drop tests

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on drop tests:

iPhone 15 Pro Max isn’t nearly as fragile as you might think

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iPhone 15 Pro Max drop test
This titanium corner of an iPhone 15 Pro Max drop test smashed into concrete in a drop test..
Photo: PhoneBuff

An iPhone 15 Pro Max came away severely cracked but still completely functional after a punishing series of drop tests.

Apple’s latest performed almost exactly as well as last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max did on the same tests, despite a recent report that the new model is more fragile than its predecessor.

iPhone 14 Pro trounces trashed iPhone 15 Pro in first drop test

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Yes, that's a brand-new iPhone 15 Pro after many drops, including a 40-footer.
Yes, that's a brand-new iPhone 15 Pro after many drops, including a 40-footer.
Photo: AppleTrack

In what is most likely the first drop test of the new titanium iPhone 15 Pro, a reviewer flew to Sydney, Australia, and pitted the handset in a series of drops against the stainless steel iPhone 14 Pro.

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, after doing OK in a few little drops, how the iPhone 15 Pro fared in bigger drops was shocking — even disturbing. The older iPhone won, to say the least.

See what happens when an iPhone falls 14,000 feet

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Smith, just through the airplane's door, loses his iPhone at 14,000 feet.
Smith, just through the airplane's door, loses his iPhone at 14,000 feet.
Photo: cast_rumcoffee@TikTok.com

You might’ve dropped your iPhone on the floor and felt massive relief to find it undamaged. Or maybe a bit cracked. But what happens when an iPhone plummets 14,000 feet?

Thanks to TikTok and a skydiver who failed to secure his handset, now we know. At least in this one very lucky case.

iPhone 12 Ceramic Shield display proves far tougher than iPhone 11

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An iPhone 12 drop test shows that it’s very, very hard to break.
Don’t try this at home.
Screenshot: PhoneBuff

A new type of screen protection built into the iPhone 12 series helped it survive a brutal drop test better than its predecessor. Both the standard model and the Pro went through multiple drops directly onto the display without breaking.

That wasn’t the case when the identical test was done on the iPhone 11 Pro Max in 2019. But that model older doesn’t have Ceramic Shield.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 solidly beats iPhone 11 in drop test

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Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max drop test
A new material gave Samsung’s latest handset an advantage over last year’s iPhone in a drop test.
Photo: PhoneBuff

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra survived a series of drop tests better than the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. And that’s exactly what’s to be expected.

The Note 20 only just started reaching customer’s hands, giving it access to the latest, toughest version of Gorilla Glass. The iPhone 11 debuted almost a year ago, and is about to be replaced.

Galaxy S20 Ultra beats iPhone 11 Pro Max in drop test … sort of

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Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is in worse shape an iPhone 11 Pro Max after multiple drop tests.
Drop the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra a few times and it’s junk. The iPhone 11 Pro Max survived much better.
Photo: PhoneBuff

Samsung’s new flagship phone came out slightly ahead in a smash-off between with Apple’s top-tier model. The Galaxy S20 Ultra survived the early rounds of drop tests better than the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

However, at the end of multiple drops, the iPhone was still almost completely functional while the Android was utterly destroyed.

iPhone 11 is first phone to survive this brutal torture test

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Apple has raised $220 million to fight AIDS-related deaths in Africa
Apple has raised $220 million to fight AIDS-related deaths in Africa
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

We know Apple’s new iPhone 11 lineup is its toughest yet. And a number of rudimentary drop tests have already proven that. But what do more scientific torture tests tell us about its strength?

SquareTrade used a series of punishments to simulate real-world incidents that could damage your pricey new phone. It says iPhone 11 is the only handset to survive its brutal tumble test.

Drop test confirms iPhone 11 is a tank

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iphone11
The iPhone 11 can take a licking and keep on ticking.
Photo: Apple

Apple advertised the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro’s toughness as one of the new devices’ big selling points. But just how durable are Apple’s latest handsets?

Reviewers seemed unwilling to test this out, lest they damage their highly coveted review units. But now that the iPhone 11 is available for sale, an early drop test reveals just how tough the new phones are.