Andy Rubin’s debut smartphone, the Essential Phone released just a couple of weeks ago after months of delay. Rubin promised that the handset will compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple. Bearing a premium price tag, the handset features some interesting features, such as the almost bezel-less display, ceramic back panel and titanium based sides. Many smartphone owners use a protective case to save their handset from accidental damage. However, Rubin's company claims that due to the use ceramic and titanium, the Essential Phone would not require any additional protection from cases or covers.
Now, a Drop Test has been performed on the smartphone to test this assertion by the company.
How was the drop test performed?
The test was performed by well-known YouTuber, JerryRigEverything. He is known to conduct such tests on various new handsets that are released to the market. Previously, he performed a scratch, burn, and bend test on the Essential Phone, but this time he wanted to determine how well built the phone is. To do so, he set up cameras to record a video of the Essential Phone falling from various heights.
First, he placed the Essential Phone on his lap while he sat on a bench and let the handset slide off his knee and drop to the concrete. In the next phase of the test, the YouTuber stood up and dropped the handset from pocket-level onto the ground.
He made sure that he dropped the smartphone on its face, on its rear side and also on its edges, to see the damage. Finally, he tested the handset by dropping it from head height.
What did the test reveal?
During the testing, it was found that the ceramic glass covering the entire smartphone’s back is almost indestructible. After all the falls and drops, the handset did not show any damage to the rear panel.
Similarly, the sides of the Essential Phone are made out of titanium, which did not show any dents or scratches from the drops during the test. This revealed that the handsets back and sides can stand up to almost any kind of accidental impact or fall.
However, the same cannot be said of the handset’s screen. The front facing display cracked on the very first drop, which means that it was damaged even when the phone dropped from a seated position. By the fifth drop, the glass covering the front face chipped off and the display stopped working completely. JerryRigEverything recommended using a screen protector for the handset.
