Apple appears to have improved the durability of the iPhone 7 compared to the iPhone 6s, as highlighted by a new drop test video by EverythingApplePro. The iPhone 7 does very well in this specific test, sustaining ten foot face-down and side drops without cracking the screen. In contrast, the iPhone 6s was completely shattered at drops of five-feet. The iPhone 7’s rear sapphire cover glass (the camera bump) was damaged but the person could still take photos.
Apple makes no claims about drop or shatter performance of course; the waterproofness of the iPhone 7 has already been shown to be of a high-standard.
Drop tests are somewhat naive and it often comes down to luck whether one device survives or breaks.
Nevertheless, it shows that the general durability of Apple’s newest iPhones is very good and shouldn’t die if you accidentally drop it once or twice.
Even if the front screen glass is cracked from a drop, in many cases the touch screen still works and the phone is usable.
That said, it is very impressive that in the video the iPhone 7 mostly survives a ten-foot face down drop with minor scuffs to the chassis and a cracked camera that doesn’t affect photo taking. In the real world, most drops happen at far lower heights. Also note that before the ten foot drop, the test devices had already been subject to drops at waist and head level.
As always, if you are worried about damaging your new iPhone, you shouldn’t use it naked. Buy an iPhone 7 case, designed for rugged use or otherwise. Even slim cases offer enough protection to avoid catastrophic cracks, in most instances.
Still, if you want to go caseless, it seems like the iPhone 7 is very durable. The iPhone 6s scored very well on the drop tests and the iPhone 7 goes beyond that benchmark.
Going from a semi-realistic drop test to a completely ridiculous video of technological destruction, the iPhone 7 has also been subjected to a hydraulic press. Few consumer products would be able to withstand such force. Naturally, the iPhone 7 gets crushed …
