Glass-Bodied iPhone 8 Shatters Repeatedly in Drop Tests

[Solomani]

What diff does it really make? Neither are in the low risk category. A broken screen and a very broken screen both need new screens.

True, enough. I think Apple only adopted the glass back to cater to the crybabies that have been wanting a glass back iPhone for the past year, they've been crying "But but but the Androids already have them! And they got wireless charging! We want one too!"

 

[budselectjr]

An snobby Apple store employee told me years ago that it's not a cell phone, its a personal computer and to treat is as such. Tread lightly.

 

[_Refurbished_]

That SquareTrade video LOL. Talk about the most biased test ever. Those guys gave me a good laugh. It looked like they were testing medieval catapult equipment.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Wow, you are the gift that just keeps on giving. I would happily dispute everyone of your assertions (first does not mean better as Apple has proven time and time again) but you seriously want to argue that Samsung has more powerful CPUs and GPUs? By what possible metric? Samsung loses in real world and geek bench tests every time. And more RAM is obviously not the solution.

You are just being silly.

He/she is. The first comment was subtle enough that it might not have been sarcasm. That second comment was so overboard that it became clear the commenter was doing an "opposite day" type post. Almost every point was the opposite of reality.

It gets attention in any case.

 

[dblguarantee]

Steve Jobs would have never let glass shatter.

This might be the best post I've read on these forums lol

 

[richinaus]

might be the toughest glass ever, though they are the biggest phones ever. If you drop it, it will shatter. The aluminium 7 is much more durable. I am a huge fan of glass, like on the iPhone 4, though if you drop it, pay for a corner hit, otherwise it’s shatter city

Yes the 7 is the most durable phone. I have dropped it numerous times on concrete and is fine [the odd ding and scratch of course]. I am really considering whether to get the X now as I know even with the care I normally take, one drop and I am out of pocket.

I dont regard myself as a clumsy person, but still manage to drop my phone [have done with all my phones]. Never dropped a computer or iPad but phones are something that should be super durable.

And no, I refuse to put covers on my phone....... Apple shouldn't be designing products that are susceptible to needing repairs on one drop.

F wireless charging. Who really needs it ?

 

[dampfnudel]

Duh. Don't drop your phone.

Duh. Accidents happen.
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The outpouring of sarcasm here is ripe, maybe rightfully so, but there is value in this information. For parents who are buying their teenager a phone that will almost certainly be dropped this information could be helpful, especially if the only info they’ve gotten is from Apple saying this is the strongest glass ever.

I think most parents already had plans to put a case on their teen's next iPhone before any of these videos reconfirmed their intentions. They know better.
[doublepost=1506395917][/doublepost]

If only there were some thing you could put over your phone to protect as you carried it around all day. Like, some kind of, I don't know, what is that called, a case for a phone? Yeah if only those existed...

Some brave souls out there who prefer their iPhones stay naked. Some people need to learn the concrete way.

 

[Four oF NINE]

These videos turn up every new iPhone cycle. What sort of butter fingered moron can't hold onto a phone anyway? As for myself, I use the BookBook case from Twelve South, and my case is also my wallet. I've NEVER had a problem in that regard.

 

[richinaus]

These videos turn up every new iPhone cycle. What sort of butter fingered moron can't hold onto a phone anyway? As for myself, I use the BookBook case from Twelve South, and my case is also my wallet. I've NEVER had a problem in that regard.

Well you are amazing then.

This 'butter fingered moron' refuses to have awful covers [the bookbook case is at the very top of the list for items of distaste for me, seeing as though we are slinging insults at people...]

 

[inscrewtable]

These are the same people that need to know which end of the gun to point down range.

I thought those people would all be extinct by now.

 

[Bone Ranger]

According to Apple, the glass used for its new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 devices is the most durable glass ever used in a smartphone, but that hasn't helped the device resist shattering in a series of drop tests.

SquareTrade, a company that provides extended warranties for electronic devices, conducted drop tests on the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and, for comparative purposes, the Galaxy Note 8, which also has a glass body.

Both of the iPhone 8 models and the Galaxy Note 8 shattered on all sides in every single drop test, including front and back drops at a distance of six feet, a 22-foot shot drop test, and a tumble test. Each test was conducted using the same equipment.

Ultimately, Square Trade gave the iPhone 8 a breakability score of 67, the iPhone 8 Plus a breakability score of 74, and the Galaxy Note 8 a breakability score of 80. At 67 and 74, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are at "medium risk" of breakage from a drop, while the Galaxy Note 8 is at "high risk." The Galaxy Note 8 fared worse because it was non-functional after some of the tests, while the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus remained usable despite the broken glass.

YouTuber JerryRigEverything also did a drop test on the iPhone 8 in a case and without a case. It survived a drop from knee height and was okay after one fall from waist height because it landed on the aluminum frame, but the glass broke after a second waist-high drop. The iPhone 8 in a case unsurprisingly fared better.

Another YouTube drop test that compared the iPhone 8 Plus to the iPhone 7 Plus, and the iPhone 8 Plus shattered on the first drop. The iPhone 7 Plus survived a drop on its back, of course, as it has an aluminum body.

Drop tests are never scientific and are not a reliable measure of durability because of the many variables involved when a device is dropped, but it's clear that even with the most durable glass used in a smartphone, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are more prone to catastrophic breakage than previous-generation iPhones.

While both sides of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are now made of glass, the display and the body don't appear to share the same repair costs, so if you drop it on the wrong side, it's going to be an expensive fix.

With AppleCare+, Apple charges $29 for replacement for a broken display, but a broken glass body is subject to the $99 "other damage" repair fee rather than the screen replacement fee. Sans AppleCare+, a display repair for the iPhone 8 costs $149 and an "other damage" repair costs $349. iPhone 8 Plus repairs are even more expensive at $169 for the display and $399 for the body.

Apple is also charging more for its AppleCare+ plans this year, with AppleCare+ for iPhone 8 priced at $129 and AppleCare+ for iPhone 8 Plus priced at $149. AppleCare+ covers two incidents of accidental damage.

Article Link: Glass-Bodied iPhone 8 Shatters Repeatedly in Drop Tests

They are not dropping it the right way.

 

[ani4ani]

Oh, for crying out loud. No one is going to drop their phone from six feet. By far the most common drop case is when it's being pulled out of a pocket, or someone stands up and forgets it was in their lap, etc.

Of course, it has never happened that you have it against your ear only for someone to knock your elbow.....you know by another phone zombie.....or of course, it is isn’t possible that your phone doesn’t land on the same bit of land you’re stood on?

 

[Four oF NINE]

Well you are amazing then.

This 'butter fingered moron' refuses to have awful covers [the bookbook case is at the very top of the list for items of distaste for me, seeing as though we are slinging insults at people...]

I find it fascinating that you would personalize this. I was speaking in the abstract. So far as taste in various cases go, opinions vary. Surprise surprise.

 

[OTACORB]

Now, Now Children! LOL

These test always seem so silly to me. Yes, Apple says this glass is tougher than it's ever been in maybe in some lab test that is true, but people use them in the real world and they do get dropped. I hate buying Apple Care, but if you plan to keep a phone for a couple of years like most of us do, then it's probably not a bad idea. I do use a very thin case for two reasons 1) better grip 2) some protection. I won't use otter box or any of those ridiculously heavy large cases.

Now with that said, is there anyone that is really surprised that when you drop a phone with a glass back and front that it it shatters? Apple over hypes everything.. nothing new there. Apple Care or a case those are the options other than just taking your chances on past luck.

 

[ani4ani]

For all you people who wanted Apple to build smartphones with capacitive/wireless charging capabilities, this is what you get. A more delicate and costly iPhone. I never asked for capacitive charging but I suppose Apple could have gone with a carbon fiber, plastic or ceramic back but that's not how Apple does things. Plastic would have been ideal but it would have felt cheap. The other two might have bitten into Apple's fat profit margins. So you all got glass. Happy?

I would be totally happy with err a plastic back for wireless charging, you know that material that 90% of the rest of mobile phone industry uses....oh wait a minute that’s the cheap junk, how could Apple possibly....

 

[rmsanger]

I drop my phone from 3-5 feet every other day and have no breaks yet with proper protection.

 

[OTACORB]

I would be totally happy with err a plastic back for wireless charging, you know that material that 90% of the rest of mobile phone industry uses....oh wait a minute that’s the cheap junk, how could Apple possibly....

Well you know that tried that plastic back phone and it didn't seem to sell with a crap. I don't disagree with you, I'd be happy with that as long as it made nice and looked good. But it won't happen...

 

[KPandian1]

Missing something here - rubbery glass, unbreakable glass and shatter-proof glass have been around for decades. So, what is Apple not doing right?

 

[Cloudkicker]

This site is calling them flat out liars.

bgr.com/2017/09/25/iphone-8-plus-case-needed-drop-test-oof/amp/

 

[Zaqfalcon]

Don't understand why Apple have gone back to all glass, this is the main reason I didn't get an iPhone before the 5.

 

[Solomani]

Don't understand why Apple have gone back to all glass, this is the main reason I didn't get an iPhone before the 5.

See the five billion other threads about the new feature: wireless charging (hint hint, it's only possible with a glass back).

 

[Anuba]

Missing something here - rubbery glass, unbreakable glass and shatter-proof glass have been around for decades. So, what is Apple not doing right?

Yeah, there’s plenty of ultra-durable glass that will hold up fine when whacked repeatedly with a hockey stick... provided that the piece being subjected to this treatment is a large, free-standing sheet that’s allowed to absorb the impact and distribute the energy on its own terms.

But as soon as said glass finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place, say 1) a concrete floor and 2) an iPhone body in a love affair with gravity, it’s another story.

I personally don’t want a damn glass back on my iPhone. It’s only there to allow slow-as-molasses inductive charging. I have a lightning dock in every room, so the wireless charging feature is about as appealing to me as a convertible is for the inhabitants of Greenland.

 

[Solomani]

Yeah, there’s plenty of ultra-durable glass that will hold up fine when whacked repeatedly with a hockey stick... provided that the piece being subjected to this treatment is a large, free-standing sheet that’s allowed to absorb the impact and distribute the energy on its own terms.

But as soon as said glass finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place, say 1) a concrete floor and 2) an iPhone body in a love affair with gravity, it’s another story.

I personally don’t want a damn glass back on my iPhone. It’s only there to allow slow-as-molasses inductive charging. I have a lightning dock in every room, so the wireless charging feature is about as appealing to me as a convertible is for the inhabitants of Greenland.

I wonder if in the future, they could replace glass with another (stronger than glass) material that also allows inductive charging? Technology needs to find a way!

 

[jamface]

I don't understand why it was mentioned that the glass was strong in the keynote. Why even bother with strong glass if it breaks so easy?

To convince people to buy it.

 

[Westside guy]

See the five billion other threads about the new feature: wireless charging (hint hint, it's only possible with a glass back).

No, that's incorrect - the back just can't be metal. There are some very sturdy polycarbonates out there which would also work, from a technical standpoint. Nikon and Canon use them quite a bit with their mid-range dSLRs.