We've heard all about how thin and beautiful the iPhone 5 is, how its Maps app is terrible and what people will do for one, but how does it fare in a drop test? The guys at Android Central were one of the first to get an iPhone 5 and quickly subjected it to multiple drops, comparing its durability with that of the Samsung Galaxy S III.
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The result: The new iPhone is bulletproof compared to Samsung's flagship phone.
The excitable tester dropped both phones from different heights, progressively getting higher each time. He started with a drop from pocket height, then shoulder height, then from his ear and finally from about six feet above a cobblestoned road overlooking Hong Kong's waterfront.
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The iPhone 5 survived every time with no cracks in the display. Even from the highest position (which the GSIII abstained from), the iPhone only had cosmetic -- although very noticeable -- damage to the edges.
Contrast that with the Galaxy S III: The phone endured a pocket drop with ease, but from shoulder height major cracks appeared on the display, and that was from an edge impact. More cracks resulted from the ear-height test, and the plastic back flew right off when it hit (it's removable).
The Galaxy S III also didn't fare that well in a durability test with the iPhone 5's predecessor, the iPhone 4S. In that test, conducted by device-insurance company SquareTrade, the GSIII sustained more damage than the iPhone in a series of stress tests (including a drop from ear height). However, since that iPhone had both a glass back and front, it may have been more susceptible to damage than the iPhone 5, which has an aluminum back.
Do you put much stock in drop tests, and do they sway your buying decisions at all? Sound off in the comments.
Unboxing the iPhone 5
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This story originally published on Mashable here.