Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max didn't come out unscathed in a recent drop test against Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra and could send new owners of Apple's flagship phones buying cases.
An important caveat here. YouTuber PhoneBuff's new iPhone 14 Pro Max CVS Galaxy S22 UYltra drop test (opens in a new tab) was sponsored by, you guessed it, case maker Casetify. An outcome where no phone survives is obviously in the best interest of the case maker. Still, we've seen drop tests of previous iPhones using the same types of drop, ground clearance, and battery test devices. The results we saw weren't surprising, but they also reminded us that these are metal devices encased in glass, reinforced glass, but glass nonetheless.
As for the tests, PhoneBuff put an iPhone 14 Pro Max, a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and another iPhone 14 Pro Max in, naturally, a Casetifiy case, through the same series of drop tests from a distance of 1,5 meters from the ground. .
PhoneBuff first dropped the phones on their backs, then set them to land in a corner, then did another drop where the phones landed on their screens.
The results were, to be charitable, mixed.
During the first drop, the back of the iPhone 14 Pro Max shattered, although all the glass remained glued to the phone. Notably, the larger camera array on the iPhone 14 Pro Max was also damaged, though the cameras are still working fine.
Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra also cracked, although it didn't look as bad as the iPhone.
Both phones handled corner drops pretty well, though the Galaxy S22 Ultra's aluminum body felt a bit more banged up than the iPhone 14 Pro Max's steel strap.
A fall on the device's face or screen cracked a corner on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra's screen looked more damaged.
A final drop from the same distance, but onto steel, sent pieces of the iPhone 14 Pro Max's rear glass flying, though it was still functional. The S22 Ultra's screen ended up with a few dead pixels in one corner.
The results do not surprise us.
While TechRadar isn't in the habit of deliberately dropping phones for testing, I accidentally dropped an unprotected 14-inch iPhone 24 Pro Max to the ground without breaking it. And I memorably dropped a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (while in a case) from a distance of four feet onto a tile floor.
In this case, the screen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra cracked (it was such a clean crack that I didn't notice it right away). The phone still works perfectly to this day.
What is hapening here?
While we're not experts in the science of drops, we do know that there are differences in the construction of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Galaxy S22 that could help explain some of PhoneBuff's results and even our own results.
In the case of this cracked iPhone 14 Pro Max back, it's worth noting that Apple doesn't use the same material on the front and back of the device. The back is made of double ion glass. It could be considered similar to the Gorilla Glass Victus used on the back of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Neither lens withstood a five-and-a-half-foot drop onto concrete well.
On the front of Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max (and the rest of the iPhone 14 lineup) is Apple's Ceramic Shield. It is a material infused with ceramic crystals. In PhoneBuff tests, the iPhone 14 Pro Max's screen held up better in face-down tests. This may be due to the ceramic shield. True, the glass still cracked, but only in one section. The screen covered with Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Gorilla Glass Victus suffered more damage during the fall.
Look, this is an iPhone 14 Pro Max (and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra) review from a company paid for by a case maker. On the other hand, if you just paid $1,099 / £1,199 / AU$1,899 or more for an iPhone 14 Pro Max, it doesn't hurt to buy a case too.
We will start by reviewing this list of the best iPhone 14 Pro cases.