iPhone X breakability and durability tests stress the need for a protective case

After finally getting our hands and unboxing one of those (not so extremely) hard to come by iPhone X units, and checking out the innovative handset’s unique innards, it’s time to take a look at durability and breakability… and desperately urge you to use a case.

It’s obviously always wise to do everything in your power to protect an expensive, high-end mobile device from all types of damage, but unfortunately the iPhone X is special in a number of anxiety-enhancing ways.

For starters, not only is the product itself wildly expensive, at $999 and up, with routine repairs and essential component backups also costing a small fortune. It seems incredibly easy to destroy both the fancy new OLED screen and glass back as well, and SquareTrade disputes iFixit’s decent repairability rating, claiming among others that the remarkably small logic board and divided battery are harder to rehabilitate and remove in times of need.

The extended warranty service provider deems the iPhone X an overall “high risk” in breakability, awarding it 90 points on a scale where 100 is the worst possible score. In contrast, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus racked up “just” 67 and 74 points respectively, and even the Galaxy Note 8 stood at a significantly better 80 total.

Basically, if you drop the iPhone X once, be it on its side, back or face down, you’re looking at massive damage, according to SquareTrade, and absurdly costly repairs.

In terms of relative durability, iFans should be happy to hear professional gadget torturer Zack from YouTube channel JerryRigEverything wasn’t able to bend the iPhone X using his bare hands.

The handset is described as “incredibly solid” after the customary series of torture tests, with premium stainless steel sides and a mostly glass construction that’s impervious to daily scratches. Still, you absolutely shouldn’t count on this fragile beaut surviving a single drop onto a hard surface, so once again, remember to get a case. A skin, a cover, a folio, anything to shield that precious glass back.