What happens when an iPhone X is dropped
— -- The iPhone X is Apple’s most advanced smartphone and also the most expensive at $999 a pop.
Many tech bloggers have written articles and posted videos online saying they’re worried about damaging the phone, because it has a glass on the front and back.
Apple advertises on its website that all three of its new phones -- the 8, 8 Plus and X -- are built with “the most durable glass ever in a smartphone, front and back.”
"Good Morning America" set up our own drop challenge with the iPhone X to see how it held up after being dropped from three different heights.
The three heights consisted of a pocket-height drop –- about 3 feet -- a selfie drop –- roughly 5 feet -- and a 3-story drop from the roof of the event venue The Terrace in Paramus, New Jersey.
We dropped all three of the iPhone Xs face down.
First, the pocket drop from about 3 feet. It’s a pretty realistic scenario as you pull your phone out of your pocket and, whoops, it falls.
The results: A couple of little dings but, on the whole, the phone looks fine.
Second, the selfie drop from about 5 feet.
The results: No cracks, not shattered, only minor scratches.
Third, an extreme drop from a rooftop that is 3 stories up.
The results: The back looks perfect, but when we flip it over, the screen is completely smashed.
“I expected the 3-foot drop to get about what we got," said Nick Guy of the product review site Wirecutter. "I thought from the 5-foot drop that we would see more damage than we did, but the 5-foot drop turned out just fine."
He continued, "Of course, the 3-story drop, I think that’s what I expected.”
To check if any interior components had been damaged, we had Jessa Jones owner of independent repair shop iPad Rehab pull the phones apart. She put them through a function test, including checking the cameras and microphones.
The phones we dropped from the 3 and 5 feet distances seemed fine. The cameras were well secured and everything was working normally, according to Jones.
The phone dropped from the roof had a trashed screen and made some odd noises. While the interior parts looked OK, when we put an undamaged screen on it, the camera no longer functioned.
"It seems to have survived a fairly monumental drop with fairly minor damage,” Jones said.
Even after the three drops, there is still one more challenge, according to Jones.
"I’m going to reserve judgment until it withstands the test of time," she said.
Some experts recommend buying Apple’s insurance coverage AppleCare to cover any damages. It costs $199 for the iPhone X.
If you break the glass and have AppleCare, the repair costs $29 for the front and $99 for the back.
Without AppleCare, the price at Apple is $279 to replace the front glass and $549 if you break the back glass.
Wirecutter also has its top picks for iPhone X cases.
The site recommends the Anker Karapax Touch case at $8.99. A good leather option, according to Wirecutter, is Apple’s leather case at $49.
For what it considers a more protective option, Wirecutter picks the Speck Presidio Grip at $39.95. Wirecutter gets a percentage of money from retailers for products sold through links in its articles.
