Durability is a big issue as phones continue to get thinner and lighter. The HTC U11 is the latest device to be tested by infamous YouTuber JerryRigEverything. He puts the U11 through a barrage of tough tests to see how durable it is.
The scratch tests on the display are pretty common with other phones. The real test is the bend test. The U11’s front glass panel cracked when putting under a bend test. The culprit seems to be the curved glass on top of a metal frame. The Edge Sense feature also makes it weaker.
You probably don’t have to worry about this happening to your phone, but it’s cool to see the strengths and weaknesses. Be nice to your phone.