The LG Nexus 5x has been long overdue for a durability test. When I first bought the
5x and the 6P, I skipped doing the durability test on the 5x because I figured it wouldn't
be fair. A plastic budget phone vs a premium metal phone? Common sense says the plastic
one would fail every time. The phone even feels light weight. BUT since then I have
tested many other budget devices and cheap phones that have all survived. Like the Honor
5x. So its time to put the new Ice colored Nexus 5x to the test.
Lets bust out Moh's picks. These let us know where the screen falls on Mohs scale of hardness.
Picks one through 5 leave no mark, a slight scratch begins at a level six, a regular scratch
begins at a level 7. So the scratch resistant screen on this device holds up just as well
as the premium phones. Good job so far LG. Lets keep going.
Lets flip it on over and scratch up the back logo. With the old Nexus 6 phones... sometimes
that logo would pop off. It looks like that wont be a problem with the 5x though, since
the logo is better integrated into the back panel. It scratches equally with the rest
of the phone, so it wont pop off individually.
The finger print scanner does scratch... but If you remember from my LG G5 video... it
still functions even with major scratches all over it. So its not a big of a deal.
The camera lens is made of glass. Which is fantastic. Especially since it sits very flush
with the top of the protrusion on the back panel. Zero protection for this lens.
I was happily scratching away at the Ice colored baby blue plastic back panel... When it reminded
me of another phone I worked on recently. Lets slide over the LG G5 over here for a
little plastic reunion. Crazy how eerily similar the two are. Did you know metal primer is
30% synthetic resin? Synthetic resin is the same stuff that is used in ABS, acrylics,
polyethylene... you know. Plastics.
Lets scrape a real metal phone for a quick reference... listen close my friends.
[Nails on a chalk board...]
I feel like ive gotten side tracked. Oh ya.... Nexus 5x. I feel like Sid from 'Toy Story'.
The frame of the screen is black plastic as well.
Don't get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with plastic. Or even a metal phones covered
in plastic. I haven't had a plastic phone bend on me yet. So in some ways plastic is
better. My only issue with the LG G5 was that they said the phone was metal... and well...
I shouldn't have to dig through Narnia to find it.
The power and volume buttons on the Nexus 5x are made of metal. Which is a great thing.
Plastic ones can warp a bit and pop out like they did with the old Evo phones. Metal will
be much more durable.
The dual grills at the top and bottom of the screen are made of metal as well.
Onto the Flame Test. The Nexus 6p made it 8 seconds before the pixels turned permanently
white and failed. The Nexus 5x made it 6 seconds before the pixels turned black. But then they
also recovered after the flame was removed. The phone is cool to the touch within seconds
after the heat being gone.
Onto the ultimate stress test. I put phones through torture, so you can see what your
phone will look like in a few years... without having to wait a few years to see it. The
Nexus 5x flexes considerably. You can see it flex the most right along that top battery
line, where phones tend to be the weakest.
Ill also bend it back from the other direction. Look at the sim card tray. A metal phone would
be permanently damaged in some way if it flexed that much. But the plastic phone does not
break. It locks out and does not snap in half. Slightly out of shape yes... but easily straightened
out.
This phone passes the bend test.
Bonus footage time!!!
A level three pick scratches the back plastic on both the Nexus 5x, and the LGG5, but leaves
no mark on the metal back of the Nexus 6P. #Science
Check out this camera comparison video I did against the iPhone SE, and the Nexus 5x. And
watch the Nexus 5x teardown I did when it first was released. Thanks a ton for watching
and subscribing. You guys are the best. Bonus points if you check out my Instagram and Twitter
for the behind the scenes stuff. Thanks for watching!