Every year, a US insurance company drops the latest iPhone onto concrete to see what happens. This year's iPhones are the toughest yet, but they're still no match for concrete.
The iPhone 16 is a superb smartphone, and it's pretty tough too: the 16 and 16 Plus have an aerospace-grade aluminium frame while the Pro and Pro Max have titanium. But as endless smartphones have discovered, even the toughest won't survive a serious smash onto concrete unscathed– and the new iPhone 16 range is no exception.
US insurance firm Allstate – which, it has to be said, has a dog in this fight because it sells phone protection plans – has been smashing up smartphones for years now, and this year it once again put the latest iPhone into its DropBot testing rig. It then dropped the phone, an iPhone 16 Pro Max, face-down onto concrete from a height of six feet. The screen shattered and went black.
Dropping a Pro Max on its back was less destructive; while the camera glass cracked the phone itself remained functional.
This is an improvement over last year, where the iPhone 15 Pro Max didn't survive its rear-facing drop test. But it does demonstrate that for all smartphone firms' talk of toughness, concrete is still tougher.
Why it's wise to protect your smartphone
When you consider how much it costs to buy something like an iPhone 16, let alone the Pro Max variant, I think it's wise to protect your investment. As much as I'd like to go case-free I've smashed too many electronic items over the years to let my iPhone go around naked, and screen protectors in particular have proved their worth many times over. Dropping phones isn't a once in a blue moon event for me; it's several times daily. If you're even slightly as clumsy as me, I'd recommend getting one of the best iPhone cases. Even a cheap one offers improved protection.
The big must-have for me is insurance, not just for my iPhone but for my Apple Watch Series 10. I've smashed a few phones and Apple Watches in the past, and having a policy specifically to fix or replace them – without the excesses that home insurance policies typically demand – has saved my bacon a few times now.
I'm currently with Apple, whose AppleCare+ with loss and damage is costing me £11.99 a month for my iPhone 16 Pro and £3.99 per month for my Apple Watch Series 10. But I've previously been with Taurus, now known as Switched On, and found them to be pretty good too. Like other forms of insurance you hope you won't need it, but if you end up having a smashing time you'll be glad you've got it.
