In January earlier this year, it was reported that Apple Inc.’s iPhone survived a massive 16,000-feet drop from an aircraft. Since then, one question has remained etched in people’s minds: How did the phone survive? A recent experiment may have the answer.
What Happened: The experiment involved dropping an iPhone 14 Pro Max and a Samsung Galaxy S23 from various heights. The phones were dropped from 3, 30, and 300 feet onto grass and asphalt. The results were surprising, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Both the iPhone and the Galaxy survived the 3-foot and 30-foot drops onto the grass. In fact, even when they suffered a 300-foot drop, which was expected to cause significant damage, it only resulted in grass stains and dirt in the charging ports. This 300-foot drop was orchestrated with the help of drones.
The experiment delved into the physics behind the phones’ survival. The concept of terminal velocity, explained by former NASA engineer turned YouTuber Mark Rober, suggests that the height of the drop doesn’t significantly affect the impact.
“It doesn't matter if you drop the phone from 300 feet up or from space," said Mark Rober. “It's going to be the same result because of something called terminal velocity.”
When the experiment was repeated on asphalt, both the bare iPhone and Galaxy S23 endured two 3-foot descents, experiencing only minor scratches and dents.
When they took the 30-foot plunge, the iPhone collided forcefully with the asphalt, resulting in shattered back glass but remained intact, with the device even continuing to record video. As for the Samsung, the OLED screen suffered fractures at the top left and bottom right, leading to screen flickering.
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Joanna Stern, the reporter who conducted the experiment, only employed OtterBox Defender cases for the 300-foot fall because of their success with a 30-foot plunge. While the iPhone’s rear glass entirely shattered, it remained functional and likely repairable, the Galaxy S23’s screen remained intact but the phone itself became bent and ceased to power on.
Why It Matters: A drop test in 2023 revealed that the titanium design of the iPhone 15 Pro was less durable than its predecessor. However, a recent experiment suggests that the durability of a smartphone is not solely determined by its build but also by the conditions of the fall.
Rhett Allain, an associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University said, “If you hit your phone on the corner of the phone, it's going to have a very small contact area and more likely to break.” Adding, “If you hit it on the flat surface, the contact area would be larger.”
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