Apple iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy SIII – a very tough question indeed. One uses premium glass and brushed metal in its build, while the other uses polycarbonate and plastics. So which one is tougher?
Extended warranty experts Squaretrade decided to find out, compiling a video that’s not going to make easy viewing for gadget lovers. Both flagship phones are dropped from various heights to see how likely they are to survive the accidental drop that so many of us have managed to do, and the results aren’t pretty.
People will always be clumsy, and unfortunately that means expensive smartphones will take a beating. The first test involves both phones being dropped from a height, although we don’t think it was done entirely fairly – the S3 was dropped screen facing down and smashed completely, whereas the iPhone 5 was dropped on its edge, causing it to scratch but nothing more.
Squaretrade says 28% of smartphone accidents involve liquids, and from what we hear from our customers it’s usually the bath. Both phones were dropped into a swimming pool playing our favourite video, Gangnam Style, and when pulled out the iPhone was fully functional while the S3 unfortunately had stopped working altogether.
Top tip – if you drop your phone in water, take the covers off and battery out, stick it in an airtight bag of rice and put it somewhere warm, such as an airing cupboard, for a day or two.
Finally, various household items are dropped on to the phones as part of a collision test. Both do well until the Galaxy S3 caves, when the corner of a 20 oz beer bottle smashes the display.
Overall the iPhone 5 wins out on durability, although we wouldn’t suggest trying any of this at home.
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