No matter how careful you are, chances are that you will drop your phone eventually. When and if this does happen, all you can do is cross your fingers and hope that it didn’t cause any damage. Thankfully, even the glass-covered smartphones that companies are releasing now are rather sturdy. But there are still risks, which is why content creators continue to conduct drop tests with any new phones. Speaking of which, over the weekend, PhoneBuff shared a new drop test video, pitting the iPhone 13 Pro Max against the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra drop test
As PhoneBuff explains in the video, Samsung included a couple of notable upgrades on the Galaxy S22 Ultra that should improve its durability. First, Samsung says its front display uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. Weirdly, it’s unclear what makes it “plus,” because there is no documentation on Corning’s website about this specific product.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra also features a new Armor Aluminum frame. Samsung claims that it’s 10% stronger than the 7000 series aluminum frame that it typically uses.
So, are these improvements enough for the Galaxy S22 Ultra to beat the Ceramic Shield and stainless steel frame of the iPhone 13 Pro Max? Watch and find out:
Results of the drop test
As you can see in the video, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the clear winner.
Early in the drop test, the iPhone and Galaxy appeared to be equally durable. After one back drop, both phones got several minor scuffs and each suffered a crack on the rear panel. The iPhone was slightly worse for wear. Other than that, both were fully operational.
The corner drop was also inconclusive. Even with its sharp corner, the Galaxy S22 Ultra didn’t sustain any serious damage. The scratches are clearly more noticeable on the S22 Ultra, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max also had a dent after the drop.
The face drop was the most damaging for both phones. The front display glass shattered on both the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. All of the fancy names in the world did not save the displays from shattering upon hitting the concrete. With that said, the damage looked significantly worse on the Galaxy. The cracks covered more of the display, and the under-display fingerprint scanner stopped working altogether.
Finally, it’s worth noting that as PhoneBuff continued to drop both phones ten more times from even higher up, the condition of the Galaxy worsened much more quickly than that of the iPhone. By the end of the drop test, the S Pen wouldn’t even come out of the S22 Ultra’s slot. Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro Max continued to work flawlessly.
In the end, the iPhone 13 Pro Max received an impressive drop test score of 39/40, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra received a 34/40. Both phones are relatively durable, but the iPhone will seemingly stand a better chance of surviving multiple rough tumbles.
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 13 guide.
