iPhone XR Just as Breakable as iPhone XS Based on SquareTrade Drop Test

[MacRumors]

Apple's lower-cost iPhone XR is just as breakable as the higher end iPhone XS and XS Max, according to new drop test results from warranty company SquareTrade.

Much like the glass-bodied OLED iPhone XS, the iPhone XR's LCD display and aluminum-framed glass back panel both suffered serious damage when dropped on a hard surface.

The iPhone XR was subjected to the same tests that SquareTrade did for the iPhone XS and XS Max back in September. During the face down drop test, which saw the device fall six feet onto concrete, the iPhone XR's LCD display shattered after the first drop.

The drop was serious enough that the XR's screen malfunctioned and became unusable, which was the same thing that happened to the XS during its drop test.

A back down drop test from six feet also saw the iPhone XR shatter on the first drop, resulting in loose glass right around the camera.

The XR successfully survived a bend test, beating out the iPhone XS and matching the performance of the larger iPhone XS Max. The iPhone XR bent at 260 pounds of pressure but didn't crack and continued to work fine, the same result SquareTrade saw with the iPhone XS Max. The iPhone XS, though, cracked at 250 pounds of pressure.

The LCD screen in the iPhone XR has a similar level of durability as the OLED screen featured in the iPhone XS and XS Max. Our tests show that across the board - with both LCD and OLED screens - the all-glass designs of all three new iPhones are susceptible to cracking from drops, which is the most common cause of damage," said Jason Siciliano, vice president global creative director at SquareTrade.

It doesn't cost as much to repair a broken iPhone XR as it does an iPhone XS or XS Max, but it's still pricey. Out-of-warranty iPhone XR screen repairs cost $199, while fixing other damage, which includes a cracked back panel, will cost $399.

Apple offers AppleCare+ for the iPhone XR for $149, which allows for two incidents of accidental damage coverage. With AppleCare+, screen repairs cost $29 while other damage costs $99.

Article Link: iPhone XR Just as Breakable as iPhone XS Based on SquareTrade Drop Test

 

[Baymowe335]

Breaking News: An insurance company says glass phones are breakable.

 

[Steve121178]

Glass breaks if dropped. Who knew?

It's about time people stopped watching these nonsense drop test videos. It only encourages them to keep doing it year after year. You have to be very simple to not realise an object primary constructed of glass will break if dropped.

 

[n-evo]

Not to sound sour but all these drop tests are just a senseless waste. In times where there is a growing awareness about the environment, labor conditions, dwindling resources, etc. I wish popular news outlets would just stop promoting them. I mean, after so many generations of glass and aluminium smartphones we should have a pretty good idea about what happens to these devices after a drop.

 

[Substance90]

Can we stop calling the XR a "low-cost" device? Apple doesn't offer low-cost products, period. They have a mid to high-end and an ultra high-end range of products. Calling these devices otherwise is only helping Apple, Samsung, Google and co. redefine what a smartphone should cost.

 

[gnomeisland]

Was anyone really expecting it to be LESS breakable? I'm rather surprised it isn't much MORE breakable/bendable given the difference in materials—lower quality back glass, aluminum vs steel.

 

[ChrisCW11]

Not to sound sour but all these drop tests are just a senseless waste of limited resources. In times where there is a growing awareness about the environment, dwindling resources, etc. I sometimes wish popular news outlets would stop promoting them. I mean, after so many generations of glass and aluminium smartphones we know what happens to these devices after a drop.

Really? The millions of people that line up to replace a 1 year old phone just because its the newest phone from Apple is not a waste of resources?

I am sure this company is recycling these phones, or even returning it to Apple where they recycle them. I am sure the few hundreds of phones that are used to test for durability by various review sites, not to mention most likely hundreds of phones and prototypes Apple probably burned through developing and testing the phones in house, are not a significant impact on the environment compared to simply selling millions of phones on a yearly cycle for no real reason other then profit.

 

[Mansu944]

Can we stop calling the XR a "low-cost" device? Apple doesn't offer low-cost products, period. They have a mid to high-end and an ultra high-end range of products. Calling these devices otherwise is only helping Apple, Samsung, Google and co. redefine what a smartphone should cost.

They still sell the 7 you know. So they do offer low cost devices. Just not this one.

 

[HiVolt]

Not to sound sour but all these drop tests are just a senseless waste. In times where there is a growing awareness about the environment, labor, dwindling resources, etc. I wish popular news outlets would stop promoting them. I mean, after so many generations of glass and aluminium smartphones we should have a pretty good idea to what happens to these devices after a drop.

I agree. I'm not an eco-warrior, but it is an absolutely useless test now, with phone sizes increasing, therefore the glass screens sizes increasing, and the back being glass, there is an obvious increase in expectation of damage when dropped.

If people are dumb enough to carry these $1000-1500 devices without adequate case protection, then its their fault, and I see plenty of them with cracked screens, 90% without a case on the phone.

 

[oldoneeye]

Why are people accepting :

• Dropping a phone breaks it - people drop things
• If it breaks it costs >50% of the cost to fix it ?

If it has to have a glass back .... at least make it easily fixable....

 

[AngerDanger]

Kinda surprised Apple didn’t mention it; you get all the breakablity for $250 less. That’s value!

 

[adamdport]

Personally I'd love a user-replaceable plastic screen. I don't need ultra clarity on a mobile device.

 

[Detektiv-Pinky]

They still sell the 7 you know. So they do offer low cost devices. Just not this one.

I think you mean, they still sell outdated tech, that gets dropped sooner from iOS updates, for a slightly lower price...

 

[kahkityoong]

Yawn. Let me know when an iPhone is made that doesn't break.

 

[Substance90]

They still sell the 7 you know. So they do offer low cost devices. Just not this one.

An old high-end device is not the same as a new low-end device. I buy all my Apple stuff used at least one year after launch but that doesn't mean that these products are low-cost. They just cost less because they are used or old.

 

[0815]

Wow ... A company selling drop insurance proofs that phone out of glass can break when dropped ... Never would have expected that

 

[Tozovac]

Glass breaks if dropped. Who knew?

It's about time people stopped watching these nonsense drop test videos. It only encourages them to keep doing it year after year. You have to be very simple to not realise an object primary constructed of glass will break if dropped.

Isn't it about time Apple’s “genius designer” innovates a pretty phone with...drumroll...noticeably improved durability or at least improved secure-grippability over the prior gen? Is it not insane to more than a few of us that the item carried around more than the thoughts in our minds is constantly redesigned with a focus on noticeable incremental prettiness in mind than incremental durability.

 

[sc0rch3d]

Not to sound sour but all these drop tests are just a senseless waste. In times where there is a growing awareness about the environment, labor conditions, dwindling resources, etc. I wish popular news outlets would just stop promoting them. I mean, after so many generations of glass and aluminium smartphones we should have a pretty good idea about what happens to these devices after a drop.

As with most things online today, even if you don't care, you still clicked on the article or watched the video on YouTube. That will generate clicks/dollars for these people which will cause them to keep doing what they're doing.

I personally like more scientific type tests like this than "will it blend?" or "drop an iphone from 1000 feet in the air"

 

[sundog925]

so phones that are made of glass crack when dropped.
fascinating!

 

[RichHI]

No news day, huh? Personally I have always used Otterbox Defender cases with my iphones and I can behave as stupidly as I want. Also useful here as Sun Tan Lotion does not get in the phone as it does without cases.

 

[deeddawg]

Wait, so you're saying when you drop a piece of GLASS onto CONCRETE from a height of six feet, it BREAKS???

Holy cow, better call Captain Obvious!

 

[gaanee]

While these drop tests provide a good pointer these also don't reflect the real life scenarios where iPhone can fall while in motion and not from a stationary position. In many cases, you are taking out the iPhone from your pocket or raising your hand and that additional velocity will affect how hard the iPhone hits the ground even from a short height. Although, this would also be hard to quantify considering different combinations of height, angle of impact and falling velocity.

 

[Elijen]

I've dropped my iPhone perhaps once a week for the last year and it's still yet to be cracked. I don't understand how so many people have cracked screens.

 

[Mansu944]

I think you mean, they still sell outdated tech, that gets dropped sooner from iOS updates, for a slightly lower price...

So if it’s not cutting edge and they have made it for over 2 years it’s outdated tech? Your logic is all kinds of off the mark.

 

[Steve121178]

Isn't it about time Apple’s “genius designer” innovates a pretty phone with...drumroll...noticeably improved durability. Is it not insane to more than a few of us that the item carried around more than the thoughts in our minds is constantly redesigned with a focus on noticeable incremental prettiness in mind than incremental durability.

Glass is actually a good material, especially for wireless charging etc. Unfortunately some people are careless & break things easily.