Apple might want to avoid that “all-glass” design it is supposedly working on for the iPhone 8. A new drop test, which puts the iPhone 6s up against the Galaxy S7, proves aluminum is a far better choice for our smartphones.
Apple is said to be working on something special for the iPhone’s tenth anniversary in 2017. Not only could we finally get OLED displays, but according to reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we’ll get an all-new design made almost entirely out of glass, too.
Some reports even say that glass will be curved — much like that on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. But while this might look pretty, and has some advantages — like better wireless charging — it also means Samsung’s devices are much more fragile.
In the drop test below from PhoneBuff, the iPhone 6s goes up against the Galaxy S7 in a series of drop tests. As you might expect, the iPhone’s aluminum unibody is able to withstand a heck of a lot more than the Galaxy S7’s super slippery glass.
The Galaxy S7 actually fell at the first hurdle, while the iPhone 6s lives on — even after its display is shattered.
As you can see in PhoneBuff’s ranking at the end of the video, the four strongest smartphones — HTC 10, iPhone 6s, One M9, and iPhone 6 — are all made out of metal.
That glass iPhone 8 doesn’t sound like such a good idea now, does it? But maybe Apple has something special up its sleeve — like a new breed of glass designed by Jony Ive to be incredibly strong. Or maybe it will melt down some Bondi Blue iMacs and use sturdy plastic instead?
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
4 responses to “Drop test proves Apple should avoid an ‘all-glass’ iPhone 8”
Plus it shows fingerprints more. I think Apple would be crazy to make a glass back model.
I think if they used Polycarb with that leather feel so they don’t slip and used really nice colors, replace 16GB with 32GB, make the front glass shatterproof, and then made the device water proof or at least water resistant, and drop the MSRP by $75 across the board, demand will exceed their wildest dreams and they’d clean up in the revenue/profits department.
CelestialTerrestrial wrote:
“make the front glass shatterproof”
If the front glass can be made to be shatterproof, the entire iPhone should be made to be shatterproof glass.
Perhaps I am an old curmudgeon, but why would I want to have an all-glass phone? I find that the phones I try from our lab that are more glass (eg Edge) are difficult to hold and uncomfortable in my hand. Unless they could find a solution that would not break . . . EVER, I am not interested in that as a feature.
Are you guys this stupid. DONT YOU PEOPLE REALIZE that apple’s product designers dont give a shit about what you complainy brats have to say. The industry they work in is to make something look really nice. It is a piece of art and they will do whatever they want. They dont take in consideration what you average consumers “suggest”. YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE DESIGN WORLD.