The iPhone 7 has only been out a matter of hours, and already it’s undergone its first torture tests, courtesy of YouTuber JerryRigEverything.
After exposing his matte black iPhone 7 to various scratches, flames and bend attempts, JerryRigEverything comes to some interesting conclusions.
Check out his iPhone stress test video below.
iPhone torture test results
So what did these durability tests reveal?
For one thing, the iPhone 7 responds remarkably well to being burned. A black patch briefly appears on its screen when the iPhone is exposed to flames, but rapidly fades — and the touchscreen remains usable.
The iPhone 7’s anodized aluminum case can withstand key scratches, but not razor blade cuts. The merciless iPhone abuser also suggests that no sapphire glass is used on the iPhone 7, since all glass surfaces incur scratches from just a midlevel hardness pick. This suggests just regular glass is being used, according to the YouTuber.
The iPhone 7’s side buttons are metal, he notes, but its antenna bands are still plastic. JerryRigEverything also makes the interesting observation that using the same Lightning port to charge the iPhone 7 and pump music through the EarPods is a bad move, since it could double the wear and tear on the port.
Finally — and unsurprisingly — there’s no repeat of the iPhone 6’s “Bendgate” phenomenon. Apple made efforts to eliminate that problem with last year’s smartphone refresh, adding additional supports inside the iPhone 6s handset.
However, JerryRigEverything suggests that sitting on your new iPhone 7 is inadvisable, since it could have a negative impact on the extra waterproofing adhesives Apple has built into this year’s model.
Between this and the great Australian iPhone 7 surf test conducted today at Bondi Beach, Apple’s latest smartphones are looking mighty durable.
Are there any particular stress test vulnerabilities you’re concerned about with the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 7 Plus? Leave your comments below.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
8 responses to “Scratch, flame and bend test puts iPhone 7 through its paces”
Completely pointless waste, you have proven nothing, what a complete idiot!
They’ve proven that this new phone is a lot stronger, meaning Apple has improved the structural integrity of their devices. That’s *good* news.
Anyone who bent a previous version was a dick, they’ve proven nothing, who sets fire to a phone or takes a hard metal pint to it??? You must be one of those idiots!!
So people were “dicks” or “idiots” for using keeping their phones in their pockets? It was a problem affecting people using their devices normally, and people are rightly worried that new versions might exhibit the same design defect. Testing that isn’t a bad thing, and reporting that it does not exhibit the defect is good.
It affected about 12 people, hardly a problem, plus put enough force one ANY phone and you’ll bend it, and unless your ass is a strange shape or you have pockets where other people don’t then it would never be an issue, all the tests here are pointless as they are issues that never affect people in day to day use. The idiots and dicks I refer to are the same people who are already moaning about the Apple Airpods and how easy they will be to lose, not if you take care of them it won’t. People expect manufacturers to make products that are indestructible without actually considering that the user is the problem!
“all the tests here are pointless as they are issues that never affect people in day to day use”
Except the original iPhone 6 did bent in day-to-day use. When people buy a device bade to be put in their pocket, and it bends when they do, they’re right to be upset. Later iterations of the phone will of course be tested for that same problem, and when it’s no longer an issue, news sites should report it as such.
Why are you so annoyed that these Apple sites are reporting *good* news for the iPhone 7 and Apple?
Anyone who sits on an $800 device needs to have it bend. I mean, damn. While they are at it, why don’t they put a new MacBook under their fat ass too.
Anyone who sits down with a device made to fit in their pocket needs to have it bend? No.