iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2: Drop Test

[ew915]

Not a surprise, Galaxy S II is made out of plastic which won't easily be broken. It's cheap and has no weight to it.

You'd be surprised how much money go into the molds of a samsung phone. Not even HTC can match their quality, Motorola comes very close but i think Samsung still have better construction. I have said it many times, the quality of samsung is actually pretty high considering the precision in the finish and that everything is put together with screws unlike HTC with glue and tape all over. Apple quality is quite good.

Durability =/ quality or people's preference over a finish.
Weight =/ quality you have to look inside the phone and i bet most of you are too scared to take your $500 phone apart. Yet they are talking bad quality left and right.

And last I bet your HTC or iphone would never do this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErXqnQKs-tA

 

[Blueychan]

And last I bet your HTC or iphone would never do this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErXqnQKs-tA

why would I care about my phone outliving me when I'd switch them every 12/24 months anyway.

 

[ew915]

why would I care about my phone outliving me when I'd switch them every 12/24 months anyway.

So mind if i ask what do you do with the phones you discard?

 

[zinfamous]

So mind if i ask what do you do with the phones you discard?

I store mine in my closet.













next to the jars of urine.

 

[chin311]

LMAO. i TRY to keep mine as nice as possible for getting some resale value out of them...

like my droid x is up on eBay ending tonight, should pay for most of the 4S I just bought..

 

[runawayprisoner]

This is one of the reasons I didn't upgrade to 4S...

Granted, it's not likely that I drop my phone... even once in a whole year, but if an accident happens, I'd freak out more with the 4S than S2.

 

[railer]

That's pretty bad. I know I've dropped my Droid X out of my pocket onto driveways/parking lots a couple of times...with no problems. Did they use gorilla glass, or equivelant, in the 4s? I'm suprised at how easily that shattered.

 

[Red Storm]

So mind if i ask what do you do with the phones you discard?

Sell it to help pay for the new phone. It's what I've always done, and it always works great.

 

[Fire&Blood]

I never understood why people point to Android and say "cheap plastic" because they don't like the feel of it but when they buy the "the rich feel" of the iphone, they immediately cover that aesthetically pleasing glass with cheap plastic/rubber just to compensate for the device's fragility and antenna issues. Sounds like hypocrisy from where I'm standing.

 

[Anubis]

That's pretty bad. I know I've dropped my Droid X out of my pocket onto driveways/parking lots a couple of times...with no problems. Did they use gorilla glass, or equivelant, in the 4s? I'm suprised at how easily that shattered.

yes they do, the reason it breaks easier is because its edge to edge glass, GG and the equivs are scratch and impact resistant on the front, a sharp blow to the corner is gonna shatter it no matter what

the DX and many android based phones are protected from the edge hit somewhat by the bezel, in the case of the DX its metal and not plastic so its a tank much like the OG droid

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yeah, I think the Droid X is the best build quality phone the last two years.

 

[Red Storm]

Yeah, I think the Droid X is the best build quality phone the last two years.

Definitely one of the best. I always remember my Droid X fondly, that was one awesome phone.

 

[tigersty1e]

They should have taken that test a step further and replaced the outside shells with factory cases.

Compare the inside damage and how easily the cases can be switched. Did the iphone actual display break or only the outside?

Because I hope to dear god they didn't just throw those phones out when they were finished.

 

[yh125d]

They should have taken that test a step further and replaced the outside shells with factory cases.

Compare the inside damage and how easily the cases can be switched. Did the iphone actual display break or only the outside?

Because I hope to dear god they didn't just throw those phones out when they were finished.

The display is glued to the glass, so even if the display isn't broken, you have to replace them both as one piece for $200 at an apple store*


*as told to me by a coworker who broke their front glass

 

[disports]

Yikes as much as I'd like to get the 4S, I would've shattered mine by now. I've had the dinc2 since July and I've dropped it on the front like 3-4 times and it was fine. Also dropped it a few times on the corners and there's a few scratches here and there.

 

[zerocool84]

Yikes as much as I'd like to get the 4S, I would've shattered mine by now. I've had the dinc2 since July and I've dropped it on the front like 3-4 times and it was fine. Also dropped it a few times on the corners and there's a few scratches here and there.

Just get a case and you'll be fine.

 

[badb0y]

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.

 

[cheezy321]

The display is glued to the glass, so even if the display isn't broken, you have to replace them both as one piece for $200 at an apple store*


*as told to me by a coworker who broke their front glass

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

 

[ImDonly1]

The display is glued to the glass, so even if the display isn't broken, you have to replace them both as one piece for $200 at an apple store*


*as told to me by a coworker who broke their front glass

This is true for the iphone 4 and 4s. The iPhone 3gs didn't glue all of the screen together. You can maybe do it for cheaper if you buy the part yourself and try to do it yourself.

 

[disports]

Just get a case and you'll be fine.

I could but I'm too lazy to. I'll just have to be more careful though I do get spazzy sometimes when I hold the phone haha

 

[MrX8503]

Glass breaks and plastic doesn't, I think that's clear. I still prefer the feel of a glass phone even if its more shatter prone.

 

[Zaap]

Yeah, I think the Droid X is the best build quality phone the last two years.

I've certainly dropped my DX enough times. Once like a dope I stooped down at the top of a flight of stairs to pick up something forgetting my DX was in my shirt pocket- out it tumbles, clacking down eight or so wood steps. Another time I dropped it from waist height to the concrete ground.

It doesn't appear to have a scratch on it.

I'm extra, extra careful whenever I use my wife's iPhone4.

 

[Fire&Blood]

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?

 

[J-Money]

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.

This.

Durability: SG2 > IP4
Build Quality: SG2 < IP4

 

[GTRagnarok]

Meh. I have a slim case on my iPhone 4. I find it's too slippery when naked.