Would The New iPhone XS Survive The Drop Test?

CNET - a very popular review website did a test by dropping a brand-new iPhone XS onto the street a few times to see how durable both sides of the glass is.

The iPhone XS Drop Test

The reviewer named Vanessa Hand Orellana claimed that Vanessa had done many drop tests during her career at CNET, and all of the reviewed phone cracked under her tests. But now, there is a phone that can survive after her drop test - the new iPhone XS.

The new iPhone XS will also have to go through her typical four-drop tests as Vanessa usually does and this test managed to crack iPhone X just on the first phase. However, despite the fact that iPhone XS and iPhone X that have glass on either side and a stainless steel frame, the glass can be the one that makes iPhone XS better than iPhone X.

At the launching event last week, Marketing chief of Apple - Phil Schiller stated that iPhone XS - the new Apple’s phone is covered on the front and the back with a new formulation of glass that is the most durable glass ever in a smartphone."

This is not the first time we have heard something like this from the iPhone creator as it was said for the previous iPhone series and as you may know, iPhone X did not even survive the first drop test.

The reviewer brought a new iPhone XS to a cement sidewalk just outside headquarters of CNET to challenge it with her usually 4-drop test and it is the same location where many reviewed phones have failed to pass her dreadful test.

The main purpose of these tests is demonstrating the things that can happen when you drop your phone. The results are different in each drop. The reviewer planned to find out how much pressure the iPhone can withstand before cracking.

Video of the Drop test. From CNET

1st Drop: screen side down, dropped from the pocket height (90 cm)

She started the test by dropping the phone 90 cm which is normally the pocket height and also a common height that people drop their phones. iPhone X cracked under this impact last year.

He began by dropping the screen-side down as Vanessa wanted to get the most important part of the phone tested first. The screen’ top edge broke the fall and following by that, it did a flip after bouncing on the bottom edge and then it landed again at face down position

First test from your pocket height with screen side down position

The phone seemed no harm in the first look with just a few scuffs on the phone’ metal frame. After inspecting a little closer, the reviewer realized that the damage on the phone metal frame was just cement scrap that could be wiped easily. There was just a small dent at the glass on the screen’s edge near the top left corner but the damage could hardly be noticed and no crack was found on both sides.

Judging the fact that iPhone X had failed at this first test, it would be already considered a win for iPhone XS. Let’s proceed to the second test.

2nd Drop: screen side up, dropped from the Pocket height (90cm)

The next test is aimed to test the back glass so the reviewer dropped the phone with the screen side up at the same height as the first test (90cm).

Second test: The stainless steel frame broke the fall.

In the second fall, the phone did not land on its face but on the top left side after changing positions in mid-air. After the first impact, the phone bounced a few times on the side of its stainless steel frame and also its back before it finally landed.

Just like the first test, it was pretty hard to spot the damage. Its stainless steel frame looked hardly damaged. Only a few tiny dents were spotted on the stainless steel’s gold finish, just as small as a grain of sand. Beside from that, there was no damage on the front and back of the glass.

With just little damage like that, Vanessa decided to go further into the test with a higher height.

3rd Drop: free fall at eye level (152 cm)

In this next drop, the reviewer went to another common drop height - eye level as it is common to drop your phone from your hands when you are taking selfies or pictures.

Vanessa dropped the phone while the phone was in landscape mode and the screen was facing her.

On the third test from eye level height, the phone landed on its corner

The frame broke the fall once again. The initial impact was the phone’s top-left corner and it rotated to hit the bottom edge after bouncing on its bottom corner and then it finished landing at the screen side down position after sliding out a bit.

This time the few tiny dents had increased but it still required her to take a much closer look to spot them. Just like the 2nd test, there was no other damage other than tiny dents.

Drop 4: Screen side up, dropped at eye level (152 cm)

There was not a lot of time left for the female reviewer to keep doing the test but the iPhone XS’s glass was still undamaged. In the last drop, Vanessa decided to keep dropping at the same height but different position this time as the screen face down

The fourth test from 5 ft: The phone landed first on the corner where the location of the rear-facing camera is

The phone once again fell different from what Vanessa expected as it did a couple of air flips after landing on the top-right corner and finally landed with the screen facing up.

In this final test, a lot of cement debris spotted on the phone’s camera which indicated possible scratches on the phone. However, that debris was wiped off easily. There were a few dents with the size of grain on the top of the edge which is close to the rear camera but the camera’s glass was still holding strong. Other parts were pretty much in the same condition as before Vanessa did the 4th test.

The analysis

Judging by the fact that iPhone XS is similar to the previous version, the iPhone X, the reviewer was not expecting the phone to hold that strong after the first and second drop. Vanessa admitted that she was wrong.

After four drops from 90 cm to 152 cm onto the sidewalk made of concrete, the iPhone XS still remained in a very good condition. There were only a few scrapes and tiny little dents on the side of the camera and the frame as well, the most importantly the phone’s glass was almost in a perfect condition.

Can that conclude that the glass of iPhone XS is stronger? I still can be a hard one to call. However, it can be seen that this new iPhone did a greater job than the iPhone X, which only managed to survive the test with multiple cracks on both sides and also small pieces of glass falling off the screen’s edges after the first two drops from the same height.

Vanessa tried to contact Apple for further information but it refused to give her additional information about the glass of iPhone XS compared to previous one - iPhone X. Even though Corning has been the supplier of glass for previous iPhones but it is unsure whether they supply their latest Gorilla Glass 6 for this iPhone version or not. And the same as Apple, Corning also did not have any comment on this matter.

Despite good results indicating from this test, Vanessa still recommended iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max users to use cases just to be safe. Remember you will have to pay $279 and $329 to get your XS and XS Max screen replaced and that is the price without AppleCare+ coverage. But it may mean that you can have a bit more confidence on them out and about.