Published in Mobiles

iPhone XS and XS Max are fragile

by on25 September 2018


But good if you drop them in the loo

If you want to destroy an Apple fanboy's phone it is probably not a good idea to drop it down the loo.  All you need to do is drop it.

Warranty company SquareTrade conducted several tests on the two new smartphones, checking Apple's claims of IP68 water resistance and more durable glass. The Tame Apple Press has been focusing on the results that that there's improved IP68 water resistance, meaning they can withstand water up to two meters deep for approximately 30 minutes.

However they have been mostly ignoring the fact that Apple's alledged super durable glass didn't prevent them from shattering when dropped.

A single back down drop test from a six foot range onto a hard surface caused the iPhone XS to shatter entirely, resulting in broken, loose glass across the back of the device. The result was the same for the iPhone XS Max, with back glass of the smartphone shattering after being dropped from a six-foot height. The stainless steel frames Apple uses for the iPhone XS and XS Max protected the two devices during a side drop test, but the face down drop test also resulted in breakage.

When dropped face down, the iPhone XS suffered a shattered and malfunctioning display, while the iPhone XS Max was impacted with hairline cracks and loose glass but still had a usable display.

After a 60 second tumble test, both the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max were covered in hairline cracks, scratches, and featured loose glass after the damage, and in a pressure-based bend test, the iPhone XS cracked at 250 pounds and the screen failed entirely.

SquareTrade assigned each iPhone a "Breakability Score" taking into account performance on each of the tests, as broken down in the image below. iPhone XS earned a Breakability Score of 86, classified as "high risk", while iPhone XS Max earned a Breakability Score of 70, classified as "medium risk".

To be fair, SquareTrade said that the iPhone XS and XS Max are stronger than the iPhone X, but are still prone to breaking easily given that both devices shattered on the first drop during the drop test.  This seems to indicate that the more you pay for the device the more likely it is to break as a design feature.

"Our tests show the all-glass design of the iPhone XS and XS Max make them highly susceptible to cracking, particularly from drops, the most common cause of damage", said Jason Siciliano, vice president global creative director at SquareTrade.

"Repair costs for the new iPhones are expected to be around $399 to replace a front screen and $599 to replace a shattered back. Considering $599 was the cost of the most expensive version of the very first iPhone, repair costs are now something to consider when buying a new iPhone. They're beautiful phones. Just hang on tight."

 

 

Last modified on 25 September 2018
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