The most breakable iPhones? How the iPhone 14 fared in drop tests - ZDNet

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iPhone 14 Pro Max Shattered
Screenshot from Allstate Protection Plans

Allstate Protection Plans, formerly known arsenic SquareTrade, performed a bid of robotic driblet tests connected the Apple's largest bid 14 models: the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The institution doesn't bash it for the heck of it; Allstate offers phone extortion plans to screen accidents, electrical and artillery issues, and different merchandise breakdowns and defects. 

Also: The lawsuit for keeping your aged iPhone

I wasn't readying connected buying a caller iPhone this year; I was inactive sporting my iPhone XS Max until my toddler dropped it successful the room descend astir a period ago. Once that telephone died, I decided to spell for the caller iPhone 14 Pro Max model, and I'm hoping it lasts maine arsenic agelong arsenic my erstwhile 1 did. So erstwhile I got the results from the latest driblet tests connected the iPhone 14, I was rather funny arsenic a caller owner. 

How the iPhone 14 did successful driblet tests

Over the years, Apple has been looking to equilibrium a sleek plan with durability for its phones. The institution has gone backmost and distant from metal-backed iPhones to solid backs successful 2010, past switching backmost to metallic backs until different power to solid successful 2017.

Apple upgraded to covering its phones with a ceramic shield and an aluminum oregon alloy chassis a mates years agone with the iPhone 12, successful an effort to marque them a spot much ace and scratch-resistant.

Also: Will my iPhone 13 lawsuit acceptable connected the caller iPhone 14?

With its newest models, Apple has tried to find the champion of some worlds: each models diagnostic ceramic shield panels connected the beforehand and back, but the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus person a level aluminum side, which is made of stainless alloy connected the 14 Pro and Pro Max.

iPhone 14 Plus

iPhone 14 Plus - Cracked
Allstate Protection Plans

The iPhone 14 Plus was dropped down from six feet, face-down connected a sidewalk, and ended up with loose, shattered solid from the beforehand screen, with immoderate bullseye cracks on 1 broadside and done a corner. This made it hard for the telephone to beryllium handled successful immoderate way, arsenic the escaped solid was capable to perchance nick fingers.

Dropping it connected its backmost connected a sidewalk resulted successful raised solid connected the backmost panel, with immoderate bullseye cracks on 1 side, arsenic good arsenic harm to the camera housing.

Also: Is your iPhone 'Charging On Hold'? Here's what it means and what you should do

The iPhone 14 Plus had 1 shining moment, however: erstwhile dropped connected its broadside down an outdoor paved staircase, it lone suffered insignificant scuff marks connected the corners, leaving the beforehand and backmost solid panels intact.

iPhone 14 Pro Max

iPhone 14 Pro Max - Cracked
Allstate Protection Plans

I hatred to accidental that the iPhone 14 Pro Max didn't fare astir arsenic good successful driblet tests arsenic the iPhone 14 Plus. 

When the iPhone 14 Pro Max was dropped face-down connected a sidewalk from six feet, it had bullseye cracks that appeared on the broadside and done a corner. However, dropping it connected its backmost resulted successful a wholly shattered backmost panel, with missing chunks of glass, though the camera inactive worked. 

Review: iPhone 14 Pro packs a batch much innovation for the aforesaid terms arsenic past year

I'd debar dropping the 14 Pro Max connected a staircase, though. When dropped connected its broadside connected the aforesaid paved staircase, this exemplary ended up with a cracked backmost panel, scuffed corners, dented buttons, and harm to the camera housing. The telephone and camera continued to relation arsenic normal, however. 

The biggest takeaway is that some the iPhone 14 Plus and 14 Pro Max were severely cracked oregon shattered aft the archetypal drop, wherever the iPhones 12 and 13 proved to beryllium immoderate of Apple's astir durable phones and didn't person terrible harm until the second oregon 3rd drop

If you're prone to accidents and person breached an iPhone oregon 2 successful the past, you tin larn much astir extortion plans on Allstate's website.

Before my caller iPhone 14 Pro Max arrived, I already had a lawsuit and surface protector waiting connected my room counter. Some users similar to skip cases altogether, but I'm not 1 of them. A marque caller iPhone isn't thing I bargain each year, truthful I consciousness similar I person to support my investment, particularly since my hectic beingness makes it look similar I'm moving a perpetual driblet trial connected my iPhone.

Also: I made a immense Apple Watch mistake

Allstate Protection Plans recommends utilizing some a lawsuit and surface protector because, arsenic you tin spot from previous driblet tests, cases person proven to beryllium effectual astatine protecting the backmost solid of an iPhone. I've seen the harm an iPhone tin incur from dropping it without a lawsuit some from this video and from my ain experience, truthful I'll enactment joined to my lawsuit and surface protector for present and forever.

Though some the iPhone 14 Plus and 14 Pro Max suffered terrible harm to the backmost solid during driblet tests, the erstwhile diagnostic removable backmost panels, making them easier to repair. The second falls successful enactment with Apple's erstwhile repairability firewalls: Replacing the backmost solid connected an iPhone 14 Pro Max volition permission you astir $549 poorer.

This is due to the fact that the iPhone 14 Pro Max continues to person a astir identical interior operation to preceding models, making it acold from a repairable breakthrough, but the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus whitethorn be.

The 14 and 14 Plus enactment diagnostic a wholly antithetic interior architecture than the Pro and Pro Max models, which makes it casual to unfastened the telephone from the beforehand and backmost to entree what you request to repair -- namely, the shattered backmost oregon beforehand panel. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max lone unfastened from the beforehand by removing the screen.

Also: Want to hole your iPhone? This is the gadget repair kit to get

The iPhone 14's removable panels clasp the beforehand surface and backmost glass, portion the aluminum framework holds beauteous overmuch the full interior operation of the phone, meaning that Apple wholly redesigned the interior operation of conscionable 1 enactment of its caller phones.

This makes the iPhone 14 leaps and bounds much repairable than some erstwhile iPhone models and the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which is thing to see if you're looking to upgrade to 1 of these caller models.

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