iPhone XR's Camera Only Break After Four Hard Drops

The Apple’s iPhone XS survived the four drop test of CNET, can this cheaper model iPhone XR do the same?

Vanessa from CNET and the iPhone XR she is about to test

The iPhone XR has many similar features of the more expensive iPhone XS which are: edge-to-edge display a metal bumper and also glass on both sides. But its build is slightly different from the iPhone XS. It has a large screen with more breakable surface areas than the iPhone XS. Its frame wrapping around the glass is also made of aluminum instead of stainless steel like the iPhone XS.

The glass that covered the XR’s screen is similar to the iPhone XS and Apple claimed it to be "most durable glass ever in a smartphone,", and the difference is glass on the back of the phone. It is stronger than the iPhone X but it is still not as tough as the glass on the iPhone XS.

In order to see whether this would have any effect on the phone’s durability, Vanessa from CNET took a brand new iPhone XR to their signature four drop tests in a real-world condition.

First drop: From the pocket height with the screen facing down

There was a tiny crack on the glass of the camera after this first drop

In the first test, it was dropped from the normal pocket height (around 0.9 meters) which is a common height of many accidents. This is the test that managed to break the iPhone X. The iPhone XR will be dropped with the screen facing down to see how tough the glass is.

Unfortunately, it only barely grazed its screen and by the time the phone landed, it had flipped over and the fall’s damage was taken by the phone’s back. The first impact was on the right side and after that, the phone bounced on the camera side and flipped in the air before finally landing with the screen facing down.

The drop didn’t leave any scratch to the back, but there was a tiny crack on the glass of the camera. The frame also had several noticeable scrapes on the side which exposed the silver under the gold coating.

After taking a few photos, it showed that the camera was still in good condition. But the camera still faced an issue with the tiny crack on its glass when the light hit the camera at the right angle.

Second drop: The same height and position as the first drop.

The phone landed with its screen facing down in this second drop

Because the screen was not the one hit the floor so she decided to move to the second drop with the same height and position. In this second test, she held the phone with both of her hands so she could get a better control of the drop.

The top of the phone was the first to hit the floor and then followed by that were the bottom and the right edge. The phone finally landed with the phone facing down after bouncing back up as well as turning 180 degrees in the air.

With that much impact on the screen, there must be some damages to it. But the screen surprisingly survived the second drop with minimal damage, only a several while lines around it. There were also some small dents in the glass but they were hardly noticeable.

Third drop: Drop from eye level, free fall

The frame of the iPhone XR took most of the impact 

To make the drop test harder, she raised the height to eye level, about 1.5 meters. She chose it because the eye level is a common height where people usually take a picture.

She dropped the phone on landscape with its screen facing her as it is the common way you hold the phone to take a picture.

This time the top corner at the back of the phone was the one taking the first impact. The other edge of the frame was the next to hit the floor and the drop ended with the back of the phone facing the floor.

After this drop, there were more scrapes on the frame and a very tiny crack at the bottom corner of the back. But overall, there was hardly any noticeable damage and the phone is still in a good shape.

Fourth drop: Drop from eye level with the screen side down

There was such a significant impact on the screen as it even made a loud thump

In this last test, she dropped it from eye level (1.5 meters) at the same position with the second drop which is screen side down.

This time, the screen landed almost perfectly making a loud thump which indicated that there would be something bad happened with the phone. And anyone could clearly see the damage as the top of the phone’s glass were broken in the shape of a cluster of spider webs.

Beside from that, the glass at the back was fine and that was the end of the drop test.

The breakdown

The phone somewhat survived three drops and finally got beaten by the fourth one. As positions of the phone when it landed were not really consistent so it is hard to really compare the durability of the iPhone XS and XR. The iPhone XS would have also been cracked after that nearly perfect landing with the screen facing down. But there is one thing for sure is that Apple has improved the glass quality of its iPhone compared to the previous models.

Even though the iPhone XS might be a bit more durable in the four-drop test but it is $250 (Rs. 18,228) more expensive than the iPhone XR. It is also cheaper to get the screen replaced for iPhone XR. Without AppleCare+, you will have to pay $199 (Rs. 14,510) for replacing the iPhone XR’s screen compared to $279 (Rs. 20343) of the iPhone XS.

It is better to protect your iPhone XR with a case

But it is much harder to replace the camera. You may have to pay $399 with a cracked lens that is classified as other damage. So it may be better to buy a good case if you are the owner of an iPhone XR.