Drop your glass phone from 3-1/2 feet on a concrete surface and let us know the results.
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Galaxy S9 and S9+ Beat iPhone X in Drop Tests, But Still Suffer Severe Damage
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Sort of eliminates one of the primary reasons people buy Apple products these days - as a fashion/design statement. If you have to put an external shell around the devices for practical everyday use, it would have been better to have designed the things thicker, with less glass, and more damage resistant.
My old iPhone 3GS was a tank, same with my Galaxy S4 that I got afterwards. When I finally replaced my Galaxy S4 with a Galaxy A5 last year, I took a look at this glass and aluminum sandwich, and it was the first time I took up the offer to buy a case with my phone.
I'm sure at some point they'll develop glass thats as ductile as plastic and less prone to shattering, but right now it definitely feels like a form over function choice on both Apple and Samsung's part.
Need the phone version of one of these laptops:
https://www.cdw.com/product/Panason...kwcid=AL!4223!3!242836107503!!!g!307602322305!
It would be nice if we could use phones without cases. Perhaps these test could prove it's possible someday.
Good luck getting wireless charging to work by using other materials (and no, no one wants plastic on a premium phone).
You could build out of aluminum again and the just have the Apple logo on back be made of glass or plastic that way you could still use wireless changing!
The iPhone X without a case is just such a different experience compared to the X with a case. My only thing I hate without a case is that the back doesn't sit flat when I sit in on my desk.
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[doublepost=1521565664][/doublepost]Why has Apple become such a ho hum company?
Samsung's Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are using 20 percent thicker glass and a stronger aluminum frame, both of which are designed to cut down on damage from drops. Samsung says the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are more durable than previous devices thanks to the new materials.
SquareTrade today conducted its traditional breakability tests on the Galaxy S9 devices to test Samsung's claims. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ did indeed manage to beat out the iPhone X and older Galaxy devices, but they still didn't fare well when dropped.
In every drop test, conducted from a height of six feet, the Galaxy S9 and the S9+ shattered. The two devices bent at 230 and 210 pounds, respectively, and both were cracked in a 60 second tumble test. The Galaxy S9 earned an overall breakability score of 71, while the larger Galaxy S9+ earned a score of 76.
Back in November, SquareTrade conducted the same tests on the iPhone X and deemed it the "most breakable iPhone ever" as it too shattered at the front and back when dropped from a height of six feet.
The iPhone X actually fared worse in SquareTrade's tests and showed more extensive damage and breakage in every durability test. It earned an overall breakability score of 90, much higher than the S9 and S9+.
PhoneBuff also recently did some side-by-side drop tests to compare the Galaxy S9+ and the iPhone X. In a back drop test, the iPhone X held up while the Galaxy S9+'s glass back shattered. A side test comparing the iPhone X's stainless steel frame to the S9+'s aluminum frame also saw the iPhone X come out on top.
A third facedown drop on the display side of each smartphone saw the Galaxy S9+ win out over the iPhone X, which cracked. Overall, PhoneBuff used a numbered rating system to compare the drop results, giving the edge to the Samsung Galaxy S9+ because it held up better to a repeated drop test.
While the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ appear to have fared slightly better than the iPhone X in drop tests, the two devices are still made of glass and still shattered. They shattered to a somewhat a lesser degree, sure, but broken is broken. All glass smartphones, regardless of manufacturer, need to be used with caution and protected with a case as necessary.
Unsurprisingly, neither the iPhone X's "most durable" front and back glass nor the Galaxy S9's 20 percent thicker glass with "enhanced durability" can hold up to concrete and similar hard materials when dropped.
SquareTrade and PhoneBuff may have conducted these tests using specialized equipment for consistent results, but drop tests are never scientific and are not a reliable measure of durability because there are so many variables to take into account when a device is dropped in the real world.
Samsung, like Apple, offers an extended warranty that covers accidental damage. Priced at $11.99 per month, Samsung Premium Care allows Samsung device owners to submit three accidental damage claims in a 12-month period with a $99 deductible required.
Apple's AppleCare+ for iPhone X costs $199 up front and provides coverage for two incidents of accidental damage. Screen replacements require a $29 deductible, while all other damage is subject to a $99 fee. Sans AppleCare+, it costs $279 to repair a damaged iPhone X display and $549 for all other repairs.
Article Link: Galaxy S9 and S9+ Beat iPhone X in Drop Tests, But Still Suffer Severe Damage
It would be interesting to see what Apple might come up with instead of glass or metal. One of my favorite phones of all time was the LG G4, which did a great job of offering all the necessary features (short of a fingerprint reader) while still looking and feeling very premium. It was even cheaper as a flagship to boot. It had a great display, awesome camera, a metal surround for feel/strength, and a grippy, removable plastic back (that could even be ordered covered in leather) that allowed for both wireless charging AND a removable battery. The phone was not unbearably heavy or thick either.
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These tests are still relevent, perhaps even more so now that the iPhones are back to nearly all glass. Breakability without a case will still correlate to breakability with a case, it’s just not a 1:1 relationship since a cased phone will break far less.
Not all cases offer good protection and some offer far more than others. Apple’s own leather case leaves the bottom edge strangely exposed, so the phone need only hit that edge hard to potentially crack or shatter the screen. It’s as if Apple wants their phones to break!
I got the Nomad leather case, which is similar to Apple’s but protects the bottom. I think the leather is nicer too — wears better. And for less than Apple charges.
Not all cases offer good protection and some offer far more than others. Apple’s own leather case leaves the bottom edge strangely exposed, so the phone need only hit that edge hard to potentially crack or shatter the screen. It’s as if Apple wants their phones to break!
I got the Nomad leather case, which is similar to Apple’s but protects the bottom. I think the leather is nicer too — wears better. And for less than Apple charges.
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I don't really care for all these posts by people who like to pretend the rest of the world doesn't even exist or to compare products because you know, OTHER PRODUCTS EXIST IN THE WORLD.
Not all of us buy EXCLUSIVELY Apple products anymore because frankly, SOME of Apple's products SUCK sometimes (hard for fanatics to believe, I know).
Yeah, NO ONE ever drops anything in this world.... It's SOOOOO UNREAL!!!! (shakes head)
Never dropped? My god, it must be nice to live in perfect world because I see people drop crap (including their phones) ALL THE DAMN TIME. You must live in Super Mario World or something. I can't tell you how many cracked phones I see on airplanes ALL THE TIME.
Won't that depend on the type of case? The iPhone X cries out for a least minimal protection if not because of its cost (and fragility, if you believe the drop test results), but because naked it's such a slippery devil. I put mine in a Sahara Crystal Clear. It doesn't radically alter the appearance of the phone but makes it significantly grippier and less prone to damage if it does end up on the floor. The case also cures the rocking on the camera port when laying on its back. No real downside that I can see.
The article makes the ridiculously contradictory suggestion, "All glass smartphones, regardless of manufacturer, need to be used with caution and protected with a case as necessary." When does the case become "necessary," before or after you drop it?
Good argument! I personally don't think the X feels slippery at all, my fingers kinda grip to the back of the glass. I have a clear case that i liked but then i noticed it started scratching my stainless steel. Ive always used all my iPhones back to the 4S without a case.
I think you're forgetting one of the primary uses of a phone... which, is where the device gets the name "phone" and that is making phone calls.
people when making these "phone calls" will often hold the "phone" to their ear in order to hear the "phone".
the average male human being is 5'10 to 6'2" (depending on genetic background and family). so yes, it's actually entirely possible, and even probably that there are lots of people who use their phone at around the 6ft of height where dropping them is a possibility.
If you really do not care about these posts then you should just skip them - no one is forcing you to read every article. Anyway, if this is what Macrumors needs to do to remain competitive I think it's perfectly reasonable.
