iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2: Drop Test

[ew915]

Ok, searched the forums and first 5 result pages have no useful results.
Rather than start a new thread, slight hijack: Can anyone share impressions about slim cases for Android phones? Anything stand out for under $50?

usually a tpu case for $3 on ebay does the job, unless you work in a harsh environment like construction or a fish stand (i'm just putting examples) where you may need your ports covered. So otterbox are the only premium case vendors that comes to my mind.

 

[zinfamous]

Ok, searched the forums and first 5 result pages have no useful results.
Rather than start a new thread, slight hijack: Can anyone share impressions about slim cases for Android phones? Anything stand out for under $50?

this is what i use for my SGS2. love it.

http://www.sgpstore.com/cell-phone/...samsung-galaxy-s2-case-neo-hybrid-series.html

It does add a little depth and weight to the phone, but I find that i prefer it that way. Feels more solid.

Not sure if these are, or will be available for the US versions, but these guys make good cases for lots of models.

They have this for iPhone4, as well.

 

[Monster_Munch]

The Galaxy S II weighs 116 grams. The iPhone 4S weighs 140 grams. That makes the iPhone 4S about 21% more massive than the Galaxy S II. The iPhone 4S doesn't really weight that much more than the Galaxy S II, it just happens to be a lot more dense.

They'll both fall at the same speed, though. Neither object has sufficient mass to cause increased acceleration towards Earth. If the iPhone 4S was as massive as a relatively large object (such as the moon), then you could argue that it would fall faster.

All objects fall at the same speed (1G or 9.81 m/s2) assuming no air resistance. So both the iPhone and SGS2 will hit the ground at the roughly same speed. The iPhone suffers a greater impact because it weighs more, so requires more force to stop it, Force = Mass x Acceleration.

 

[s44]

this is what i use for my SGS2. love it.

http://www.sgpstore.com/cell-phone/...samsung-galaxy-s2-case-neo-hybrid-series.html

That looks really cool. I do use TPU myself though.

 

[poofyhairguy]

this is what i use for my SGS2. love it.

http://www.sgpstore.com/cell-phone/...samsung-galaxy-s2-case-neo-hybrid-series.html

XDA tells me they are not coming out with that case for the AT&T version, so I got this instead:

http://www.case-mate.com/Samsung-Ga...rsion-Barely-There-Brushed-Aluminum-Cases.asp

 

[silvan4now]

XDA tells me they are not coming out with that case for the AT&T version, so I got this instead:

http://www.case-mate.com/Samsung-Ga...rsion-Barely-There-Brushed-Aluminum-Cases.asp

what was the final price on that ?

 

[hanoverphist]

two friends just got ip4 a few months ago. both have cracked screens. one dropped out of a pocket while sitting at the back yard table playing cards, dropped about 20" and shattered. must have been a really lucky hit, you can see the point of impact in the edge. the other let her son play with it (ya, i told her she was a bonehead many times for that), and he dropped it in the kitchen. shattered the front and cracked the back with one hit. the second had a case on it too, sucky.

my droid X has taken a few dips to the ground as well, once to the pavement from my truck and once to concrete from my hand. no scratches, let alone breaks. im pretty happy with that.

its not about "better build" or whatever. if you wrap bacon in glass, eventually you will be snacking on glass shards. putting a case on it helps with that, but hides the aesthetic beauty of the phone itself, which is one of the reasons for buying a phone. i like the way my dX looks, i have no case on it. but mainly due to the pain in the ass that it would be to take the case off every time i got into my truck and wanted to put it in the dock. i do have a screen protector tho, that old habit will probably never die.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Just how much protection does a bumper case provide? I ordered a 4S but don't want to cover it up with an Otterbox Defender mainly because I don't want to deal with the bulk, not that I think the phone is art.

 

[poofyhairguy]

what was the final price on that ?

I got access to a 20% off coupon when I liked Case-Mate on Facebook. Free shipping left it at $32.

 

[hanoverphist]

Just how much protection does a bumper case provide? I ordered a 4S but don't want to cover it up with an Otterbox Defender mainly because I don't want to deal with the bulk, not that I think the phone is art.

this is the kind of case both my friends have on their ip4.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I think in the end the iPhone 4 has a better build in terms of being a sturdy device. No creaks, no wobbly shitty feel, etc.

This test doesn't tell you anything about build quality. It just says that the iPhone 4 is built solid. It's a rock. When you wrap a rock with glass, it'll shatter most times. The Galaxy S II is built as a flimsy flexible plastic device. I'm pretty sure that having a little give in its plastic structure allows its glass to not crack.

Now which phone would I have it were to slip out of my pocket while biking? The SGS2. Now which one would I rather hold in my hands? The iPhone 4.

 

[Oyeve]

Which would skip across a lake further? The IP4.

 

[s44]

iPhone owner rationalizations are funny.

 

[Red Storm]

The iPhone 4 looked nice, but I personally did not like holding it. Too heavy for its small size, and it also loved to slide off of any non-flat surface, which proved to be more annoying than I would have thought. I've never held a GS2 to compare though.

Seeing as how I never get cases for my phones, it seems I would be better suited to a non-iPhone in case of drops.

 

[RedRooster]

This tells us that clumsy people should not own expensive electronics.
I don't know about you guys, but I treat mine like a freakin 600 dollar vase in my pocket. Have had pretty good luck so far!

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

If anything lighter may slow the fall and cause less damage.

you didn't pass HS physics, i can tell.

Warning for mild personal attack
The way you phrased your reply comes off as condescending and insulting, and you didn't explain what you are talking about. Keep in respectful, please.

Moderator PM

 

[krumme]

I beleive many posters are comparing two different aspects of the devices, the build quality vs the durability.

The Samsung GS II is obviously more durable since it has moving parts(not everything is snugly fitted) and to some extent has protection by the use of plastic in construction, the iPhone 4S on the other hand is straight glass on glass with a steel band around it so obviously dropping it will probably break it.

On the other hand there is the question of build quality which specifically addresses how well the device is put together and the materials used in it's construction. In this category I have yet to see a phone match the iPhone 4/4S. Like I have mentioned before, I kept a Motorola Atrix 4G for six months, it was a great device but after using it for a few months the parts started creaking under pressure when it was in my pocket or when I tried to press the unlock button. This doesn't mean it wasn't durable if I drop it in comparison to my iPhone 4S, the Atrix will probably walk away with less damage but what it did prove was that the build quality wasn't as good as the iPhone 4 I had for 11 months and had absolutely no creaking or bending of parts.

This is my personal opinion and perception of build quality vs durability. I think both devices are great and require care from the user but the iPhone 4/4S is more fragile even though in my opinion it's build quality is better.

EDIT: Would also like to mention to the poster above who was talking about cases, you can preserve the beauty of the iPhone if you buy a bumper and add a screen protector, I think it makes a huge difference because I dropped my iPhone 4 many times on concrete, tiles, mats, floors etc. but I never got a crack or ding on it. Just thought I would add my $.02 on that.

Nonsense. As i have wrote as OP in another thread, the appearance of the Iphone with glass and steal is meant for you to perciewe - PERCIEWE - it have high build quality. It doesnt have, its designed by marketing. This test just proves one aspect of it. Its about brand not about objective build quality. The chosen material for the Iphone4 is outright stupid if its going to last, be durable whatever can be measured with a stick so to speak. Its made to give good impression and sell because of that nothing else.

 

[badb0y]

Nonsense. As i have wrote as OP in another thread, the appearance of the Iphone with glass and steal is meant for you to perciewe - PERCIEWE - it have high build quality. It doesnt have, its designed by marketing. This test just proves one aspect of it. Its about brand not about objective build quality. The chosen material for the Iphone4 is outright stupid if its going to last, be durable whatever can be measured with a stick so to speak. Its made to give good impression and sell because of that nothing else.

The glass and steel is just there for the aesthetics(And the steel part is an antenna). It's the overall fit and finish(aka build quality) of the phone that is better than pretty much any other phone on the market.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

It is generally $100 to fix at the apple store. Out of 5 of my friends with broken glass, only 1 has actually paid anything. Apple will generally replace it for free as long as its your first time doing it. YMMV

My friend's brother jumped into a lake during Labor Day Weekend and walked to the Apple Store and got his phone replaced. No questions asked. No Apple Care. Now knowing that he's a business guy and can probably talk his way into it, I then heard of another friend who got thrown into the pool in Vegas that same weekend who also got his phone replaced no questions asked... sounds like Apple's being extra nice these days. Of course it's YMMV.

 

[McWatt]

My friend's brother jumped into a lake during Labor Day Weekend and walked to the Apple Store and got his phone replaced. No questions asked. No Apple Care. Now knowing that he's a business guy and can probably talk his way into it, I then heard of another friend who got thrown into the pool in Vegas that same weekend who also got his phone replaced no questions asked... sounds like Apple's being extra nice these days. Of course it's YMMV.

Definitely YMMV. My wife's relatively new iPhone 4 started locking up for a couple hours every few days in the summer here when it was hot (low 90s F) and humid (>70%, but not Florida) and she took it outside. After a couple weeks of this it just became generally unresponsive and would randomly dial numbers and switch songs when sitting on its own, untouched on a table. After demonstrating this in an Apple store we were told something about uncovered water damage from the humidity and given no replacement.

 

[Red Storm]

Definitely YMMV. My wife's relatively new iPhone 4 started locking up for a couple hours every few days in the summer here when it was hot (low 90s F) and humid (>70%, but not Florida) and she took it outside. After a couple weeks of this it just became generally unresponsive and would randomly dial numbers and switch songs when sitting on its own, untouched on a table. After demonstrating this in an Apple store we were told something about uncovered water damage from the humidity and given no replacement.

Going by other people's experiences, you should have just dropped it on the ground and then took it in; they seem to replace 'em when it's the user's fault.

 

[McWatt]

Ha! We did get it replaced, eventually. We know a honcho in Cupertino so we used "alternative channels," i.e., "can we have an iphone?"

 

[pantsaregood]

All objects fall at the same speed (1G or 9.81 m/s2) assuming no air resistance. So both the iPhone and SGS2 will hit the ground at the roughly same speed. The iPhone suffers a greater impact because it weighs more, so requires more force to stop it, Force = Mass x Acceleration.

The difference in force is fairly negligible. "All objects fall at the same speed" is what I was getting at, but that statement is not entirely true.

If an extremely massive object was "falling" towards Earth, Earth would also be "falling" towards the object. In the case of objects of low mass, Earth "falling" is insignificant. In the case of an extremely massive object, it isn't.

 

[preslove]

I've dropped my vibrant at least 10 times onto tile. It has a ding on its side, but the screen is flawless. Most of those drops would have cracked the screen or back of the iPhone4(s).

Durability > Fit and finish

 

[Dulanic]

you didn't pass HS physics, i can tell.

Wow so your response offers nothing but a personal attack. Good job, you're a winner!

P.S. This has already been discussed and talked about. And earth isn't a vacuum. So maybe I was off on it making any real difference, it would make some difference even if it was a .001% difference. Feathers don't fall at the same speed as an iPhone either.