iPhone X drop tests reveal poor durability, labeled as 'most breakable' iPhone ever

[William Gayde]

Several organizations with an extra $1,000 to spare are reporting very poor durability from the iPhone X. Initial drop tests reveal Apple's new flagship is extremely susceptible to having its front and back glass broken upon impact.

CNET did a drop test from a height of three feet and the glass cracked on the very first drop. This was only cosmetic damage but cracks from a single drop are not a good sign. A second drop landing on the face, created even larger cracks. A case is a must for the iPhone X considering repairs can cost up to $550 each without AppleCare+.

CNET concluded a single bad drop can break the glass and damage the steel frame so dropping it without a case "is out of the question."

SquareTrade, a company offering extended warranties and mobile protection plans, conducted some more rigorous tests. Since this is their business model, it's in their best interest to convince consumers that the device is susceptible to damage.

Their tests were performed mechanically to create uniformity across all devices. Dropping the phone from six feet onto its face caused the TrueDepth sensor to break. Dropping it on its back shattered the rear pane of glass and dropping the phone on its side broke the display unit, thus rendering the screen inoperable.

The harshest test performed was the 60-second tumble cycle. This is meant to simulate accidentally leaving your phone in your pants when running them through the wash. Accidentally drive off with your phone on top of your car? Both the front and back glass as well as Face ID will break according to their tests. All of this caused SquareTrade to name the iPhone X the "most breakable" iPhone ever.

All of these results should be taken with a grain of salt though since it's unlikely most people will hold their phone from six feet up or leave it around carelessly. That being said, with tiny bezels, a huge amount of glass, and a $1,000 price tag, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a case and look into a protection plan.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/71758-iphone-x-drop-tests-reveal-poor-durability-labeled.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

"All of these results should be taken with a grain of salt though since it's unlikely most people will hold their phone from six feet up or leave it around carelessly".

The problem is that you have far too much faith in 'normal' human behaviour.
Rule no. 1: Never, ever overestimate some peoples intelligence and underestimate their stupidity either.
Rule no. 2: When in doubt, refer to rule no.1

 

[Squid Surprise]

As opposed to every other smartphone with a glass back (ie: anything that supports Qi wireless charging) that are so durable when dropped?

Yes, we know... these things are delicate - gone are the days of those rugged Motorolas that you could throw off of a skyscraper and pick up undamaged from the bottom

 

[Bubbajim]

Today's top story: glass smashes.

Tune in tomorrow when we ask, "is water wet?"

 

[p51d007]

Hey! Here's an idea! PROTECT your overly EXPENSIVE electronics...and DON'T drop something covered
with GLASS.
It's VERY strong against scratches...NOT impact! Plus, most people will put it in a protective case.
When not using it, PUT IT AWAY. I see people that think they have to carry these in their hands 24/7.
Humans, need to evolve a 3rd hand...for their smartphones.

 

[Uncle Al]

WOW .... at a $1,000 a pop I should have bought more Apple stock!!!!!

 

[jonny702]

As opposed to every other smartphone with a glass back (ie: anything that supports Qi wireless charging) that are so durable when dropped?

A glass back is not a requirement for Qi Wireless charging, my Lumia 920 5 years ago was the first phone I had with this feature (Way to catch up Apple!) but was super durable due to its polycarbonate housing

 

[GreenNova343]

"All of these results should be taken with a grain of salt though since it's unlikely most people will hold their phone from six feet up or leave it around carelessly".
The problem is that you have far too much faith in 'normal' human behaviour.
Rule no. 1: Never, ever overestimate some peoples intelligence and underestimate their stupidity either.
Rule no. 2: If uncertain, refer to rule no.1

Exactly. And besides, dropping from 6 ft is nothing...that's more than the height of, say, the balcony of a 2nd-floor hotel room...

 

[fimbles]

My droid turbo 2 has been underneath a forklift and dropped several times. Still works fine.

 

[noel24]

When did phones went from everyday pret-a-porter to useless haute couture? $1.1K for what? Piece of art to keep in a box in a closet, high away from children, that could break it.

 

[Panda218]

As opposed to every other smartphone with a glass back (ie: anything that supports Qi wireless charging) that are so durable when dropped?

A glass back is not a requirement for Qi Wireless charging, my Lumia 920 5 years ago was the first phone I had with this feature (Way to catch up Apple!) but was super durable due to its polycarbonate housing

The Lumia 920 was an impressive device! It's too bad M$ couldnt get that platform to take off we tried using windows phones instead of iphones at work, but our sales force lost their minds... I have a few users who preferred the windows devices, but those were users who were using blackberry's before the Lumia.

 

[trparky]

News Flash! Glass is breakable. Details at 11.

 

[Camikazi]

As opposed to every other smartphone with a glass back (ie: anything that supports Qi wireless charging) that are so durable when dropped?

Yes, we know... these things are delicate - gone are the days of those rugged Motorolas that you could throw off of a skyscraper and pick up undamaged from the bottom

My Note 3 has Qi Charging but they were smart enough to not give it a glass back, then again it also has a removable battery so it is from the days of sense.

 

[senketsu]

When it is their flagship, when it costs over $1,000 and is their most breakable phone ever....it's more of a story than 'glass is breakable'

 

[B5S46M]

And the Samsung GS8 is no better. It's the slipperiest, most fragile phone I've ever had.

 

[Capaill]

"since it's unlikely most people will hold their phone from six feet up"
So this phone cannot be used by 6 foot tall people. Maybe I'm behind the times - is there some other device out that lets people make phone calls?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Exactly. And besides, dropping from 6 ft is nothing...that's more than the height of, say, the balcony of a 2nd-floor hotel room...

Isn't that about the height of the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa?

 

[stewi0001]

I just heard this from a co-worker. He has a buddy that got the iPhone X and was riding a train in DC and set it on the window ledge (the phone was on its side.) Just the vibrations from the train caused the glass to crack.

 

[Squid Surprise]

"since it's unlikely most people will hold their phone from six feet up"
So this phone cannot be used by 6 foot tall people. Maybe I'm behind the times - is there some other device out that lets people make phone calls?

It can be used by them - just not dropped by them

But honestly - name a flagship smartphone that won't break by dropping it from a short height? Samsung, Google, etc... they're all fragile... small expensive things tend to be breakable - be careful with them

 

[Camikazi]

It can be used by them - just not dropped by them

But honestly - name a flagship smartphone that won't break by dropping it from a short height? Samsung, Google, etc... they're all fragile... small expensive things tend to be breakable - be careful with them

Not a flagship phone but I am 6'3" and have dropped my ZTE ZMax Pro multiple times and no cracked screen.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Not a flagship phone but I am 6'3" and have dropped my ZTE ZMax Pro multiple times and no cracked screen.

I googled that..... first link I got was https://www.gsmarena.com/zte_zmax_pro-8096.php

Very first comment is from someone who dropped it and broke the screen.... not to mention that phone has an LCD, not an OLED screen...

 

[Camikazi]

I googled that..... first link I got was https://www.gsmarena.com/zte_zmax_pro-8096.php

Very first comment is from someone who dropped it and broke the screen.... not to mention that phone has an LCD, not an OLED screen...

Did I say it never broke? I said that I have dropped it multiple times and never cracked it. Of course it can break, all glass can. Also, that comment says that the top third stopped working, not that the screen cracked, they don't actually mean the same thing.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Did I say it never broke? I said that I have dropped it multiple times and never cracked it. Of course it can break, all glass can. Also, that comment says that the top third stopped working, not that the screen cracked, they don't actually mean the same thing.

You said you dropped it many times and your screen didn't crack... I simply found it ironic that the first link I found on that phone had someone complaining about a broken screen...

Pretty much all technological devices were NOT meant to be dropped from any significant distance - it's not really news.... If I dropped my 80s Sony Walkman, it would probably break as well...