iPhone SE Drop Take a look at: See How Fast the ‘Hardest Glass’ Cracks

It is a time-honored custom right here at CNET to drop new telephones at the flooring  — on function. So when Apple proclaimed that the brand new 5G-enabled iPhone SE is made with “the hardest glass in a smartphone,” naturally my ears perked up.

The Apple iPhone SE is an replace to the 2020 model, however maximum of its adjustments are at the within. The telephone has the similar frame design because the 2020 SE and the iPhone 8, together with the throwback house button.

CNET’s Patrick Holland calls the brand new iPhone SE a low cost strategy to get an iPhone with a well-known design however get enhancements just like the harder glass and the A15 Bionic processor from the iPhone 13. But more moderen options like Face ID or MagSafe aren’t incorporated on this telephone.

The glass could also be essentially the most important trade for somebody involved concerning the sturdiness of the telephone, although it is not precisely new. It is the similar glass that is used at the again of the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 traces. However at the SE, it’s used on the back and front.

The entrance glass of the brand new iPhone SE does vary from the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 line, alternatively, with Apple opting for to make use of glass from previous iPhone traces as a substitute of Apple’s Ceramic Protect coating as noticed at the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. We put that Ceramic Protect glass to the take a look at right through our iPhone 12 drop take a look at, right through which the display emerged virtually unscathed whilst the again did get a couple of cracks.

That distinction in display subject matter was obvious moderately temporarily as we started trying out.

Drop 1

For the primary drop, I held the iPhone SE at roughly pocket-height, or about 3 ft from the bottom, and dropped it display down.

Some may say the take a look at used to be over at this level, for the reason that glass protecting the display suffered a lot of cracks from best to backside. Even though the display used to be nonetheless practical, the glass used to be jagged sufficient in puts that reducing my finger used to be a definite risk.

Whilst the entrance of the telephone used to be necessarily destroyed at this level, the again used to be nonetheless pristine, so I pressed ahead.

Drop 2

For drop No. 2, I stayed on the similar 3-foot mark and dropped the telephone on its glossy Product Pink again. Or no less than I attempted.

On my first try, the telephone landed correct at the best fringe of the aluminum body and cartwheeled towards my ft. It best suffered a few small scuff marks at the body and no injury to the again glass, so I declared a do-over. My take a look at, my laws.

Drop 2a used to be rather extra correct, however the aspect of the telephone absorbed lots of the affect. 

At this level, the again of the telephone best confirmed a small crack within the glass up close to the digital camera lens and a few minor scuffing across the edges. Now not unhealthy, taking into account it have been dropped 3 times now.

The entrance of the telephone persevered to become worse. Cracking used to be important over all the display. At the backside correct nook, small items of glass have been beginning to come off totally, but the display persevered to serve as most often.

The lesson up to now looked to be if you’ll drop the iPhone SE, attempt to goal for the again.

Drop 3

Usual process at this degree is to switch the peak to six ft and proceed shedding. For the reason that entrance used to be this kind of mess already, I opted to skip that aspect and drop it at the again aspect from 6 ft as a substitute.

What adopted used to be but some other case of operator error, as the telephone landed solidly at the best correct nook of the body as a substitute of flat on its again glass. Every other fast inspection confirmed one skinny crack rising at the higher a part of the again glass.

I used to be certain I had a greater drop in me, so known as an audible and went once more.

What we’re going to name Drop 3a now (or technically No. 5) wasn’t my absolute best paintings, however I let it go. Most commonly as a result of I could not deliver myself to punish this telephone anymore.

The ground part of the again of the telephone evolved a vital set of cracks that cascaded from left to correct. Two better cracks intersected at the upper-right nook. Not anything a excellent case could not quilt up, so long as the entrance used to be OK. After all, it is not.

There used to be now a gaping hollow within the entrance glass to the proper of the house button. Complete items of glass had fallen out, and I may see immediately into the center of the telephone beneath the black bezel. Amazingly sufficient, the Retina HD show used to be nonetheless functioning and reacting to the touch controls. Easiest to stay swiping to a minimal even though.

Invoking the mercy rule

In most cases at this level, I might climb up at the stepladder to drop the telephone from 9 ft, however I made up our minds there wasn’t a lot level. The iPhone SE had suffered sufficient. Our iPhone 8 drop take a look at, which is the final time we run a drop take a look at on a telephone with this design, used to be in a similar way dramatic.

So this used to be hardly ever a perfect day for my iPhone SE, however does that imply this is not truly “the hardest glass in a smartphone”? I will’t truly say come what may. This is not a systematic take a look at performed below managed prerequisites. It is simply an experiment to show what may occur should you do what I did. However possibly Apple will have to have splurged and used Ceramic Protect in the end. 

As at all times, the largest takeaway from those experiments is that regardless of how difficult the glass is meant to be, the easiest way to give protection to your funding is to position your telephone in a case. 

And it might seem Apple consents. When reached for remark, an Apple spokesperson stated “iPhone SE gives wonderful sturdiness and is safe by means of the hardest glass in a smartphone on the back and front. All fashions have long past thru rigorous real-world trying out and are designed to be sturdy, however no longer indestructible. If somebody is interested in shedding their iPhone and harmful it, we recommend the usage of one of the vital many stunning instances to be had to give protection to iPhone.”

You’ll be able to to find the video for this drop take a look at and lots of extra of them on CNET’s YouTube web page.