We have seen several iPhone drop tests since the original model came out. While this usually happens from up to 20 feet – and the smartphone cracks entirely – this time, a skydiver jumped from 14,000 feet and didn’t notice his iPhone was loose in his pocket.
Hatton Smith (via 9to5Mac) shared this unusual experience on TikTok with the title: “What happens when you leave your iPhone in your pocket when you go skydiving?” Two concerns came to my mind before watching the video: How long did it take him to find his phone, as the iPhone dropped just after he jumped from 14,000 feet, and did he have an active AppleCare Plus subscription?
The video starts with the jump and the iPhone slipping from his pocket. Then, another video shows Smith and his friends on the ground finding the smartphone. One of his friends says it looks like Excalibur, as the phone is half stuck in the muddy ground. When he takes the iPhone off the ground, everything seems to be working just fine.
Although it’s unclear which iPhone Smith has – something between the iPhone X and iPhone 12 – he was wearing a Catalyst case, which protected the edges of the phone while it was traveling more than 100 mph in the fall.
Another hint of why the iPhone survived the 14,000-foot drop was the muddy ground. Things could have been different if it had felt on concrete or hard floor. One of the comments was really on point on what it’s like to drop an iPhone. Lexi said: “There is no in-between with iPhone. They’re either indestructible or crack from a 1-foot drop on the carpet.”
That said, although Apple has been improving the iPhone’s crack resistance, it’s always important to have a good case or, at last, an AppleCare Plus subscription. You can watch the TikTok video below.
