If you’re the kind person who likes to watch phone drop test videos, you’ve probably seen a few for the iPhone 5 by now. But have you seen one in which the device was dropped from 100,000 feet?
G-Form has posted this video promoting its latest iPhone case. They drive to the desert, and send the device up with a balloon.
The phone appears to work after the drop.
Every new smartphone and tablet must go through a YouTube stress test. It’s somewhat of an unwritten rule of the Internet. The drop test is by far the most popular, but others put smartphones through some rather creative trials. Hammering a nail into some wood with a Lumia 900 is pretty cool, but it’s got nothing on Samsung’s own stress tests.
Yesterday, Samsung uploaded a video that showed off the various stress tests the company puts each new device through before shipping. The device of choice this time around is the Samsung Galaxy S III, and the tests the company puts it through are pretty rough.
As you can see, Samsung puts its devices through far more tests than any YouTube stress test could ever think of. I’ve never seen a test involving a 100 kg person sitting on the device, but we don’t have to now because Samsung has that covered withs its artificial butt test.
The other tests are equally strenuous and downright mean. Granted, the testers aren’t throwing the device against a concrete slab, but that’s outside of normal use. With that being said, I’m still trying to figure out how a smartphone being blasted with high pressure water falls under normal use.
Nokia makes some tough hardware. The company’s previous phones have proven to be all kinds of durable. Somebody even tried to hammer a nail into the screen, and it wouldn’t even crack. The next logical experiment is seeing how much abuse the Nokia Lumia 920 can take.
The folks at PhoneBuff decided to put the Nokia Lumia 920 through its paces. They started with a simple drop test – the very same test that has taken out numerous other devices.
The drop test didn’t take the Lumia 920 out of commission so the folks at PhoneHub took it to the next level. They attempted to scratch both sides of the device with some keys, and then took a hamer and a knife to the device.
After the Lumia 920 survived the previous two tests, they went all out to destroy the phone. First, they ran over the phone with a car and nothing happened. The phone finally stopped working after being hit with a board across a parking lot, but didn’t actually break until it was thrown against a concrete slab.
The point of this is that the Lumia 920 will survive normal everyday situations. It should take any drops or scratches like a champ. Just don’t throw the phone against a concrete wall.
The iPad Mini launched around the world today to smaller crowds than usual. Even then, excited owners of the newest toy may accidentally drop the device. That’s why it’s important to know just how much pain the iPad Mini can take before you start taking it on sight seeing trips.
That being said, it would be boring to destroy just an iPad Mini. That’s why the folks at Android Authority are performing a drop test on both the iPad Mini and Google’s Nexus 7. Which device will come out on top? Or will they both find that gravity truly is a cruel mistress?
Apple fans will be pleased to know that the iPad Mini can take more abuse than the Nexus 7. In fact, the iPad Mini still functions after being dropped three times despite have numerous cracks in the screen. The Nexus 7 took far more damage and stopped functioning after the second drop.
The drop test proved once again that Apple’s products can take a lot of abuse. There are limits, however, and the test clearly showed that users should take better care of their devices. Dropping any tablet on a hard surface will not end happily.
[h/t: TechCrunch]
The Surface YouTube channel has finally started showing signs of activity recently as Microsoft drums up the hype for its entry into the tablet market. The base $499 device has already sold out, but Microsoft still has plenty of hype left. Today’s hype comes courtesy of a drop test that’s shot in first-person.
Microsoft recently shared a video that’s shot entirely from the Surface’s camera. The drop test is being performed in front of what appears to be a group of journalists. A previous video already showed the Surface being dropped for testing purposes, but this shows that harrowing drop from a first-person perspective. It’s actually kind of terrifying:
Beyond hardware abuse, Microsoft has also shared a video that details the hardware and software features of Surface. It’s the first good look that we’ve had of the device since Microsoft’s perplexing TV ad did little to actually show off the device.
The Surface launches this Friday alongside Windows 8. Microsoft is holding a launch party in New York City where Surface is expected to get plenty of exposure. It’s seemingly already off to a great start, but Microsoft has plenty of early adopters. The next year will be crucial in gauging Surface’s success especially once the Windows 8 Pro version of Surface is released.
A teardown of the just-released iPhone 5 showed a massive improvement in its repairability, especially when it came to how easily the iPhone 5 glass is removed compared to the iPhone 4S.
If the results from this durability test are accurate across the board, you may not have to worry about replacing your screen.
Courtesy of iFixYouri, watch the new iPhone get absolutely abused, with somewhat surprising results:
As you saw, the frame gave way a bit from a shoulder-high drop, but that’s a pretty catastrophic occurrence. Even that didn’t shatter the glass. To achieve a shatter, our tester had to throw it down with force from over his head.
Of course, I wouldn’t be too rough with it. Sh*t happens:
This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. twitter.com/samir/status/2…
— Samir Mezrahi (@samir) September 21, 2012