The new iPhones thrown to the ground: is the glass really stronger?
Each year, Apple (and every other smartphone maker) says that their latest smartphone can take a hit better than last year’s. This was also the case with the presentation of the new iPhone Xs and Xs Max. That is a nice claim, but every year again a group of people madmen are tested whether that is really the case. Last year, the iPhone X did not come down very badly in the drop test and the new iPhone Xs does not appear to be as shock-proof as Apple claims.
Having said that, the tests show that if your new iPhone is not too high, you really should be unlucky if the glass at the front or back really breaks. The videos below give a very reasonable result and show that at many heights you have a good chance that your screen will survive, especially if the phones fall on their side. In the third video you even see that a fall from a great height (more than three meters) can end well.
Fall speed seems to be the key
Square is the one who also did the famous drop test of the iPhone X last year. There was little left of it and this year it seems no different. That can be a coincidence, but do not forget that Square (or Squaretrade to put it right) is in the business of smartphone insurance and therefore they have a motive to show the worst possible results. The tests are also different from those of the others. In the ‘fall’ test, the phone is not simply left to gravity but literally shot down with a force that is much larger. That is more consistent with throwing your phone hard on the ground than dropping it out of your hands and that is not entirely fair. Obviously: if you would do that you have a broken phone.
Also the washing machine test proved not to survive for the screens of the Xs and the Xs Max, but these are also a lot of shocks at different points in succession. This shows (and you see in the other videos too) that the Xs Max light comes better from the tests than the smaller version. Both, however, survived Square’s beer test. The phones were dropped for a while in a tube of five meters of beer and came out without any damage.
Protect that bite
In the end, all these tests are not scientific. How your phone falls determines to a large extent how big the damage will be on the glass. If it was not clear to you after seeing these tests: make sure you have a cover for these screaming expensive phones. Apple Care is perhaps even better, because with a repair cost of 360 euros for the screen and 640 (!) Euros for all other damage (including the back), it is really worth it, if you then we will spend bizarre amounts for your phone.