The launch of flagship smartphones from mainstream brands usually brings with it a host of tests of all kinds. After all, premium phones are becoming more and more expensive, and potential buyers want to get a feel for both the user experience and the durability they offer. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is now available in stores, and a recent drop shows how resistant it is to unexpected accidents compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Samsung and Apple’s latest mobile flagships have some durability improvements
The Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the best “traditional”—non-foldable—smartphones available in the catalogs of Samsung and Apple, respectively. The latest Galaxy S flagship boasts a grade 5 titanium frame, an improvement over the grade 2 present on the S24 Ultra. It also exclusively features a layer of Gorilla Armor 2, which, in addition to powerful reflective properties, is more resistant than the previous generation, according to Corning.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max also features a Grade 5 titanium frame. Apple protects the display with Ceramic Shield 2, its latest proprietary glass. In fact, the Cupertino giant claims it’s “2x tougher than any smartphone glass.” Do drop tests reflect this? Well… not exactly.
Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max subjected to tough drop tests
YouTube channel PhoneBuff conducted a multi-stage drop test, “torturing” the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max to push their integrity to the limit. The test had three main stages: back drop, corner drop, and face drop. In all cases, both devices were dropped from exactly the same height (1.45 meters, about 4.75 feet) onto a concrete surface. The YouTuber also included a final “bonus round” by front-dropping both devices ten times onto a steel surface.
In the “back drop” test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra outperformed the iPhone 16 Pro Max with flying colors. The impact significantly shattered the rear glass of Apple’s device and even scratched a camera lens. Fortunately, the camera sensor was still working properly and with no apparent loss of image quality. On the other hand, Samsung’s flagship mobile came out almost unscathed with its rear glass intact and only a few scratches on the frame and camera rings. The slight elevation of the camera rings helped protect the lenses.
Regarding the “corner drop” test, both devices survived without problems. Both only showed some light scratches on the impacted edge. So, thumbs up for Samsung and Apple here.
Moving on to the “face drop” test, things get more complicated. This stage makes the screen, a very sensitive component, receive almost all the force of the impact. Despite this, both phones managed to withstand the impact and survive. Their screens cracked, but the Galaxy phone took the hit much better as the iPhone’s display got noticeably more shattered. In fact, the S25 Ultra is still “usable” after the test, while using the iPhone 16 Pro Max became risky as you could even get cuts on your finger.
After these tough tests, the Galaxy S25 Ultra took the “durability crown.” Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2 didn’t live up to the company’s claims regarding toughness. However, both devices should hold up well to unexpected accidents.
“Bonus round” results
That said, after finishing the previous tests, PhoneBuff wanted to continue torturing both devices. The “bonus round” consisted of dropping them 10 times in a row face-first, now on steel. This resulted in the rear glass of the Galaxy S25 Ultra finally shattering. Plus, its front camera was rendered unusable, although the screen continued to function. In the case of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, a permanent horizontal white line was drawn on the screen. Anyway, all functions were still available.
2025-02-17 15:07:25