The iPhone 6 may not be as “durable” as...

The iPhone 6 may not be as “durable” as its predecessors, said uBreakiFix, a CE repair company that subjected the new phone to a series of drop tests. The same company recently did drop tests on the durability of sapphire cover glass on the growing speculation that the iPhone 6 would contain it, which the iPhone 6 ultimately did not (CED Sept 2 p4). The iPhone 6 has what Apple calls “ion-strengthened glass” on the front touch surface, uBreakiFix said. Whether that makes the glass on the iPhone 6 stronger than that of its predecessors “has been the source of much debate” since Apple unveiled the phone on Sept. 9, it said. To put the debate to rest, uBreakiFix used a steel-ball drop test to determine the phone’s impact resistance compared with earlier iPhones, it said. “In this test, the phone was placed on the ground, face up, while a steel ball was dropped on the display,” it said. “After establishing a baseline with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and Samsung Galaxy S4, uBreakiFix tested the iPhone 6.” The results “were surprising,” as the iPhone 6 broke at a drop height of 3 feet, while the iPhone 4 and 5 withstood drop heights well over 4 feet, and the Galaxy S4 withstood a drop height of 4 feet, it said. “One notable display feature on the iPhone 6 is the rounded edges. This creates a glass surface that protrudes out from the phone chassis, meaning a face down drop impacts glass first. This fact combined with the result of our steel ball drop test lead us to believe that the iPhone 6 may be more prone to damage than prior Apple devices.” The company’s key takeaway: “Though we are impressed by the style of the iPhone 6, we would recommend a protective case with a front facing lip to protect the glass on the phone.” Representatives of uBreakiFix didn’t immediately comment on the weight of the steel ball used in the drop tests.