iPhone X considered ‘most breakable’ device by insurance company

Durability tests done by insurance company SquareTrade labeled the new Apple iPhone X as the “most breakable” iPhone to date.

The company gave the device a breakability score of 90, placing it in the high risk category. SquareTrade estimated the average cost of repairs for the $999 (around P50,000) smartphone to be somewhere in the tune of $549 or about P28,000.

SquareTrade published a video of their tests on YouTube. The tests featured in the video include a front face drop, a back face drop, a side drop and a tumble test.

All of the tests showed shattered glass in various degrees for the iPhone X despite Apple’s claims of it having “the most durable glass ever in a smartphone.”

Apart from fragile glass, SquareTrade also observed OLED screen malfunctions, touch responsiveness issues, and Face ID failure after each test.

Furthermore, their breakdown assessment concluded that the iPhone X would be difficult and expensive to repair. The smaller logic board, OLED screen and wiring contributed to this conclusion.

Gadget repair website iFixit came to a similar conclusion regarding the repairability of the iPhone X. They pointed out the complexity of the device’s internal wiring and the vulnerability of having glass panels on both sides of the smartphone.

As a point of reference, the iPhone’s closest contender which is the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ received breakability scores of 76 and 77 respectively. SquareTrade claimed the Samsung devices were the first they ever saw crack on all sides, on the first drop. JB

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