SquareTrade Torture Tests the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III
Squaretrade squares off the iPhone 5 vs the Samsung Galaxy S III with a new drop test.
Shortly after Apple unveiled its iPhone 5, Samsung went ahead and launched an aggressive ad campaign with a bold statement saying, "The next big thing is already here." Since the launch of the iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy S III has widely been considered its biggest rival. Now, the company that brought you the famous Samsung Galaxy S II vs iPhone 4S drop test is back.
Electronics warranty company Squaretrade has decided to torture test the Galaxy S III and iPhone 5 to determine which is the sturdier of the two. Overall, it appears the iPhone 5 came out on top in terms of durability, but that may have something to do with the fact that the tests were executed without a high degree of precision. The very first test, a simple drop from shoulder height, wasn't exactly a fair fight. The company dropped the Samsung phone on its face, while dropping the iPhone on its edge. Not surprisingly, the Samsung took more damage.
The company did it again with its final test, dropping a beer bottle directly onto the Samsung screen, while only hitting the edges of the iPhone. As you can see in the screenshot, the Samsung obviously suffered a more direct hit.
Regardless of make, given the cost and fragility of phones these days, it's not surprising to see many people toting their devices around in cases these days.
Agreed, if there's too much lack of control on the testing, then accurate conclusions that mean something cannot be drawn.
So why even mention it?
That's easy, NOKIA !!!!
I'm not particularly a fan of any phone camp (come on guys, it's a phone... not your child, the crowning jewel of your life achievements... it's a fashion statement, not a way of life =-p). However, the whole point of calling something a "test" and publishing results is to do it in a controlled environment with all tests being equal.
It's like the "Ubuntu is faster than Windows, because it takes longer to load Windows in my Virtual Box than Ubuntu" article from years ago - Where Ubuntu was the host loading the VM.
The worst that would happen here would be a dropped call!
1) Did Squaretrade intentionally dropped iP5 and GS3 in the particular manner, i.e. iP5 on edge while GS3 on face?
2) Is it possible to intentionally do so?
3) What does it mean if Squaretrade did so on purpose? Obvious answer, IMO.
4) But, what does it mean if Squaretrade did not do so on purpose? The answer would not be so obvious, but much more interesting, right?
Beer bottle hitting and having the sides to take the impact vs cornering the screen. I think both phones would have been damaged by that one.
The same can be said for the drop test smack on the screen vs smack on the edge?
Either do the tests right, or don't do then at all.