Watch an iPhone 7 get boiled, bent, shot, and squished in the best torture tests

By Simon Hill October 2, 2016

What would possess you to destroy a new, $650 phone? It seems crazy, but every time Apple releases a new iPhone, YouTube is quickly flooded with videos of people smashing it, bending it, setting it on fire, or finding other imaginative ways to prove that it’s not indestructible. We’ve been surveying the rampage of destruction to find interesting iPhone 7 durability tests. We wish we could say that no iPhone was harmed in the making of these videos, but that would be a lie. You’ve been warned.

Drilling a headphone jack

Secret Hack To Get Headphone Jack on the iPhone 7

This year, serial iPhone killer Taras Maksimuk — otherwise known as TechRax — grabbed the headlines when he posted a video entitled “Secret Hack To Get Headphone Jack on the iPhone 7.” It shows him drilling a hole where the headphone jack used to be and then plugging headphones into it and pretending it works just like the old, abandoned 3.5-millimeter jack. Just to be clear — it doesn’t work and you will likely kill your iPhone if you attempt it.

Scratch and bend test

iPhone 7 Scratch test - BEND TEST - Durability video!

This scratch and bend test from JerryRigEverything is a bit more scientific, and feels like a genuine attempt to see how durable the iPhone 7 really is rather than a thinly disguised excuse to smash it. He uses picks with different hardness ratings and concludes that the Touch ID and camera lens are not sapphire glass, because they scratch too easily. But when he applies a naked flame to the screen for 10 seconds, it quickly recovers. He also has real trouble bending it, ensuring there will be no repeat of bendgate with the iPhone 7.

Drop testing

iPhone 7 vs 6S Drop Test!

How durable is the iPhone 7 compared to the iPhone 6S when you drop it? That question is answered here by EverythingApplePro, with a series of drops onto concrete from varying heights. It turns out the iPhone 7 appears to be a bit more resilient than its predecessor. This PhoneBuff video is a bit more scientific about the testing, though, and suggests there isn’t much of a difference between the two.

Fall from a helicopter

IPHONE 7 DROPPED FROM A HELICOPTER

Drop tests are standard fare, but can the iPhone 7 survive a fall from a helicopter? Turns out that it can. An iPhone 7 is taken up in a helicopter and set to record, then dropped into a field. The resulting footage isn’t as exciting as it sounds, but the iPhone 7 does survive and continues to work afterward, despite having a cracked display.

Cut in half

IPHONE 7 CUT IN HALFS!! EXTREME CRASH TEST

The people at HaerteTest unbox a new iPhone 7, strap it into a vice, and then cut it completely in half with a diamond blade in this disappointingly video. What did you expect to happen?

Shot with a rifle

iPhone 7 vs .50 Cal

If you’re curious about how well the iPhone 7 stands up to gunfire, then the guys at FullMag have all the answers you need. They repeatedly shot the new iPhone 7 with an arsenal of different weaponry. In this video it catches a .50 cal right in the Apple logo and goes down smoking.

Water tests

iPhone 7 Water Test! Secretly Waterproof?

Apple made the iPhone 7 water-resistant — something we’ve put to the test and confirmed for ourselves — but just how water-resistant is it? This video from EverythingApplePro compares the iPhone 7 with the Galaxy S7 in a depth test. The iPhone 7 seems to operate just fine, even after exceeding the recommended depth. It also takes a dunk in a lake and seems completely unaffected. This is great for its chances of surviving an accident, but your mileage may vary, so we don’t recommend pushing your luck.

Freeze test

iPhone 7 vs. Samsung Galaxy S7 Water Freeze Test 10 Hours! What Will Happen?!

It may survive water, but what happens if you freeze the iPhone 7? Adrian Isen submerses an iPhone 7 and a Samsung Galaxy S7, and then sticks them in his freezer in this video. When he thaws them out again, both devices seem to work just fine.

Boiling water test

iPhone 7 Boiling Hot Water Durability Test!

In this video, also from TechRax, the iPhone 7 is dumped into boiling water. Surprisingly, it survives and, after cooling down a bit, it appears to be working fine. He then dunks it again for longer and the iPhone 7 still survives. There’s also one where he drops the device in liquid nitrogen, and the phone survives until he cruelly smashes it with an ice pick. There’s no coming back from that.

Surfing in the sea

SquareTrade iPhone 7 Surf Test with Kai Lenny

So we know that the iPhone 7 can survive a dunk, but how will it fare in the big, wide ocean? Pro surfer, Kai Lenny fitted an iPhone 7 to the front of his surf board in this video and took it for a 30 minute session in the sea. The iPhone 7 survived without any signs of damage. Be warned, though, if you want to give this a try you should rinse the sea water off afterwards or the salt could cause corrosion.

Hydraulic press

iPhone 7 press test with hydraulic press

It takes a hydraulic press to obliterate the iPhone 7 in the most complete manner we’ve seen. In this video, the iPhone is squashed flat while wedged in portrait orientation, sending shattered glass everywhere. This is a pretty spectacular video from the Hydraulic Press Channel.

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Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…

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