iPhone X Durability Makes The Price A Bit Easier To Stomach

There is little doubt that the iPhone X, whether you call it an "x" or a "ten", is the most notable iPhone ever since the smartphone launched 10 years ago. Which is probably a perfect fit for being a 10th anniversary model. The iPhone X throws out many long-held Apple conventions and features that users might be wondering if the iPhone has become even more fragile than some recent models have been. JerryRigEverything's Zack Nelson has some good news, except, perhaps, for the one thing that he usually doesn't test.

Nelson's three-part durability test is limited to scratches, burns, and bends. Burn tests have never really been interesting, save for the Moto Z2 Force, perhaps. Scratch tests haven't exactly yielded exciting changes either, which is probably good, as it shows how most smartphone these days have pretty scratch proof screens. Again, except for the Moto Z2 Force.

The bend tests have always been where it's at for JerryRigEverything, especially after the iPhone bendgate of yesteryears. But with the growing similarity in smartphone construction these days, even Nelson's muscles are finding it harder and harder to make phones yield.

The latest Pixel 2, however, was an unpleasant surprise. The back easily cracked, even if so slightly, because of the placement of the plastic antenna line. That would immediately make its waterproofing null and void. While the iPhone X nearly has the same setup, its use of a single slab of glass, plus the higher location of the line, has made it impervious to such an "accident".

Nelson, however, repeatedly raises the point about the iPhone X's glass back. Drop tests are notoriously difficult to quantify because they often don't reflect real-world scenarios. But in dropping an iPhone 8 from a height of 3 feet, Nelson was able to easily crack its glass. With a price tag of $1,000 and a back glass replacement cost of $549, getting a case or at least a skin is sounding mighty tempting.