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Watch Apple’s newest iPad meet messy end in durability test

Trevor Mogg
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Popular YouTuber Zack Nelson — he of the JerryRigEverything channel — has taken his tool kit to Apple’s newest iPad in a durability test that, we may as well say it now, doesn’t end well for the device.

The New iPad is... (Lets just not talk about it...)

Released a couple of months ago to lukewarm reviews, the new iPad is the 10th version of Apple’s budget iPad, which comes in a range of colors.

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Opting for the pink iPad, Nelson begins by noting how the new device has “officially caught up with the rest of the world” by installing a USB-C port, replacing Apple’s proprietary Lightning port.

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Before taking his knife to the iPad, Nelson also highlights the absurdity of Apple’s decision to keep the Lightning connector on the iPad’s compatible Apple Pencil, ensuring you’ll need to get the $9 dongle to connect it to the USB-C port. “Apple’s loving it, though,” Nelson says, adding: “I hear they’re even changing their catchphrase from ‘think different’ to ‘think dongle.’”

Nelson’s scratch test using the Mohs hardness scale shows damage on the iPad’s display starting at Level 6, with deeper grooves at Level 7. “Pretty standard,” the YouTuber says.

Next, the knives come out and a great deal of scratching and scraping ensues. A warning to more sensitive souls: This part of the durability will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, so best watch this bit with the volume down.

After attempting to carve out a cartoon character on the back of the iPad (“Not my best work,” Nelson admits), the iPad is starting to look a little ragged. Then, out comes the lighter, with a naked flame going up against the iPad’s display, a procedure that causes some rather funky behavior with the glass.

Finally, the bend test, where Nelson uses all his might to push the iPad’s structure to its limit. Sure, no one is going to bend it like this in an everyday scenario, and it’s somehow little surprise that the iPad breaks into two pieces. Just don’t stand or sit on the thing. Nelson notes that the iPad’s weak spot appears to be the keyboard connector points on the side of the device.

Holding a mangled iPad, Nelson finishes the video by inspecting its innards. This shows up a few surprises, including an abundance of empty space, and a speaker that is some distance from the grill hole.

For a full review of a pristine iPad 10th-generation that features no sharp objects or burning flames, Digital Trends has you covered.

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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