When Apple proclaimed that the new 5G-enabled iPhone SE is made with “the most difficult glass in a smartphone,” naturally my ears perked up.The Apple iPhone SE is an upgrade to the 2020 variation, however many of its modifications are on the inside. Its the exact same glass thats used on the back of the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 lines. On the SE, it is utilized on the front and back.The front glass of the brand-new iPhone SE does differ from the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 line, nevertheless, with Apple picking to use glass from earlier iPhone lines instead of Apples Ceramic Shield covering as seen on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. We put that Ceramic Shield glass to the test during our iPhone 12 drop test, throughout which the screen emerged practically unscathed while the back did get a couple of cracks.That difference in screen product became obvious quite quickly as we began testing.Drop 1For the very first drop, I held the iPhone SE at approximately pocket-height, or about 3 feet from the ground, and dropped it screen down.Some might say the test was over at this point, because the glass covering the screen suffered numerous cracks from leading to bottom. Our iPhone 8 drop test, which is the last time we run a drop test on a phone with this design, was similarly dramatic.So this was hardly a terrific day for my iPhone SE, but does that imply this isnt truly “the toughest glass in a mobile phone”?
Dropping brand-new phones on the ground– on purpose– is a time-honored custom here at CNET. So when Apple proclaimed that the brand-new 5G-enabled iPhone SE is made with “the most difficult glass in a smartphone,” naturally my ears perked up.The Apple iPhone SE is an update to the 2020 variation, but many of its modifications are on the within. The phone has the very same body design as the 2020 SE and the iPhone 8, including the throwback home button.CNETs Patrick Holland calls the brand-new iPhone SE a low-cost way to get an iPhone with a familiar style but get enhancements like the tougher glass and the A15 Bionic processor from the iPhone 13. Newer functions like Face ID or MagSafe are not consisted of in this phone.Remember what it looked like when we started.
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On the SE, it is utilized on the front and back.The front glass of the brand-new iPhone SE does vary from the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 line, nevertheless, with Apple picking to utilize glass from earlier iPhone lines instead of Apples Ceramic Shield finishing as seen on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. We put that Ceramic Shield glass to the test during our iPhone 12 drop test, during which the screen emerged nearly unscathed while the back did get a few cracks.That difference in screen material became evident quite quickly as we started testing.Drop 1For the very first drop, I held the iPhone SE at around pocket-height, or about 3 feet from the ground, and dropped it screen down.Some may state the test was over at this point, since the glass covering the screen suffered numerous fractures from top to bottom.
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While the front of the phone was basically ruined at this point, the back was still beautiful, so I pushed forward.Drop 2For drop No. 2, I remained at the exact same 3-foot mark and dropped the phone on its shiny Product Red back. It just suffered a couple of small scuff marks on no damage and the frame to the back glass, so I stated a do-over.
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At this moment, the back of the phone only revealed a little crack in the glass up near the video camera lens and some small scuffing around the edges. Okay, considering it had actually been dropped three times now.The front of the phone continued to weaken. Cracking was considerable over the whole screen. On the bottom ideal corner, little pieces of glass were starting to come off entirely, yet the screen continued to function normally.The lesson so far appeared to be if youre going to drop the iPhone SE, try and aim for the back.Drop 3Standard procedure at this stage is to alter the height to 6 feet and continue dropping. Since the front was such a mess currently, I decided to skip that side and drop it on the rear end from 6 feet instead.What followed was yet another case of operator error, as the phone landed solidly on the leading right corner of the frame instead of flat on its back glass. Another quick inspection revealed one thin fracture emerging on the upper part of the back glass.I was sure I had a much better drop in me, so called an audible and went again.What well call Drop 3a now (or technically No. 5) wasnt my best work, however I let it pass. Because I could not bring myself to penalize this phone any longer, mainly.
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The bottom half of the back of the phone established a considerable set of fractures that cascaded from left to. Nothing a great case couldnt cover up, as long as the front was OK.
Chris Parker/CNET.
There was now a gaping hole in the front glass to the right of the house button. Full pieces of glass had fallen out, and I could see straight into the guts of the phone underneath the black bezel. Surprisingly enough, the Retina HD screen was still responding and working to touch controls. Best to keep swiping to a minimum though.Invoking the grace ruleNormally at this moment, I would climb up on the stepladder to drop the phone from 9 feet, but I decided there wasnt much point. The iPhone SE had actually suffered enough. Our iPhone 8 drop test, which is the last time we run a drop test on a phone with this design, was similarly dramatic.So this was barely a great day for my iPhone SE, however does that mean this isnt truly “the toughest glass in a smartphone”? I cant actually state one way or the other. This isnt a scientific test conducted under controlled conditions. Its just an experiment to show what might take place if you do what I did. Possibly Apple needs to have splurged and used Ceramic Shield after all. As constantly, the greatest takeaway from these experiments is that no matter how difficult the glass is supposed to be, the very best way to protect your investment is to put your phone in a case. And it would appear Apple concurs. When grabbed remark, an Apple representative said “iPhone SE offers incredible resilience and is secured by the toughest glass in a smartphone on the front and back. All models have actually gone through rigorous real-world testing and are developed to be long lasting, but not unbreakable. We suggest utilizing one of the numerous beautiful cases readily available to safeguard iPhone if anyone is worried about dropping their iPhone and damaging it.” You can discover the video for this drop test and many more of them on CNETs YouTube page.