‘Completely unscathed’: The test every smartphone owner needs to see

We performed a variety of tests on different types of smartphones to uncover a huge truth, and you need to see the results for yourself.

Smartphones are expensive.

Remember when everyone was shocked that the iPhone 5S base model broke the $1000 price barrier for the first time? The iPhone X (the Pro Max version of 2017) was hailed as the most expensive phone ever at $1829. Now, a base model iPhone 16 starts at $1399 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max goes for up to $2849.

Yet still, some people are walking around with naked phones, as though they are unaffected by gravity and the associated laws of physics.

However, cases these days are pricey too, with the most protective ones well over $100 – so are they actually worth it? And do you need a screen protector?

I performed a variety of tests (some deliberate, some less so) to determine the answer. The results may shock you.

• iPhone 16 Pro Max test – Casetify Impact Ring case with no screen protector

Method: I dropped the iPhone 16 Pro Max in a series of randomised, unscheduled tests over a two-month period from a variety of heights, mostly onto a hardwood floor.

Some of these tests involved dropping it out of my pocket, having a baby bat it off a kitchen bench onto tiles and having it slip out of a bag onto concrete.

Results: Although the case is not the most protective, the phone is largely unharmed. There are no marks on the body.

However, there are a couple of deep scratches, less than 1cm wide on the screen. The scratches don’t interfere with the use of the phone, and you can only see them from certain angles, but you can feel them with a fingernail. Sub-optimal, but shows off the durability of the phone.

The iPhone 16 Pro looking fine. Picture: Alice Clarke

Damage to the iPhone 16 Pro appears. Picture: Alice Clarke

• iPhone 16 Pro test – Casetify Ultra Bounce, Impact Ultra HD screen protector and Camera Lens Protector

Method: In a more controlled test, I dropped the phone from two heights onto concrete ground outdoors.

Test 1: Dropped phone from my pocket height (92cm). It bounced on its corner and landed screen down.

Result 1: No damage to phone whatsoever, minor scratches to case.

Test 2: Dropped phone from my ear (165cm) onto concrete. Phone bounced on bottom edge, then slid on the screen side for around 10cm on the rough ground.

Result 2: Case got more significant damage, with deep marks on the bottom right edge. Top left edge also scratched up. Phone completely unscathed.

Verdict: Given the damage to the case, while I think the screen would likely have remained intact (but maybe a bit scratched) either way, the phone’s body would have gotten pretty badly scratched.

Unfortunately, the person who lent me their phone to drop wouldn’t let me test it without the case, so I couldn’t see how it would fare in more intense testing.

The iPhone 16 Pro case view. Picture: Alice Clarke

Full view of the iPhone 16 Pro. Picture: Alice Clarke

However, you know how old Nokias used to be bulletproof? I also had two HMD XR21 on hand. HMD is the new name for Nokia phones, and the company claims that these phones are very rugged, so I decided to test that theory by leaving it without a case or screen protector and seeing what it would take it absolutely destroy it.

• Nokia HMD XR21

Test 1: I dropped the phone from ear height onto a concrete step so it bounced.

Result: The sides got a couple of dents, but was otherwise fine. Screen was unharmed.

Test 2: So then I threw it up in the air a couple of metres and let it land on asphalt.

Result: A couple more scuffs on the back, but nothing interesting.

Test 3: I threw it even further up in the air, at least 6m off the ground.

Result: A couple of deeper gouges in the back of the phone, but all the glass was fine, and the camera continued recording video.

Test 4: I threw it at the ground. More force than a simple drop, but not too much force.

Result: Finally, a crack appeared on the screen. Although it still worked fine, the crack ran vertically down the whole screen, with a couple of secondary cracks. You’d say the phone was fine and keep using it, only occasionally cutting your finger on the edge.

The HMD XR21 is smashed. Picture: Alice Clarke

The HMD XR21 Picture: Alice Clarke

Test 5: Finally, I threw it at the ground as hard as I could. I used to compete in shot put (though it’s been a while), so I can generate a reasonable amount of force.

Result: The screen shattered completely. My wife got a glass splinter in her finger when she picked it up. It has very obvious damage at the point of impact on the corner and the cracks have moved quite beautifully through the screen. Impressively, though, the glass on the cameras is still completely unharmed, and the phone still works (though, given the aforementioned glass splinter issue, I wouldn’t recommend using it).

Rear view of the HMD XR21. Picture: Alice Clarke

• With another, unbroken phone, I performed further tests:

Test 1: I pushed it down a couple of concrete stairs.

Result: It was fine.

Test 2: I pushed it down a full flight of concrete stairs.

Result: A little scuffed on the plastic, but otherwise fine.

Test 3: I tossed it down a flight of stairs with it ending its fall on a concrete landing.

Result: A couple more light scuffs, but I had to really look for them.

Test 4: I skimmed it down a flight of stairs like a stone in a pond so it would hit almost every stair.

Result: Absolutely no damage. This thing is a tank.

Test 5: I gently threw it so it bounced on multiple stairs and hit the metal railing on the way down.

Result: A great big dent near the lock button, but otherwise unscathed. No damage to the screen at all.

HMD XR21 verdict: The HMD XR21 is quite rugged and will easily survive any kind of regular fall, though deliberate attempts to damage it will succeed.

The Nokia XLR 21 is lightly damaged. Picture: Alice Clarke

I’d put it a couple of rungs down from the invincibility of an old school Nokia 3210, but many rungs above traditional premium smartphones – and it’s on an entirely different ladder from folding phones.

• Overall conclusion

No phone, not even the most rugged, is fully immune to the laws of physics.

While the best way to protect a phone is to use a case with soft, protruding corners and rubber edges that come out beyond the screen and the back glass of the phone to protect it from your inevitable clumsiness, a screen protector is the best compromise between throwing caution to the wind, and throwing caution to a light breeze.

Alice Clarke is a freelance writer

Originally published as ‘Completely unscathed’: The test every smartphone owner needs to see