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Ultimate drop test showdown: iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 6s vs. Galaxy S7 Edge

Published Sep 19th, 2016 2:13PM EDT

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The iPhone 7 is the likely fastest smartphone in the world. Apple is going to sell tens of millions of units, despite the fact that many thought the new model would be “boring.” But forgetting the new camera and the faster processor — how does the iPhone 7 compare to two other recent smartphones in a drop test?

MUST SEE: iPhone 7 vs. Galaxy Note 7 speed test: This is just embarrassing…

Last Friday, popular YouTube channel PhoneBuff pitted the two most recent iPhone models against one another in a drop test to determine which is more durable.

The PhoneBuff team began with a back drop test, dropping the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s from the same height flat on their backs. Although both phones sustained some minor cosmetic damage, usability didn’t suffer whatsoever, which made the first round a tie. PhoneBuff then moved on to a bottom drop, side drop and face drop, but after every drop, both phones displayed virtually the same scuff marks, dents and, in the case of the face drop, the same broken display.

Four rounds; four ties. The iPhone 7 might have some impressive new insides, making it one of the fastest smartphones to ever reach the market, but it’s not going to survive a four- or five-foot drop any better than the iPhone 6s.

In order to break the tie, PhoneBuff moved on to a “bonus round” in which they would drop the phone on its face repeatedly until it was no longer usable. Although the iPhone 6s only last five drops, the iPhone 7 actually held out for eight. Of course, one iPhone 7 surviving eight face drops isn’t enough to declare it significantly stronger than the iPhone 6s, but nevertheless, by lasting as long as it did, it managed to take the number 5 spot on PhoneBuff’s list of most durable phones.

Watch the drop test showdown between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s below:

On Monday, PhoneBuff followed up with a second drop test, between the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. I won’t spoil all the details of this one, but let’s just say that you might want to pick up an iPhone 7 if you’re prone to dropping your phone:

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.