AppleInsider Staff
A pair of drop tests conducted hours after iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max launched on Friday reveal very different results concerning handset durability, with one evaluation seeing the 5.8-inch version's front glass crack from about three feet off the ground.
In a video produced by Tom's Guide — dramatically shot in front of customers standing in line outside of Apple's Fifth Avenue store — a brand new iPhone 11 Pro's screen cracked after being dropped onto a New York City sidewalk from hip height.
The phone landed nearly parallel to the ground, but its bottom-right corner touched pavement first, causing the top left corner to slap violently onto the hard surface. As a result, the glass shattered in more than three spots and left hairline cracks running across the top third of the screen down to the bottom right corner.
That same iPhone fared well when dropped on its back from the same height. No cracks or scratches were observed after two drops, a result more in line with Apple's claim of "toughest glass in any smartphone." The rear material, which goes through a dual ion-exchange process for added durability, finally succumbed to a shoulder level drop that exacerbated cracking on the phone's face.
A second drop test performed by YouTube channel EverythingApplePro was more promising. Both iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max withstood multiple front, back and side drops from waist and shoulder height. In fact, the stainless steel chassis on both handsets warped during testing. The back glass on the 11 Pro and the screen of the 11 Pro Max finally shattered in a ten-foot fall.
It should be noted that the test was conducted indoors, likely on a different material or concrete mix than what iPhone was exposed to in the Tom's Guide analysis.
As drop tests are inherently expensive, most are conducted from preset heights starting at a low point around waist level, roughly where a user might fumble their phone when taking it out of a pants pocket. From there, evaluations typically move to ear height, simulating a drop while on a call, to inordinate elevations of ten feet and above.
For a closer look at iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, check out AppleInsider's in-depth review.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
56 Comments
I wonder what do these youtubers do with the broken phones after drop tests?
Nowhere does Apple say their new stronger glass will prevent breakage when dropped from particular heights. Try toughness tests based on scratching from sitting in your pocket with keys, heating from sitting in the sun in your car etc. When Apple puts a suspension system with patented digital shock absorbers in their phone THEN start dropping it. It’d be a whole lot less expensive to do the tests too! Fancy dropping $1000+ phones to get them to smash. Do they make false insurance claims afterwards? <insert deep sigh here>
The thing about glass is it all depends on how it hits. I've had regular glass jars land on concrete and bounce several times without cracking. I've also dropped the same jars from a few inches and had them seem to explode. Gorilla Glass might be more resistant to shattering, but the same rule applies. It all depends on how it hits. That's why I keep my phone in a case.
Is there such a thing as an adjustable case that can fit different size phones? That would make me feel better spending the money on one.