Breakability Test Pits iPhone 15 Pro Max Against Galaxy Z Fold5, Pixel Fold and More

[headlessmike]

I dropped my iPhone 11 from face height (I'm 6'6") during a FaceTime call onto a stone floor. It landed face down. The front glass didn't have a scratch, but the front-facing camera never worked again (until I got it replaced).

 

[HiRez]

Since the very first iPhone, every year they tell us oh this new glass is way better than the old one, and every year they just shatter like they're made out of the thinnest, most delicate glass mankind has ever seen. It really never seems to get any better.

 

[Unity451]

Moral of the story: Don't drop your phone without a case.

 

[Lakersfan74]

If products were too drop resistant, they would make less money

 

[daneoni]

"But I don't drop my phone..."
"Not a real-world example..."
"Literally happens with all phones..."
"Just get AppleCare+..."

Typical responses from people who want to diminish or ignore this drawback of smartphones and now more so on the 15 Pro Max, presumably as purchase justification.

It's important to recognize the 15 Pro Max has reduced structural integrity compared to previous models due to the material choices and other physical characteristics, instead of burying the issue and distracting from it. This in turn will hold Apple accountable and fix the issues for the next generation iPhones.

I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max by the way.

Not trying to bury the story. Nor do i need any justification for purchases

Just stating my personal experience. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[headlessmike]

Since the very first iPhone, every year they tell us oh this new glass is way better than the old one, and every year they just shatter like they're made out of the thinnest, most delicate glass mankind has ever seen. It really never seems to get any better.

Even a diamond display would shatter. It would probably shatter even easier than the glass on any iPhone. But it would never scratch at least. Thin, hard materials like glass will always shatter when struck the wrong way. They can still be improved in other ways though.

 

[DDustiNN]

They need to make the phones use the same glass as the stainless steel Apple Watches. Those things refuse to scratch or break. Sides will get all scratched and scuffed, yet the screen remains pristine.

 

[Saturn1217]

Dropping phones from a height where ALL the regular slab phones break is not helpful. I’m not expecting the iPhone 15 Pro Max to be indestructible. I think what everyone wants to know is if it is significantly MORE fragile in common drop situations than the iPhone 12 - 14 Pro phones.

My iPhone 13 Pro Max is basically a tank. I’ve dropped it a ton. Not on concrete but just small falls on my hardwood floor. I would like to know if the iPhone 15 Pro Max would be more fragile in this much more realistic scenario.

 

[SamRyouji]

Maybe we should go back to the "plastic fantastic" era of 90s phone? 😉

 

[headlessmike]

They need to make the phones use the same glass as the stainless steel Apple Watches. Those things refuse to scratch or break. Sides will get all scratched and scuffed, yet the screen remains pristine.

That’s not glass. That’s sapphire, the third-hardest material there is.

 

[ShiftHappens]

Maybe we should go back to the "plastic fantastic" era of 90s phone? 😉

Yeah - everything was better back in the days! I dropped my iPod (3rd gen) 10 feet down on a concrete floor. It fell apart in two pieces (front and back) but I snapped the pieces together and it worked just fine (still does in fact, but not very heavily used) 💪

 

[BuffaloTF]

Why would someone drop it from 6 feet?

Because Shaq has accidents sometimes, too.

 

[jooish]

Never dropped my phone to the point of shattering.

Owned almost every generation of iPhone (except 7 and 8)

Long may that continue. *fingers crossed*

I dropped one to the point of shattering [the back]... once.

Other than that, I'm fully self-insured at this point... not just because I've saved so much by not buying cases or Apple Care for all of my past phones... but also because I sold my iPhone X for ETH at ~$120... which is worth over $10k today. 🤑

 

[Adreitz]

The whole idea of needing a case for your phone still strikes me as stupid all these years later. Please, Apple -- the titanium and glass and whatnot don't matter in the slightest when you have to put the thing in a case anyway. Just make the phone shell out of rubber with a raised lip around the front and save everyone the headache.

 

[ghanwani]

Why would someone drop it from 6 feet?

While taking a selfie?

 

[DDustiNN]

That’s not glass. That’s sapphire, the third-hardest material there is.

My point still stands. This should be on phones. Especially the Pro models.

 

[now i see it]

Shattered iPhones are big money makers

 

[noraa]

On the flip side, a couple of weeks ago my iPhone 12 Pro in a slim Spigen case got run over by a car, and was completely fine. I think I got lucky because the front was facing up, so even though the car pushed it into the ground, the brunt of the force was taken by the case. Still, I was fully expecting to have to take it into the Genius Bar for an in warranty accidental damage repair, and was shocked that it came out basically unscathed.

 

[noraa]

My point still stands. This should be on phones. Especially the Pro models.

Biggest issue is price (sapphire is a lot more expensive than glass), and while sapphire is a lot harder than glass, it can actually shatter significantly worse than glass.

 

[noraa]

"But I don't drop my phone..."
"Not a real-world example..."
"Literally happens with all phones..."
"Just get AppleCare+..."

Typical responses from people who want to diminish or ignore this drawback of smartphones and now more so on the 15 Pro Max, presumably as purchase justification.

It's important to recognize the 15 Pro Max has reduced structural integrity compared to previous models due to the material choices and other physical characteristics, instead of burying the issue and distracting from it. This in turn will hold Apple accountable and fix the issues for the next generation iPhones.

I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max by the way.

So what would your solution be? Given enough force, glass will shatter, no matter how strong it is. Would you prefer we go back to an all plastic design? Your phone screen will get scratched into oblivion, but at least it won’t shatter when dropped from 6 feet!

 

[noraa]

Since the very first iPhone, every year they tell us oh this new glass is way better than the old one, and every year they just shatter like they're made out of the thinnest, most delicate glass mankind has ever seen. It really never seems to get any better.

The glass updates have done far more for scratch resistance than shatter resistance. In fact, the iPhone has gotten less shatter resistance the more scratch resistance it’s gotten. This is a trade-off in material science. The more flexible a material, the less likely it is to shatter, but more likely to scratch and vice versa. Given that iPhone are often thrown in pockets or purses with other stuff that can easily scratch the screen, Apple has (rightly so IMHO) prioritized scratch resistance over shatter resistance.

 

[Siliconguy]

Another stupid unscientific test. 👎

No, it's quite scientific. What it's not is realistic, unless you are an NBA center. Five feet would be realistic for most men, and probably four feet for Jenna Coleman or Reese Witherspoon.

 

[arkhanjel]

They really said surprisingly the folding phones main screens survived with minor damage? Of course it didn't shatter it's not glass like rest of their body and other phones. 🙄

 

[Apple_Robert]

A waste of money and product.

 

[Marshall73]

I always put my iPhones in spigen clear cases as I do drop them. I like the cases as they have a raised edge around the screen and cameras and don’t turn yellow. They last longer than I have the phones.