By Sure, Apple sold over 4 million iPhone 4S handset over the weekend, but can it survive a fall from waist height? Apple’s decision to got with glass on both the front and back of the handset looks beautiful, but in practical terms creates a rather fragile handset. The true beauty of its design is typically covered by and array of not-so-pretty cases. The Samsung Galaxy S II, on the other hand, features plastic casing and carries on a tradition of durable screen materials started with the original Galaxy S. So, when a group of overprivileged hipsters spent their parent’s money on a pair of high-end smartphones, which would you expect to emerge from a drop onto hard concrete with less damage?
The iPhone 4S saw its glass (both sides of it) shatter on first impact. The Samsung Galaxy S II walked away with some minor scratches and dings, but you might never guess it was dropped directly unto its screen. Hardly a scientific study, but someone had to be that guy and buy the brand new iPhone that many had no chance to get only to smash it mockingly on the internet for all to see.
[via Gizmodo]
Lol… Silly Apple. I love SquareTrade!
Not surprised. I see people with shattered iPhones on the train all the time.
I have only dropped my OG Droid once. My daughter on the other hand thinks its a ball. She has dropped it enough times. No damage. I could not see having an iPhone with a child around. Mine would look like that within a week.
And people complain about Samsung using plastic on their phones….Gorilla glass ftw.
Samsung uses Super AMOLED screens and by the way Gorilla Glass shatters. Look up the broken HTC Evo/Sensations etc.
It didn’t shatter my sensation there wasn’t even a crack when I accidentally ran it over 3 weeks ago lol I had a screen protector so not even scratches were on the screen. Amazing shit I tell you.
nobody said it doesn’t shatter, it’s just better than anything else atm, because it’s breaking point is much higher.
Ya it shatters.
…Eventually…
But it is going to take a LOT more force to start doing any amount of damage to gorilla glass. You probably will end up with a shattered iPhone screen before you put a dent in gorilla glass.
http://youtu.be/Ope6uViLcEY
No wonder nobody wanted to copy the iPhone 4. Why would make their phones so weak and with antenna issues (until this year at least).
But but but….better build quality and cheap plastic….
I get sick of folks spewing this garbage. Theres nothing better about making a damn all glass phone.
I ask those same people to replace all of the plastic parts in their cars with glass and drive into a wall.
Except in regards to that analogy you should use steel or metal as that’s the true equivalance but crash tests show use that plastic is better in many ways.
I agree there are no advantages at all… Except the iPhone 4 is quite the beautiful phone. I would even say that it is one of the nicer looking phones sold today. At least until the Galaxy Nexus comes along with its beautifully curved glass display!! :D
it’s all in the eye of the beholder… i myself hate how iPhone 4 looks, hate those edges etc..
totally agree…i hate the one button thingy as well..
heh…looks like when i did the accidental drop test on my droidx last week – http://k.minus.com/j8trubyQhnRM6.jpg
Ouch. How high did that get dropped from?
Waist high. I’ve dropped that phone a number of times, and it’s been a beast. I missed my pocket last week & it went straight face first onto my back patio. i knew as soon as it it (by the sound) that i effed up bad. that stupid slipup cost me 50$ effin dollars :(
I did that with my Droid X from about six and a half feet onto my patio.
Droid X’s do not like patio’s.
Its bounced off my hardwood floors tons of times without a scratch though.
I say this as an Android fan, but I really think Apple screwed up heavily on the 4G. The 3rd edition was really tough (ok, not as tough as an SGS1, but still very durable); in fact it’s survived several kids throwing it around, the dog getting hold of it, a lot of drops.. has a few scratches but nothing that hinders use.
My old SGS1 dropped from the first floor window (that’s second floor to the Americans among us).. bounced a few feet in the air.. slid several more feet on it’s face. On tarmac, I might add. Picked it up, wiped it off, put it back together again. Pretty much good as new.
I still use the same one today (it’s never been for repairs, even with my butterfingers), it’s got a few nicks on the outer bezel but the screen isn’t even warped after sitting on it, dropping it, the kids playing on it, etc. That was one tough mofo of a phone.
My SGS2 hasn’t been through it’s trial by fire yet, it feels more fragile but it’s taken a couple of knocks (walked into a table edge with it in my pocket, hit hard enough to damage the SD card but phone still working fine, nice dent in the back cover but nothing wrong on the phone itself or even the screen).
My wife had her 4G for about 3 weeks, dropped it a few inches on carpet and entire front screen shattered. She still has it(repaired a few times now), but has it so covered up in covers and protectors it might as well be a 3G.
Cheap materials? I’ll take a lighter and more durable phone any day..
WOW!!! I Didn’t expect the iPhone to explode like that. Was pretty confident the GS2 would survive no prob but so would most androids.
I switched from iPhone 4 to GS2 for this reason specifically. I don’t like gaudy cases, and I was hoping they’d go back to an aluminum back as well as a larger screen. When they announced the same form factor on the 4S, I bought the Galaxy that day.
Here’s a fun fact: The iPhone 4/4S’ back glass is a lot weaker than the one in the front, and it’s also the easiest to replace. Costs about $30 to fix at the Apple Store.
The saddest part about that is that people are ok with paying $30 for a small piece of glass.
The point still stands that ip4/4s is poorly designed for functionality
awesome…yeah great thing to make you feel great..ha..lucky i dont have to worry about repairing my back.ty.
Ah, shattered iphones. Good way to begin a monday!
I had the first drop of my Galaxy S II and you can barely find where it hit. It fell 4 feet and landed in the upper left corner. Extremely surprised and thankful at the same time. Lovin’ my GSII!!
lol….oh Apple…….you so crazy
If i owned an iphone, id never see it for it always being sent away for repairs. Drop my X10 on about a bi weekly basis, its corners are all beat up but my screen still looks brand new :)
The price you pay for pretty.
the price to pay for the brainwashed sheep…baaaabaaaa
Not a suprise. Fashion over function for the iPhone. I hate using cases. When I spend a few hundred dollars on a fancy new device I dont want to cover it up with a rubber or plastic case that adds bulk. You can argue some cases dont add much bulk, but they all still add bulk. Phone makers should make devices such that they can be dropped without getting crushed. I have dropped my Epic 4G galaxy S phone multiple times with hardly any scratches. I am quite pleased with it. I enjoy making fun of ppl that spend 200+ on a phone then 50+ on a case and have this huge brick in their pocket. I havent had a case on my phone in 4 years and I have never broken a phone, including my android and iPhone 3G. I am waiting for the day when I start seeing cases for cases. So that you dont scratch your sweet case, put a case on your case! A POCKET PROTECTOR PROTECTOR…NERD ALERT NERD ALERT.
I didn’t buy an iPhone4 when it came out specifically because of its fragility. Then antennagate hit (which was overblown IMO) and they offered free cases, so I got one. Great build quality, but a very poor design as far as toughness goes. I’d never use one case-less.
Having written that, YMMV. I saw a two-days-old HTC Thunderbolt that had its screen shattered from being dropped waist-high onto a carpet while in a protective case! Obviously that was unusual and the owner was pretty irritated… luckily she had a replacement plan.
For the record… I think almost all Iphone 4’s have a bumper case :S
I’ve probably dropped my OG Inc in excess of 50 times. Not a crack. All I use is a screen protector and Verizon’s gorgeous but fragile Gradient Case.
It’s hard to crack a brick….
i dropped my sgs2 from 3 ft and onto a wooden floor and it cracked not that durable imo thank god im gettin it replaced for free but even with that i would not touch apple even if i was paid to take it my personal thoughts
Hee Hee…..whatever makes u feel better fandroids! I guess if I had to sit back and watch the company that I despise so much sell 4 million phones in 3 days I’d need something to cheer me up too…lmfao!
hey iDouchebag..BY THE WAY most of which are iphone users already so,big whoopie…and btw its a fact..oh we still kick your butt..worldwide so so troll on dumbass
Uh, sorry fandroid but the iPhone is the number one selling smartphone in the WORLD. I know it’s hard for u to understand but Android phones don’t just compete against the iPhone; they also compete against EACH OTHER. So as long as Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola and any other manufacturer of pretend iPhones keep cannibalizing each other by pushing out Nexus Autobots and Droid Bio-degradables every month, the iPhone will remain at the top of the smartphone heap….boom!! Lol
“number one selling smartphone in the WORLD” – you might like to look up surveys, perhaps? unless you’re under the misperception that “WORLD” is a synonym for your Water Closet.
“they also compete against EACH OTHER” – precisely the reason they keep innovating. They don’t have to compete against the iPhone which remains outdated prior to the announcement itself.
“Bio-degradables” – You do know that’s a positive, right?
“Nexus Autobots” – and this is just cooler than prefixing ‘i’ before a Noun? What company would just copy another company’s mundane naming convention, say “iPAQ”, get sued over it and keep using the same thing over and over again. What brain-dead vagabond would do that? :S
Oh wait… you’ve prefixed ‘i’ as well, and versioned yourself with a “2”. Well done.
More fandroid ignorance on display for the world to see:
“Apple passes Nokia as world’s top smartphone vendor”
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Apple-passes-Nokia-as-worlds-top-smartphone-vendor-30161547.html
Not a “survey” fandroid…..FACT
“precisely the reason they keep innovating”
Innovating? I suppose if you call IP theft innovation…..
The rest of your gibberish really needs no response….
Nice article, Samsung is doing pretty good on the sales, and they make most of their own hardware (iPhone uses LG screens and Samsung makes the application processor,etc http://www.economist.com/node/21525685 ).
my problem with the IPhone’s build design is that it basically requires an otterbox or a cover or it will get scratched up and if you drop it…well you see the results.I like using my phone without having to use a cover and a screen protector, it feels so much thinner.. But everyone has their own preferences, choice is a good thing.
This is the exact reason I traded my I-Phone 4 for a Bionic. Dropped it once front screen cracked, cost $120 to fix. Bought an Otterbox which made the phone large and bulky and impossible to carry in your pocket, reach for your phone and the complete contents of your pocket comes out also. I was attracted to the sleek look of the I-Phone 4 so I got rid of the Otterbox. Then the screen cracked again this time in my pocket. The design is a sleek POS!!!! and I cannot believe they went with the same crap design. Gorilla Glass all the way baby.
How tiny is your pocket? o_O
Using glass on both sides is a brilliant move on Apple’s part. Not using gorilla glass is double brilliant.
Since Apple fanboys have more money than sense, as soon as they shatter the glass, they’ll be replacing their otherwise functional phone with a new one purely for cosmetic reasons.
But how does the i tampon hold up
That’s a fanboy. Gtfo PHANDROID. Just sayn
My Captivate has been sat on, stepped on and dropped on hard flooring. It’s only scratched. It’s built like a tank.