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A new video showing a series of tests on a newly unboxed iPhone 15 Pro Max affirms earlier reports about some durability issues.
YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, known for testing various phone models, has posted a new iPhone 15 Pro Max video. The test involved a scratch test using a metal stick and a cutter blade, a heat test using a regular lighter and a torch, and a simple break test by bending the unit.
As Jerry showed, the screen glass of the model didn’t easily scratch, allowing it to reach Levels 6 and 7 until the scratches started to appear. The screen also didn’t suffer any damage after being tested with a flame from a regular lighter. However, this good impression didn’t last when the test moved to the use of sharper objects.
In the next phase of the test, Jerry used a cutter blade to scratch the side titanium of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which easily suffered visible and clear lines. He noted the part employed the physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, a technique to put an extra thin layer of protection on the surface of the material. However, as demonstrated, the coating has little help for the new iPhones to retain their physical beauty.
On the other hand, while the back of the iPhone 15 Pro Max appeared not to be affected by the harsh point of the blade, it easily cracked after Jerry had tried to bend the unit with his fingers.
“I did not see that one coming,” he says. “You’ve been watching me durability test smartphones for about 11 years now, and most phones do not break. iPhones especially do not break, like ever. And that [the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s] snap was abnormally quick. I’m not sure if it’s because the grade-5 titanium frame has nearly three times more tensile strength than aluminum or half the elasticity, but the glass did not like being pressed or flexed by my thumb. That’s crazy.”
On a positive note, the tester noted that the internals of the iPhone 15 Pro remained functional and that Apple now offers cheaper backglass replacement for the entire iPhone 15 lineup. Yet, despite these seemingly reassuring points, he noted that buyers would feel “nervous” to experience these things for a premium unit they paid $1200 for.
Of course, this is just another unofficial test and couldn’t be used to generally rate the entire work of Apple for the iPhone 15. As a matter of fact, at the end of the video, Jerry also performed the bend test in a newly unboxed iPhone 15 Pro. It didn’t break. So, does it mean the iPhone 15 Pro is more durable than the iPhone 15 Pro Max? We don’t know, but whether a Pro or not, it is kind of disappointing that iPhone users still couldn’t get the toughness their unit needs even if we’re already in the 15th series of Apple’s smartphone work.