iPhone 4 Drop Test with Bumper Case

[IndustrialSpace]

The real story here is being missed by everyone:

The iPhone 4 in a Bumper case was dropped TWICE by the sales-weasel, with no damage to the iPhone 4 and only minor scuffing to the Bumper.

Only on the third flipty-flip attempt did the sales-weasel finally break the glass.

So, let me ask my fellow iPhone 4 owners... When you accidentally drop your iPhone 4, are you going to pick it up and keep dropping it until it breaks?

The Bumper did its job. Both of those first two drops probably would have resulted in broken glass without a Bumper.

Next up, the sales-weasel team will shoot a bullet through the iPhone 4 and then complain about the Bumper not protecting it!

Mark

Here's my response to your thoughts:

Here's something you might not be considering.

Perhaps it does take 3 drops on a hard surface to break (kind of like the Wise owl and the Tootsie Roll Pop - 3 Licks to the center!!).

Perhaps the iphone was indeed damaged after the FIRST drop. That small microscopic cracks/spiders dveloped not percevieable to the naked eye. After a few more drops, it does indeed break entirely. There could have been tiny cracks at the edges which ave not yet spidered out until the 4th drop.

My point is this, what if you droped it 3 times in 1 month or 3 months (or whatever) without any noticeable damage, and then on the 4 th isolated drop it breaks.

Could it be a cumulative effect which is taking place? If so, thta would mean that each time the iPhone drops, its glass is compromised slightly. Drop it enough and it can no longer stay intact.

Just something to think about.

 

[schalliol]

It's a bit like a sports car rather than an econocar, with the bumper you're also less likely to drop it.

 

[kenman884]

I've dropped my iPod Touch numerous times. The second time, it acquired a basically unnoticeable hairline crack along the top, and ever since it has had no damage from drops. If there is one thing to say for all those crappily built plastic phones, it's that they seem to never break, because less stringent engineering control results in greater gaps between parts and thus more room to flex.

I am surprised Apple would stake such a claim on less-than-perfect case though. They seem to understand that customers have extremely unrealistic expectations; a case does not equal perfect protection, unless you have one that basically turns it into a nerf football.

When I get the fourth generation ipod touch though, I will be getting a case my friend introduced me to. It's sort of a rigid, yet rubbery, clear plastic that doesn't seem to add any girth to the phone, yet makes it seem much more rugged.

 

[BlondeBuddhist]

You're missing the point.

No one intentionally decides to drop it in any particular fashion. It can fall in safe way or a harmful way. A bumper is supposed to protect the device from such accidental falls.

A real testament to a products durability is that it WILL stand up to this kind of drop. Not that it can't. You all seme to have things backwards. The demonstration was real-world. This type of fumble/spin can happen easily. I'll give you an example. Let's say you lose your grip on the phone and its beginning to come loose from your hand. In an effort to prevent it from falling, we bobble the phone in our hand, trying to secure it, so as to prevent it from falling. Sometimes you are able to recover before it falls to the ground. Other times you're not. As youre reaching for it, and bobbling it in your hand, you will inadvertantly create a "spinning" inertia.

Good Story.

Now, as far as "real life" goes. I just said that over a span of 2 years now (of real life) I have never dropped the phone in a manner that had it barrel roll over itself 3 times. Not once. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zip.

You say that no one attempts to drop it such and such way. However this guy DID drop it in that way, only THEN causing it to break.

These "tests" are pure nonsense since their effort is to say "no case can protect your phone so when you shatter it, and you will, mail it to us"
I cant easily roll over my iPhone 4 with the tires of my Mazda. So what?

Blonde Buddhist

 

[IndustrialSpace]

Good Story.

Now, as far as "real life" goes. I just said that over a span of 2 years now (of real life) I have never dropped the phone in a manner that had it barrel roll over itself 3 times. Not once. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zip.

You say that no one attempts to drop it such and such way. However this guy DID drop it in that way, only THEN causing it to break.

These "tests" are pure nonsense since their effort is to say "no case can protect your phone so when you shatter it, and you will, mail it to us"
I cant easily roll over my iPhone 4 with the tires of my Mazda. So what?

Blonde Buddhist

Another egocentric attitude. Perhaps you are special and have stellar dexterity. Not everyone is as blessed as you. Some people do have issues with dropping their phone. For instance, those who are handicapped or otherwise physically challenged in some way. Maybe missing an arm or have amputated fingers. Those who have shaky hands. Older folks, plain old clumsy or heavy-handed folks. Maybe even god forbid some lapse in attentiveness. There are many people who are not as sure-handed. Ive had my 3GS phone fall out of a jacket pocket while exiting my car. And it DID indeed tumble as it met the asphalt. Luckily, it didnt break, but I have a full cover on my iphone.

The point is, accidents happen. To say it is impossible to tumble a phone is ridiculous. You come across as defensive by having such a narrow view of what constitutes effective protection for a phone. Mind you, this phone costs several hundred dollars and should come wiht adequate protection if one uses a bumper. You fail to se that. You are apologizing for Apple because their bumper does NOTHING to prevent it from shattering after only a FEW drops. That is hardly demanding of a phone protector. Hardly.

 

[Mark Booth]

Here's my response to your thoughts:

Here's something you might not be considering.

Perhaps it does take 3 drops on a hard surface to break (kind of like the Wise owl and the Tootsie Roll Pop - 3 Licks to the center!!).

Perhaps the iphone was indeed damaged after the FIRST drop. That small microscopic cracks/spiders dveloped not percevieable to the naked eye. After a few more drops, it does indeed break entirely. There could have been tiny cracks at the edges which ave not yet spidered out until the 4th drop.

My point is this, what if you droped it 3 times in 1 month or 3 months (or whatever) without any noticeable damage, and then on the 4 th isolated drop it breaks.

Could it be a cumulative effect which is taking place? If so, thta would mean that each time the iPhone drops, its glass is compromised slightly. Drop it enough and it can no longer stay intact.

Just something to think about.

Here's my thoughts on your thoughts:

It has NOTHING to do with how many drops. It has EVERYTHING to do with how it hits the ground and which spot on the iPhone 4 is impacted with the majority of the initial shock.

The iPhone 4's glass front and back extend beyond the boundaries of the stainless steel band. Because of that, it is possible for a naked iPhone to land at an angle on the edge that puts the majority of the initial impact right against the edge of the glass. As minimalist as a Bumper is, it WILL help protect the iPhone in such a drop scenario.

It is only common sense, a quality that is seriously lacking among far too many people these days. And, yes, I wish a bit more of that common sense was in play when Jony Ive and his team designed the iPhone 4. It was silly to run that glass to the edge like that. However, I think that Apple did realize the danger and THAT is why they also designed the Bumper.

I like my Bumper! I think it adds to the beauty of the iPhone 4 and provides a certain degree of drop protection in the process. Partly because it helps cover those glass edges and partly because the Bumper's grippier surface helps avoid dropping the iPhone in the first place.

Mark

 

[thatsmyaibo]

Did anyone really think the bumper would protect anything? It covers like 10% of the phone. I think Apple just made it because they knew about the reception issues.

 

[fpnc]

YMMV, but my first generation iPhone was dropped from waist height while still within its leather holster and while the glass did not break the LCD ended up with several complete rows of non-functional pixels across the middle of the display. I didn't actually drop the phone/holster, it became dislodged from my belt.

The lesson to be learned is that even when in a case a relatively short drop can damage a phone (or any electronics).

Unfortunately, the vast majority of phone holsters are made with simple belt clips which are not completely secure (why is it that nearly all point-and-shoot camera cases use belt loops while phone holsters use belt clips?). A belt loop is cheaper and can be made a lot more secure than a simple clip, so why aren't they used on more phone holsters?

 

[LAS22]

it could have cracked on the first drop if landed in a particular way.

looks like the bumper was made for reception issues, not drop protection...lol

 

[fo0bar]

Seriously though. I dropped my nokia (can't remember the model) and the screen cracked falling on carpet, Let alone a HARD surface. From what I recall, the phone was made of a type rubber too. Supposed to be one of those water resistant and shock proof phones, and a small drop on carpet buggered it completely.
It all depends how you drop it, what angle, height, where it falls and how hard.

I'ts hard to determine these things. I've dropped my uncased 2g iPod touch on concrete about... lets see, 9 times now. And it's still in perfect condition despite the small dent on the back casing. Like I said, it all depends. No device is INVULNERABLE.

Simple answer. Don't drop it!

I used to chuck my Nokia 5165 at walls to impress people. Not even a light toss, think chucking a stone on water to make it skip... but against a wall. The battery would always dislodge and go flying in another direction, but the phone would always come away with only a few (more) scuffs. When it did eventually die, we gave it a proper funeral by duct taping it to a Jeep's wheel and driving around the parking lot.

Point is, Nokia has made a lot of different phones. My iPhone 3G has one of those Belkin "Silicone Sleeve" models (the kind that pulls your pocket inside out), and it's paid off. Over the last 2 years, it's taken a few tumbles, mostly on carpet, but a few on concrete, and when you take the case off, it still looks like new today.

I was considering a bumper for my iPhone 4, thinking the raised lip would be enough to prevent the screen/back from coming in contact with the floor during a drop, but after seeing this, I'm now convinced to get a similar Belkin model. It appears they don't have any all-silicone models for the 4, but I'm sure I'll find something.

 

[ChocolateApple]

Third Time Proves NOTHING

Duh. Dropping anything back-to-back like that weakens it. And this proves what?

In fact, it proves the iPhone 4 is as strong as advertised because it didn't break the 1st TWO times, and after dropping it once, moreso TWICE, a person who can't afford to break phones for a living will have a mild heart attack and rush to get a case.

 

[Iggy]

Newsflash! Man makes a dick of himself on YouTube! What a prick.

Seriously though, "you saw it here first."

All I saw was a guy lose not only his dignity, but also a £400 phone. *slow clap*

 

[stevensr123]

Newsflash! Man makes a dick of himself on YouTube! What a prick.

Seriously though, "you saw it here first."

All I saw was a guy lose not only his dignity, but also a £400 phone. *slow clap*

Bitter much?

 

[ouimetnick]

Newsflash! Man makes a dick of himself on YouTube! What a prick.

Seriously though, "you saw it here first."

All I saw was a guy lose not only his dignity, but also a £400 phone. *slow clap*

You know Belndtec does the same thing by blending iPhones. But you know what. Its called advertising. It shows that they have a very powerful blender. if you can blend a phone w/o breaking anything, you can sell it. Plus this video shows how weak the iPhone 4 is. The glass is SUPPOSE to be SUPER strong according to Apple, yet it breaks with a $30 case on it!

 

[erik.thor21]

bumpers suck, no protection. Only made for signal issue.

 

[ZazenZach]

Just avoid dropping your iPhone that way.


Sent from S.jobs iPhone 4 with titanium case.

lold

 

[Radjin]

For the less clumsy of us the bumper does an excellent job of the keeping the phone scratch free. No worries of laying it on a hard surface or our night stands and it getting scratched. It's also is not a complete wrap around making the phone a lot thicker or looking like other bulky phones. And if it helps with the signal problem as well, great, although I have not had the issue myself.

It's does not take much of a brain to understand that dropping the phone a few times will likely damage it, no matter what case it is in.

 

[smoking monkey]

What's the point?

The video is terribly shot.
The test is haphazard.
And the conclusion is it breaks... Of course it does - It's glass on concrete!

The guy is just some attention whore pushing his crappy site.

 

[bobob]

Duh. Dropping anything back-to-back like that weakens it. And this proves what?

In fact, it proves the iPhone 4 is as strong as advertised because it didn't break the 1st TWO times, and after dropping it once, moreso TWICE, a person who can't afford to break phones for a living will have a mild heart attack and rush to get a case.

This post wins the thread!!!

 

[lilo777]

Duh. Dropping anything back-to-back like that weakens it. And this proves what?

In fact, it proves the iPhone 4 is as strong as advertised because it didn't break the 1st TWO times, and after dropping it once, moreso TWICE, a person who can't afford to break phones for a living will have a mild heart attack and rush to get a case.

I think people just do not get it. While it is possible that there was some cumulative damage after dropping the phone three times in a row most likely the results indicate something totally different. Granted that the sample in this testing is very small and not statistically significant but if it was it would indicate that out of three iPhone 4 owners who drop their phones on hard surface one phone will crack. So, no, you do not need to drop the phone 3 times to break it. Rather the chance of the phone surviving single drop is 66% which is not good for a hand held device.

 

[iFixYouri]

What's the point?

The video is terribly shot.
The test is haphazard.
And the conclusion is it breaks... Of course it does - It's glass on concrete!

The guy is just some attention whore pushing his crappy site.

So much love in the air.

Yes we repair iPhones. Yes we repaired this one. Everyone on here knows this. We are active on the boards and are constantly helping/giving advice to people.

We wanted to see if the bumper would hold up against random falls.

I've seen the 'geniuses' at apple chuck otter boxes, one time i saw one break. What's the point?

Let's have a look and see what kind of website you have?

We're merely informing the general public of how a bumper held up...simple as that...every drop is random, no two drops are the same. Could've not broken after 10 drops, but it did in fact after 3.

Glad some enjoyed it.

 

[zacman]

The so called "bumper" was originally integrated in the iPhone 4 design because of the reception (because not even Apple engeneers are as dumb as you think!). However it was Jobs himself that decided to not include it in the final design but to market it as a "bumper" and sell it separately...

 

[macsmurf]

Good Story.

Now, as far as "real life" goes. I just said that over a span of 2 years now (of real life) I have never dropped the phone in a manner that had it barrel roll over itself 3 times. Not once. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zip.

You say that no one attempts to drop it such and such way. However this guy DID drop it in that way, only THEN causing it to break.

These "tests" are pure nonsense since their effort is to say "no case can protect your phone so when you shatter it, and you will, mail it to us"
I cant easily roll over my iPhone 4 with the tires of my Mazda. So what?

Blonde Buddhist

You act as if the centrifugal forces alone caused the phone to break. I don't think you want to pursue that argument.

The fact is, the phone broke because it had been weakened by the other drops or it landed a certain way (or both). Both of these are very possible in real life.

You, of course, would've realized that if you'd stopped to think for a second. Then again, maybe not.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

iPhone case made out of magical dilettante d30 that doesn't like Newton (Isaac)

This case is interesting:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/d5cd/#description

From that article:

"...the iBand, made of a magical non-Newtonian fluid called d30. What's that, you ask? To put it simply, a non-Newtonian fluid isn't held to one standard of viscosity. It does its own thing. d30 is a dilatant, which means its viscosity is stress-dependent. When it's not stressed, it's squishy. But when stressed, the apparent viscosity increases and the substance turns rock solid."

 

[bkspero]

Great example of another design flaw

An iPhone 4 owner in Japan was operating the phone with one hand and dropped the phone on a train platform.
Even though it was encased in an Apple bumper, the glass is not as strong as Apple says it is.
This owner had added a strap to the bumper, but was unfortunately not using it at the time.
Repair/replacement cost 22,800 yen (about $260 USD).
- Japanese article on K-tai Impress

This photo highlights another design flaw resulting from Apple's mania about appearance over function. You can see in this photo that the damage radiates from the edge of the glass about 1/3 the way from the left along the top of the phone as it is oriented in the photo (about 1/3 of the way up the left edge of the phone as you would be looking at it in portrait mode). That is the classic indication of where the break began.

Note that it is actually from under the rubber band case and not at some exposed area of the glass. The issue is that the iP4 design has the edges of the glass sheets completely exposed to impact rather than being protected by the hard metal/plastic case as they are in older iPhones and all other non-Apple phones. While tempered glass (such as gorilla glass) is very strong, it is very sensitive to even the tiniest chips. Whereas normal glass can chip and still be usable, tempered glass will spontaneously shatter (as you see in the photo) if it is chipped.

With its exposed edges, the glass in the iP4 needs just the smallest concentrated impact along an exposed edge with a hard object to do what you see in this photo. And hard does not need to be "harder than the glass". Only hard enough to transfer the impact at a small point to the glass edge.

You can get around this issue with a hard case. But if you're going to put one of those big ugly cases on your thin, sleek iPhone 4, you might as well have purchased a properly designed phone in the first place.

If you choose to leave your phone unprotected with either no case or a rubber case, pray that you only break the back glass. Because if you break the front glass, that means you also get to replace the retina display that is bonded to the "protective" glass.