Skip to main content

Torture tests push Apple’s iPhone X to the limit, but is it tough enough for you?

Oh boy, how some folks love to drop, whack, burn, bend, and even freeze a new gadget when it hits the market.

Under the guise of testing durability, though more often than not simply having fun smashing stuff up, creatively made torture test videos for Apple’s just-launched flagship iPhone X are beginning to land on YouTube.

Recommended Videos

First up (above), we have experienced phone destroyer JerryRigEverything. Conceived by YouTuber Zack Nelson, his videos feature an entertaining blend of brutal handset testing and a delightful deadpan delivery that is likely to raise a smile.

The scratch tests are suitably harsh for a video of this nature, with Nelson doing his utmost to engrave permanent marks onto the display of the $999 iPhone X. After much effort, he finally succeeds, commenting that the display offers pretty much the same scratch resistance of other high-end smartphones.

The good news, however, is that the screen “is not going to be scratched by your normal keys or coins.” Nelson noted that unlike previous iPhones, the iPhone X offers no home button to scratch test as the device now uses face recognition to unlock it, “and I’m not going to scratch test a face to see if it still works.”

Next, the tester takes a box cutter to the phone’s metal earpiece grill, tearing across seemingly with great enthusiasm. While slightly damaged, the grill manages to hold its shape and remain in place, though we’d still suggest that you don’t try this at home.

Nelson’s video also features burn and bend tests, with the iPhone handling the latter better than the former.

Knife and hammer

iPhone X Hammer & Knife Scratch Test!

Next up is TechRax. Yes, this is the guy who tested the iPhone 6S out by placing it into a pan of boiling, melted crayons. The wacky experiment resulted in the pan catching fire, though happily, his home didn’t burn down.

For the iPhone X, TechRax leaves the burning crayons to one side and instead opts for a knife. Stabbing the back of the iPhone repeatedly in this somewhat unscientific test, TechRax is impressed to see the glass holding its own, noting that with previous iPhones it’d shatter pretty quickly using the same method.

Clearly intent on inflicting some serious damage to the phone, the tester then picks up a three-pound hammer and whacks it repeatedly on the iPhone’s display. The first two blows see the device remain intact, but the third results in a nasty spider crack at the very bottom of the display. Continuous blows and, well, it gets really ugly.

Freezing test

iPhone X Freeze Test! Frozen Solid Drop Test

Finally, we have a less common “freeze test” from EverythingApplePro, presumably for folks who in the past have accidentally left their phone in a bowl of water before inadvertently placing it in a freezer. After leaving it to freeze overnight, we’re left with an iPhone X encased in a solid block of ice, which of course means it has to be dropped from a high place so we can see if it still works. Impressively, it did. Yes, this is despite the iPhone X having an IP67 rating (good for submersion in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes), as well as being frozen and dropped, the device continued to function.

While the tests are all good fun, they can also tell us something about the quality of the materials and construction. But for peace of mind, we really suggest you buy a decent case to protect your pricey iPhone X. And don’t hit it with a hammer.

For all you @Apple fan boys and girls, are you worried about the iPhone X's durability?

— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) November 8, 2017

Update: Added a poll. 

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)…
There may not be an iPhone in 10 years’ time, says top Apple exec
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Well, whouda thunk it. A top Apple executive positing the idea that in 10 years from now, the iPhone -- your beloved iPhone (unless you have a beloved Android phone, that is) -- may no longer exist.

Before your head explodes at the mere thought of Apple abandoning the iPhone in 10 years’ time, there’s also a chance that in 2035 there will be an iPhone 27, or whatever’s Apple’s calling it by then.

Read more
iPhone 17 Air: everything you need to know
Alleged concept render of the iPhone 17 Air in black.

The iPhone 17 Air is set to become the first iPhone that's as light as a feather -- or light as air, as its name suggests. Not because it's as tiny as the oldest iPhone models, but rather it's because it's as thin as the MacBook Air that inspired it and thinner than the rest of the iPhone 17 line.

Although the iPhone 17 Air is months away from being officially announced by Apple, let alone the standard iPhone 17, the leaks and rumors swirling around the ultra-slim model have iPhone users excited about the prospect of holding it in their hands and anxious about its fragility because of its thinness. Here's everything you need to know about the iPhone 17 Air.

Read more
The iPhone 18 Pro could see a major design change
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16e showing the screen.

If the iPhone 18 release schedule wasn't enough of a shift, it looks like the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models could switch to under-screen Face ID and have only a small camera in the top-left corner of the screen. The news comes from Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a leaker with an inside hook into Apple's supply chain.

"Well, I checked with the Apple supply chain a few days ago. The iPhone 18/18 Pro Max is indeed testing 3D faces under the screen, with a single HIAA hole; the iPhone 8/18 Air is a regular 2+1 hole," they write (as translated by Google.)

Read more