Skip to main content

All drop-tests should be done this way: iPhone 6s vs Samsung Galaxy S7 to the death

Drop-tests are always fun to watch, but I’ve always felt that the reliability of most of them is suspect simply because there are so many variables.

Most involve someone dropping a phone by hand, and the distance is often as imprecisely measured as ‘waist height’ or ‘head height,’ making it hard to be sure both phones experienced exactly the same force. Dropping a phone from a hand can result in differences in initial angles, and releasing one side of the phone a fraction of a second before the other can impart a rotation to the device. In short, most drop-tests are more entertainment than science.

But the latest drop-test competition between the iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S7 is done properly, using professional equipment designed to ensure that both phones are released in exactly the same way from exactly the same height.

Sure, you’d still ideally want to do it a few hundred times and average the results, but that could get a little expensive.

The test also goes a little further than most in that it’s a ‘to the death’ fight: both phones are dropped repeatedly until they are not only cosmetically destroyed, but cease working altogether. I won’t spoil all the fun, but there’s a clear winner …

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear