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Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)

By | October 17, 2011, 10:39am PDT

Summary: As this video shows, a few drops to the pavement can’t save Apple’s latest blockbuster.

The launch of Apple’s iPhone 4S may have been successful, but how well does the device fare in a drop test?

That’s the question that gadget warranty provider SquareTrade aimed to answer in the video posted below. Pitting Apple’s latest device against the Galaxy S II, the test nets some fairly surprising results, with the screen on the Galaxy S II standing firm despite being dropped from a few feet above the ground. The iPhone 4S isn’t quite so lucky.

For smartphone owners the drop test is likely the most important one of all, considering that, besides water damage, drop-induced trauma is probably the most likely cause of cell phone destruction. So if you are looking for a phone that can take its share of beatings, then the Galaxy S II is probably the right choice for you.

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Topics

Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 4S, Stretch, Video, Corporate Communications, Smart Phones, Marketing, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications.

Disclosure

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton has no investments that may conflict with his work with ZDNet. Similarly, he has not worked with any companies that he may write about in his technology coverage.

Biography

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications. He lives in New York, and is a graduate of Amherst College.

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0 Votes
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
kenosha77a 17th Oct
Did you happen to view the video on how the new iPhone 4S failed the steamroller test?

BTW, the reason the iPhone failed the test was because it was dropped the wrong way.

Sorry guys. This was a silly post for a silly article. My apologies in advance.
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Are you serious? Of course glass is more fragile than plastic, nothing ...
DeRSSS 17th Oct
... has changed in physics.

No matter how strong glass you use, it will never able to cancel the crushing force of collision with asphalt or concrete as well as creaky plastic.
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On plus side, glass is way more scratch-resistant than any plastic, and it
DeRSSS Updated - 17th Oct
@DeRSSS: ... does not look or feel cheap.

High hardness of the glass and fragility are sides of the same coin. The same as being creaky, scratchable and drop-resistant for plastic.

For now, we can not have better sides of both coins at the same time.

That is because glass molecules are much simpler and have much stronger forces within and between themselves so the glass is very hard and bends poorly.

Plastic consists of big, fluffy, long organic molecules which absorb mechanical forces really well, but due to molecules' size and complexity there is no way they can keep their structure anywhere as good as glass.
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If one were to read nothing but your posts
toddybottom 17th Oct
@DeRSSS
one would have to come to the conclusion that the iPhone is best at everything and you would have to be a complete and utter moron to buy anything else.

Is that true? Can you list any examples where if someone came up to you and asked what kind of smartphone they should get, you would tell them to get something other than a 3GS (for $0), a 4 (for $99) or a 4S (for $199)?
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Are you trolling? I wrote above that both Apple's and non-Apple approach to
DeRSSS 17th Oct
@toddybottom: ... the way to make enclosure (glass and steel versus plastic) have advantages and disadvantages.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
Ternarybit 19th Oct
@DeRSSS
We should journey to the wonderful world of carbon composites.
0 Votes
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
Ternarybit 19th Oct
@DeRSSS
We should journey to the wonderful world of carbon composites.
0 Votes
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
d.marcu 17th Oct
@DeRSSS, i'd rather have a working creaky plastic than a lot of shiny pieces of broken glass
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then you'll be a happy man just getting any cheap cellphone.....
devotto1967@... 18th Oct
@d.marcu
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
devotto1967@... 18th Oct
@d.marcu get anything but a notebook or a smartphone.if you mean to drop it moron.....there are many ways to protect your delicates expensives stuff.........go buy a toy phone with sound......
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
NeedsLoomis 17th Oct
@DeRSSS Galaxy S II uses Gorilla Glass...LOLOLOLOL
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SGS2 uses plastic (except for screen), and the screen glass' edges are not
DeRSSS 17th Oct
@NeedsLoomis: ... exposed as in iPhone 4. So of course SGS2 will be less fragile on any way you can drop it.

(iPhone's steel frame is super firm and also can not absorb forces anywhere well).

So you what yours "LOLOLOLs" are about it? As I said, laws of physics still intact, so it is quite ignorant to be surprised about results of this test.
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There is an easy solution
toddybottom 17th Oct
@NeedsLoomis
The iPhone design basically requires you to use a case and with a case, the chances of breaking anything are minimized. My case is quite small and lightweight so my iPhone is only slightly larger than the average smartphone.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
rickp619 18th Oct
@NeedsLoomis Tapping the iphone4 screen with a fingernail, it sure sounds like plastic to me. however, shattering my iphone4 screen a while back left little doubt that it is in fact glass. However, I read somewhere that the ip4 screen IS gorilla glass.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
markh789 17th Oct
@DeRSSS The whole speed of light thing has changed in physics. Look it up.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
tahooker 17th Oct
@DeRSSS So you agree that the Galaxy has a superior design? "So of course SGS2 will be less fragile on any way you can drop it".
I think the iPhone screen has an inherent design flaw and will generate a lot of revenue in touch screen repairs. Silly for what everyone thinks is one of the best engineered devices in the world.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
Jammin72 18th Oct
@markh789 No it hasn't. They forgot to calculate for the time differential in the communications between the satellites used measure the experiment. Einstien's speed limit is still very much in tact.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
Peter Perry 17th Oct
@DeRSSS I contend the glass in the floor of the CN Tower observation deck would have faired better than the Galaxy S2 in this test.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
MrElectrifyer 19th Oct
@DeRSSS Ever heard of bullet proof glass crApple fanboy? All it takes is replacing the silicon in regular glass (SiO2) with a more reactive metal, something like potassium, to get a more crack resistive glass plain

Sure it will still break in some way or another, but has a much lower probability of breaking if dropped from the same heights silly
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
non-biased 24th Oct
@MrElectrifyer The hatred is strong in this small minded individual.
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.
Rigel.628 Updated - 17th Oct
iPhone's Gorilla glass. . . My god.
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As an Apple shareholder,...
Userama Updated - 17th Oct
I sure hope the Apple store you go to to have Humpty Dumpty put back together again tells you to f**k off. I can't help wondering which one of you fools was dropped on your head on concrete as a baby.
P.S. Please post your customer service experiences with both phones, OK?
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
ItsTheBottomLine Updated - 18th Oct
@Userama :

P.S. Please post your customer service experiences with both phones, OK?

that would be something that would help the decision. We have had two iPhones dropped and the glass was repaired, no cost, but they are corporate accounts, maybe that's different, and they gave us a loaner phone all from the Apple Store here.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
jaykayess 18th Oct
@Userama - you seem to be an Apple troll trying to change the topic and divert attention from the real facts - the iPhone breaks, the Galaxy doesn't. End of story.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
non-biased 24th Oct
@jaykayess Really, the Galaxy is unbreakable? I never had any delusions that my iPhone 4 was not a fragile device considering it has glass on both sides but since I have yet to drop it guess that's why I am not that worried about it. If overall you are a very clumsy person then you shouldn't get either phone, you should get a cheap dumb phone.
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Bottom line, no way aropund it
tgschmidt 17th Oct
The DESIGN of the iPhone 4S lends is to much more damage when dropped in the typical way a phone is dropped. Even though the iPhione "looks" high end & cool, but that comes at a price of durability. My 16 month old Droid2Global has hit the deck about 4 times on my exposed aggregate back patio and just has a few scratches on it. My 17 year old son's Droid 2 has hit the deck so many times I cannot even count. I could not imagine owning a phone that I would be petrified of dropping let along having a teenager owning one like that. This alone is enough for me to pass on this one.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
non-biased 24th Oct
@tgschmidt I would recommend that you are your son both put lanyards on your phones since it appears neither of you have the coordination to hold a phone. The iPhone 4 design with two sides of glass does lend itself to being easier to break but if you hold onto your phone that isn't really an issue.
0 Votes
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I guess Beer bottles made from plastic are better than
Snooki_smoosh_smoosh 17th Oct
those made from glass, all those stupid beer bottlers what the heck could they be thinking packaging beer in glass. Don't they know that if the drunk guy throws the bottle on the ground some child might get some glass in their feet? Ah the insanity.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
ccfman2004 17th Oct
My guess is they got defective iPhones. LOL.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
ccfman2004 17th Oct
My guess is they got defective iPhones.
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Replaced 2 Touch Screens in 4G iPhones already
tahooker Updated - 17th Oct
My children both dropped their iPhones and ruined the touch screens...one was in a protective case. I was lucky enough to replace them myself...for $60.00 each. I think it's a design flaw because no matter how careful they will be dropped and Verizon wants $160 to replace. Tearing an iPhone apart and replacing the Touch screen is not for the faint of heart!
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
mrxxxman 17th Oct
@tahooker Exactly, that's been Apple design MO for years. When push comes to shove, they rather pick aesthetics over function. The use of a glass back is a classic example of that. The glass back serves no functional purpose. Still doesn't explain the shattered front. The glass Samsung uses in the front is obviously much better.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
GalacticCannibal 17th Oct
It boggles the mind that these hand held devices prove that, the MTOHM "mass tide of human mediocrity" and the MTOLCD's "mass tide of lowest common denominators" are not much different to the NewZealand Sheep syndrome. Simple simple simple, and when the lead sheep goes BAAAHHH the millions follow with BAAAHHHH..Welcome to the world on mind control and blindly follow the leader. We've got nothing on those 70 million NewZealand sheep. In one thousand years hence those sheep will still be sheep, but we will be electronically embedded. living like ants with 30 billion other humans in a cyber controlled world. And remember that JOBS was a genius, at packaging already developed software, and marketing it to the masses . But he was also a control freak who would trample over his own Grandmother to win a sale.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
ItsTheBottomLine 17th Oct
What a stupid test...that was funny though. Sounds like people at fireworks "oooh, woooowh..." crack me up.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
spmccann 18th Oct
@ItsTheBottomLine Its not a stupid test. Its a standard test for many portable electronic devices. The fact is that phones get dropped all the time.The durablity of the device espiecally considering the price of these phones and the repair costs is a factor in purchase decisions for most consumers.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
ItsTheBottomLine Updated - 18th Oct
@spmccann - Actually the test is silly. It not measured in anyway. Not standardized between devices, so you know each is doing the exact same thing, it's not calibrated you can't say they were it the exact same way, the angle was not controlled to show they were the same, you have, what looks like a bunch of kids - dropping a phone and going ooohh wow, ohhhh. It's not scientific or even beneficial. When did it break? what height was it? what height did it pass and when was it a face plant? what surfaces? what angle? did hit face plant survive? what order? That is why IMO it's stupid and not controlled information. It was mentioned above, what about the customer service experience, what about the warranty, if it happened, how did they handle you? That would have a major weighting factor IMO. I would pay extra for good customer service over thrifty phone.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
Xander_Crews 18th Oct
@ItsTheBottomLine - In the real world, you don't get to pick and choose how your phone is dropped. The iPhone performed terribly and was shattered. Period. And in a very similar test, the Samsung Galaxy II S came away with only minor scratches. Was the test exactly identical? Were the phones were dropped at exactly the same angle, at exactly the same height, with exactly the same wind speed, temperature, heat index and barometer readings? Probably not exactly...but to completely throw out the results based on very minor differences is stupid. The tests were very similar and the results were drastically different. That's telling. It's not like the results showed the Samsung barely beat out the iPhone in the drop test...it was a landslide victory...not even close. The iPhone was unusable. The Samsung still looked brand new.

It's annoying how fanboys will defend their precious icrap even in situations where their phone obviously fails miserably. It's sad really.

This is reason #247 NOT to get an iPhone.

Here you go...
Everyone who is in the market for a smart phone, do yourselves a huge favor... Do your research...compare phone specs, compare real world tests, find out which phone can do more...and then when your findings reveal that a high end Android phone is the obvious choice for you (and just about everyone else who cares to actually go out and get the best phone)...go treat yourself.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
non-biased 24th Oct
@Xander_Crews You are a typical fandroid that thinks the spec sheet is the answer to everything and is absolutely clueless that other people don't have the same wants and needs as they do.

This is reason # 356 why fandroids like Xander_Crews don't have a clue.

Let me give you a little insight into what other people might be thinking regardless of your hatred. Record numbers of people bought the iPhone 4 and 4S knowing that there was glass on both sides. It is inherently obvious that when you have glass on both sides that it is more likely to break if dropped. These people decided that the benefits they got from the iPhone out weighed the potential risk of breakage when compared to other devices available. What were those benefits you ask. It varies from person to person and could be anything from they prefer the user experience to hate Android and everything between.
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Enlightening article
tahooker 17th Oct
I suspected the iPhone had a design flaw when I had to repair the touch screens in 2 separate incidents. You have confirmed my suspicions...the iPhone glass is fragile and breaks easier then the competitors!
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
non-biased 24th Oct
@tahooker It's the nature of the design, not a design flaw. The case of the iPhone 4/4S was design to be visually pleasing and it succeeded without a design flaw. If it had been designed to be unbreakable then yes, it would be a flaw but it wasn't.
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
CowLauncher 17th Oct
LOL...hands down the best thing about ZDNet is the comments!
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
trm1945 17th Oct
Samsung and Apple. The lawsuits and ZDnet have pretty much put the competition into that dark room where there's no publicity. See how that works? I'm so furious I'm going to drown my sorrows in a New Coke.
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Simple physics
JFrostOZ Updated - 17th Oct
Lower mass means lower terminal velocity means lower impact. A vacuum might mean a different outcome, but a cell phone doesn't work in a vacuum anyway (no ringtone ;^).
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
dabbsil 18th Oct
@JFrostOZ I doubt that from 5 (or even 6) feet, any phone is going to reach anything approaching terminal velocity. Besides, the weight difference is not significant enough and terminal velocity is actually going to be determined by the aerodynamics (pretty much equal between the two).
The mass will mean a difference (again basically insignificant) between the impact force.
The fact is, glass is going to be more fragile than plastic. Although interestingly, BOTH have a glass front, and we see a major difference in their ability to handle the impact. And when you come down to it, that's the ONLY thing the video was trying to show.
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Great videos and graphics
Reddyzz 18th Oct
We also prefer for using Galaxy S II . It has a lot of good qualities, the graphics on it are good, the applications you can get it good amazingly small and shoots great videos By http://www.electronicbazaar.com.au/
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Really amazing
Reddyzz 18th Oct
It is really amzing. We also prefer for using Galaxy S II . It has a lot of good qualities, the graphics on it are good, the applications you can get it good amazingly small and shoots great videos By http://www.electronicbazaar.com.au/
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888
OtakuT 18th Oct
xzczxczxczc
0 Votes
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Frustration, the confusion in the
OtakuT 18th Oct
Growing up in the arms of others, never a strong.
0 Votes
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RE: Samsung Galaxy S II beats iPhone 4S in smartphone drop test (video)
Loggies 18th Oct
The trick is NOT to drop the phone....
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Thank you
cclb_det@... 18th Oct
As a parent who will be upgrading his daughters' phones in the coming months, I am grateful for this article. Something else to keep in mind when making selections. One drops her phone a ton; not saying this will sway be, but having info is a good thing.
0 Votes
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ybuzcv,wzzxpxvw98, tdnws.

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