Apple’s latest iPhones are capable of taking a beating. A recent report from SquareTrade, which provides third-party warranties on electronics like smartphones and tablets, conducted iPhone 6 and 6 Plus durability tests and found that the new devices are some of the strongest, best-protected smartphones on the market.
Each device placed at the top of SquareTrade’s Breakability Score category. The iPhone 6 specifically scored much tougher than past models, while the larger 6 Plus edition came in at a breakability risk score one point higher due to its larger size and additional weight.
iPhone 6 Breakability Results
SquareTrade gave the iPhone 6 a risk score of four out of 10, saying that the device is of medium-risk and that it is indeed one of the toughest smartphones in slippery hands. It earned high marks in size — SquareTrade considers larger devices more breakable — screen durability, “grip-ability,” water resistance, and it even performed well in a drop test, in which the phone is dropped from four feet above the ground.
iPhone 6 Plus Breakability Results
The iPhone 6 Plus also scored well, receiving only a slightly higher medium-risk score of five out of 10. However, the device didn’t perform as well in tests involving its larger size. It scratched more easily in the drop test, and CNET reports that “After six drops from 4 feet high, SquareTrade reports that . . . the iPhone 6 Plus saw its front and back panels separate and the sound stopped working shortly thereafter.” The 6 Plus also scored poorly in grip-ability.
Interestingly, Apple has not stated that the iPhone 6 models are waterproof or water resistant, yet in a dunk test both models worked perfectly other than a few initial minutes without audio after being submerged for ten seconds.
By comparison, the iPhone 5s scored a breakability risk score of six overall, and the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung’s current flagship Android smartphone, scored a 6.5. As a result, the 6 Plus is now the top-scoring smartphone with a screen larger than five inches, according to SquareTrade.
Have you managed to pick up a new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus yet? Is it as tough as the reports say? Have you run your own iPhone 6 and 6 Plus durability tests? Let us know in the comments below.
Image courtesy of Flickr
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