wondering what would happen... :cool:
Click to expand...

A pleasant change from the usual attitudes on this forum. Sorry the phone got damaged - you should be more pleased that the tile survived intact - that would be potentially harder to replace!
 
iphonefan74 said:
That happened on TILE? Ouch. I have dropped my SIII on concrete a few times, not even a scratch. Guess that "cheap plastic" aint so bad after all :)
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My iPhone 4 and 4S dropped out of my shirt pocket on to concrete at work several times with no damage too. And you must not have seen the drop test video comparing a 5 and an S3. Cheap plastic didn't win.
 
iphonefan74 said:
That happened on TILE? Ouch. I have dropped my SIII on concrete a few times, not even a scratch. Guess that "cheap plastic" aint so bad after all :)
Click to expand...

I don't know about that--I have a lot of tile in my house and the tile always wins out against anything dropped on it--although my kitchen floor has a few nicks from draw matches. I'm no engineer but I would give the edge to tile in a concrete vs tile match--tile--be it ceramic, porcelain, or stone--is extremely hard. :D
 
87am said:
you do realize if the aluminum did not absorb the damage it would have to be absorbed by other parts of the device, like the screen?
Click to expand...

Yes, however I'm stating that the material seems extremely soft to be damaged to this extent by tile.
 
iphonefan74 said:
That happened on TILE? Ouch. I have dropped my SIII on concrete a few times, not even a scratch. Guess that "cheap plastic" aint so bad after all :)
Click to expand...

It's a design choice. The same way that a cotton sweatshirt is more durable than a silk blouse or tie, plastic is more durable and resistant to nicks than aluminum or glass.
 
johndallas999 said:
I agree. There is nothing worse you can do the put an Otterbox on your iPhone. Those cases are so hideous and bulky and ruin the iphone's design. Whats the point of having something that looks that nice covered in a nerf football?
Click to expand...

So I can sell it for a nice penny and buy the 5s for no cost. The defender for the 5 is a very nice looking case.
 
johndallas999 said:
I agree. There is nothing worse you can do the put an Otterbox on your iPhone. Those cases are so hideous and bulky and ruin the iphone's design. Whats the point of having something that looks that nice covered in a nerf football?
Click to expand...

Agreed. I normally just carry the naked phone. However, I use my iPhone for such a wide variety of things that I do keep an Otterbox for times that I need it. For example, hiking at Red River Gorge is something my son and I love to do. I still use my phone for GPS, pictures, etc. while we're there and I like having it in a rugged case then.
 
Robb. said:
Man, these Aluminum bezels seem pretty soft.
Click to expand...

Lol - Aluminum is a SOFT metal. Did anyone learn this in school?

People complained about the glass shattering on the 4/4S but it was the most durable exteriors they came up with. The iPhone 5 is now an Aluminum exterior and be prepared, it's much SOFTER.
 
Kadman said:
Well, that didn't take long! Had my first drop of any iPhone since my first gen. Ironically it took place while cleaning off the fingerprints to try on a new case. I had the phone wrapped up in a micro fiber cloth, cleaning it up and the dog was going nuts trying to get outside to chase a squirrel. I set the cloth down and let him out. When I came back I grabbed the Otterbox case and pulled it apart. I noticed there was a smudge on the rear lens (where the Apple logo show through) and grabbed the cloth to clean it. Yep, forgot the phone was wrapped in the cloth and it tumbled straight to the tile floor.

Pic attached to show the results. This would be about a 36" fall. Not bad, all things considered. In normal light you can't even see it. I had to take a flashlight, get just the right angle, and zoom in close to see it. The shot makes it look far worse than it is.

So, just in case you were wondering what would happen... :cool:
Click to expand...


Ouch man. Thank goodness nothing internal got damaged.
 
iphonefan74 said:
That happened on TILE? Ouch. I have dropped my SIII on concrete a few times, not even a scratch. Guess that "cheap plastic" aint so bad after all :)
Click to expand...

Such a troll, every one of your post is bashing the iPhone and promoting your plastic POS.
 
Well, one must expect that aluminium scratches like hell, especially anodized one. I have dropped my black phone4 several times on concrete floor and its side has marks since that, but as it is stainless steel, it is almost unvisible during normal use. If I will buy iphone 5, it will be only white one, as black will suffer like hell and will be scratched in no time. It's not like i am against scratches, I am against those nasty visible marks that will be hidden by natural alu color on white/silver model.
 
Better buy Applecare+ soon. I got mine with the phone and am glad I did!
 
ANMA dojo said:
that anodized aluminum looses its black color and the silver really stands out..... I'm suspecting the white/silver iphone 5 will hide wear & tear better in the long run =/
Click to expand...

But what about how it shows pocket lint and such for those of us who wear dark jeans and dark work pants? :(

I had a crispy white iPhone 4s for 2 weeks and the first day after sticking it in my pocket there was blue pocket lint stuck in the outer rim that I could not get out of for the life of me.
 
Not worried about scratches...................use it normally

Worried about scratches dents etc...........Put a case on it

Want to keep it like new.............KEEP IT IN tHE bOX, Don't use it



Lets be real, Its aluminum, everone drops their phone at some point. Putting a case on it may hide some of the beauty but will preserve the phone.
 
Someone had asked about any possible damage to the camera as a result of this fall. It was also something I was worried about. Check out post #98 in this thread of panorama shots and then go to the full size view. I'm very confident that the camera is working just fine! (especially given that's a compressed image to meet the upload requirements on MR.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=15835887#post15835887
 
AbSoluTc said:
Lol - Aluminum is a SOFT metal. Did anyone learn this in school?

People complained about the glass shattering on the 4/4S but it was the most durable exteriors they came up with. The iPhone 5 is now an Aluminum exterior and be prepared, it's much SOFTER.
Click to expand...

Our M4's are made from forged 7075 T6 aluminum. They are far from soft.
 
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