Durability Tests Suggest New iPhones Can Survive Some Drops, But Still Break From Major Falls

[killhippie]

Do we have to do this every year?

Yep along with 'what's that rattle from my camera" and "is your screen p*ss yellow" plus other MacRumours favourites that are to numerous to mention

 

[JC0913]

After watching the videos with mixed results, they all came to the same conclusion. GLASS BREAKS...Use a case.

 

[GadgetBen]

Scratch test, great with keys and coins.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Breaking news: Glass is still fragile.

 

[Jim Lahey]

What would be great, is a phone that is protected out of the box.

Made out of rubber?

 

[cerbin]

Glass breaks. And even though it does, I have been using an iPhone without a case since the first generation and only shattered/damaged one so far despite many drops and accidents. So to all the people saying you need to put a case on it - no you don't. In the long run, the cost of occasional damage is minimal unless you are very unlucky or very clumsy. Putting your phone in the same pocket as your keys also does not help.

 

[nvmls]

Gorilla or stork glass?

 

[TD540]

How much does Apple's clear case protect an iPhone? It seems made out of thick hard plastic and definitely feels less protected compared to their silicone and leather alternatives.

 

[augustrushrox]

So tough it's brittle.

 

[riverfreak]

So these durability scores from SquareTrade are entirely based on a series of n=1 tests? Rigorous.

 

[MacBebe]

Secret: a case not protecting the bottom edge of the screen, is hardly better than no case at all.

You got a point if the bottom always hit the ground first.

 

[jimi78]

It is 2019 can we just agree that smartphones are not shatterproof? Drop tests seem so pointless nowadays.

 

[B4U]

So, does it blend?

 

[SomeSoftwareGuy]

Why do youtubers keep doing these tests?
Ok, so maybe CNet does it this time, but the rest don't have to. I mean we know, there is a probability, that is greater than zero, that a phone will get damaged if dropped... who knew? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Ultramove69]

The industry needs to come together in a We Are the World kind of way and just say....”Glass phones crack.” I know I know utopian wishes here.

 

[swhite1923]

So, does it blend?

This is the most important question.

 

[mi7chy]

Worth it at the expense of being slower than last year's model.

 

[reallynotnick]

I just wish we could get rid of the glass backs or at least make them easy to replace, it's crazy that breaking the back is more expensive than breaking the screen due to how it is constructed.

 

[PTLove]

Why can’t we make a phone out of a high quality plastic, instead? It would resolve durability issues with the rear of the device, at least.

Plastic scratches much much easier than glass. Simply things like coins / keys will scratch plastic.

While glass can shatter, plastic can scratch. The industry in general seems to believe protecting against scratches is more worthwhile for the average person (I agree personally).

 

[Arndroid]

Well, we do know why ($$$$$$).

That said, I agree. A nice plastic back or recycled aluminum would be great; especially since an Apple wireless charging solution is not happening.

Apple already has wireless charging thus why the glass back.

 

[Kung]

They may break if you drop them? What?!

On a serious note (I have to type stuff because previous post was deleted as 'frivolous'), I've always kind of laughed at the sheer amount of frustration resulting from drop test results. I mean, of course no one wants a weak phone, but at the end of the day, they've got one to two plates of glass attached to them...at some point, they'll break for someone.

 

[RickDEGH]

Very impressed with the response here. Time to call these tests out for what they are!

 

[Jimmy James]

Replace the glass with aluminum and people will get the results they desire

 

[adrianlondon]

What a shocker !

Pavement to a smartphone is like Kryptonite to Superman. If you value your high priced purchase and don't want it to shatter, put a tempered glass screen protector on the from and put the phone in a quality rubberized case. And yet there are some already bitching in the iPhone forums asking why the front face is already scratched on their brand new iPhone 11 because all they did was put the phone in the same pocket with their car keys.

Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up.

Well, to be fair, I've had my 6S for over three years and have never put a screen protector on it. For the last year, it's been caseless. It's rare, but I have put it in my jeans pocket with my keys and occasionally some loose change. I've also dropped it a few times (onto a wooden floor, never concrete luckily). There is not a mark on the case or the screen. Not one scratch.

So, either people nowadays have sharper keys or the screens scratch easier than they used to. Or they're just more careless than they admit to on here, of course. Having seen the scratch test video above, which made me cringe, and how well the phone held out, I suspect the latter

 

[TVreporter]

Buy a case, end of article and these endless videos wasting perfectly good phones.