Dropped Smart Phone, which Device Wins: iPhone 4s vs Galaxy S II

How durable is your smart phone? I suggest you limit how often you drop it because chances are it won't last very long. Now, I have had cell phones for a long time. I can say this because I am not twenty something.

I've had cell phones since the mid-90's. I have dropped my share of phones and broken a few. But one thing is certain, I'm always careful to protect the newer touch-screen devices. I found a recent video that performed a drop test and all I can say is, you had better get the insurance that covers incidental drops.

Watch the video below, you need to see first hand.

Apple iPhone 4s

The Apple product is by far one of the more popular devices on the market. It has the looks, feel and social cache we all want or admire. Well at least a significant percentage of consumers want an iPhone. The 4s though did not fare so well in the above video. I have always wondered how badly the screen would break if I might drop the iPhone. Now I know, and the results weren't good.

The iPhone could handle a drop from waste high, such as if you were holding one in your hand and it fell to the ground. The phone would need to get a lucky bounce off one of the corners. If it/you were lucky enough for the corner to take the impact then it might function. It might not look as pretty anymore but it should work.

The face down drop test at waste height is virtually fatal. The device might somehow function but, would you want to touch that screen? No. The shoulder-height test, similar to the level one would hold the device at to take a photo was equally damaging. Some advice... yeah don't drop the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S II

The drop test for the Samsung was performed following the same methods and the results were more encouraging. The waste-high drop only resulted in some scuff marks. The shoulder height drop looked just as foreboding as the 4s's drop, but the damage was minimal in comparison. The damage was limited to more scuffs, scratches and minor cracks. The face-down drop looked to be a sure killer, but to my surprise the Galaxy S II had only minimal damage. The device could definitely be used after these three drops.

I think it was a shame to see these two phones dropped but it served a purpose. This was an education for consumers on product durability and what to expect. Another lesson learned was at Apple and and the lesson is, produce a product that can withstand incidental drops. I am sure Apple would respond that the phone is not made to be dropped. After all, what do you expect when you drop a glass, right? But people will travel and carry on as normal and they will drop their phone.