The iPhone 10 is here.
Sometimes called the iPhone X - you can call it whatever you want, I'm not sure anyone
knows what its real name is anymore, poor guy.
Inside the box Apple was nice enough to include some headphones and an external headphone
jack to replace the one they removed from the phone earlier.
These cost $10 a piece if you lose it.
It's time to durability test this newest edition to the Apple family and see what we can expect
from the top of the line Apple flagship.
I am worried about these antenna lines.
It will be interesting to see if they give up the ghost like we saw in the Pixel 2, or
if Apple's stainless steel frame is strong enough to hold this fruit together.
Let's get started.
[Intro]
Starting with the scratch test, this brand new super retina, top of the line, one of
a kind, HD LED display is the same one that some Android phones have been using for the
past 7 years.
Right now we're interested in the glass above the display.
I'm scoring the surface with a set of Mohs hardness picks to see how scratch resistant
the glass is.
Plastic scratches at a level 3, and pure sapphire would scratch at a level 8 or 9.
Most flagships these days, like the LG V30 or Pixel 2, scratch at a level 6, and that's
exactly what we're seeing here with this iPhone X...I mean 10.
It has a normal scratch at a level 6 and a deeper groove at a level 7.
It was interesting to see that both Google and Apple are using beach pictures for their
stock background.
I kept half expecting Apple's to move as well, but they'll probably invent that next year.
The good news is is that the screen is not going to be scratched by your normal keys
or coins.
These metals are softer than the level 6 glass hardness.
Not even my razor blade can do any damage.
It was a little strange to not find a home button at the bottom of the phone.
There is no fingerprint scanner to test since the phone is unlocked with your face this
time around...and I'm not going to scratch test a face to see if it still works or not.
The phone can be woken up with just a tap to the screen, so I don't think that the home
button being gone is too big of a deal.
Apple is running out of things to remove though, so it'll be interesting to see what happens
next year.
Up here at the top of the phone, inside the iconic black notch, is the metal earpiece
grill, slightly recessed under the glass, the metal grill holds it's shape and won't
be falling out.
Plus the holes are small enough to keep dirt and metal shavings from getting inside the
magnetic speaker.
Thumbs up for that design.
The 7 megapixel front facing camera is under the same glass as the screen – so no scratches
happening here.
The back of the phone is also covered in glass, and this is where things start to get bad
for us as consumers.
The scratch resistance is normal, with no damage being done by my razor blade.
The iPhone logo is underneath the glass so it won't be rubbing off or get damaged.
It looks like this was the same tempered glass that was used on the front of the phone – scratching
at a level 6 on Mohs scale.
So keys and coins won't do damage, but pocket sand and anything else over a level 6, like
granite counter tops or tile, will scratch the glass.
So if you are the type of person who wants to keep your phone pristine, scratch and fingerprint
free, one solution is a skin.
Thanks to dbrand for supporting my durability test.
This back panel skin is easy to install and hides fingerprints and protects against scratches
when you set your phone down.
There's also a full body skin that protects the frame from damage as well.
Additionally, skins are also great for hiding accidental cracks in the back glass, which
I'll get to in a second.
If you're looking for something a bit more colorful than the matte black that you see
here, dbrand has a ton of color options available.
Whether you want to keep that Apple logo intact, or my personal favorite, dbrand your phone
entirely, I'll link the customizer in the description if you want to play around a design
your own iPhone.
Let's talk about cracks.
This might come as a surprise, but glass is glass, and very susceptible to damage.
The biggest flaw in this phone is that the back glass is near impossible to replace.
Even Apple themselves charge $549 to replace the back glass.
Even if you get the insurance and pay the $99 deductible, you're still out $300 for
a back panel replacement.
The most fragile and most often broken component on this phone is the most expensive to replace.
It does have a little plastic buffer between the glass and the metal, which is smart, but
as we saw from my iPhone 8 drop test, the glass can crack from a drop as small as 3
feet.
I would like to see, by a raise of hands, who here wants to pay $549 for a back glass
replacement?
Hey Jerry?
What?
Nobody raised their hands.
I guess $549 is a lot of money.
But iPhones get dropped a lot, won't it hurt Apple's image if there's a bunch of unfixable
broken iPhones walking around a year from now?
Yeah.
That's like getting a flat tire and needing to buy a whole new car.
I know.
Do you think Apple will change their pricing to help their customers in the future?
Probably not.
Well that's unfortunate.
If you do accidentally crack your glass and don't want to pay Apple's exorbitant pricing,
skins are a valid way of making the phone look new again.
The flawed back glass construction aside, this camera on the phone is pretty awesome.
Dual 12 megapixel sensors with a telephoto lens is a fantastic combination.
Cameras are something Apple does really well.
Apple claims this lens is sapphire and does a good job of resisting my razor blade, which
is about a 5 or 5 and a half on Mohs scale.
There are two circular cut outs on the lens: one for the microphone and another for the
quad LED flash.
And this iPhone X/10 keeps the same stainless steel theme around the edge.
It does stick up kind of far, but with how much power it's packing, it's understandable
and forgivable.
Judging by the marks that my level 6 Mohs picks leaves on the lens though, Apple is
still using their unique blend of sapphire that doesn't quite match up with the rest
of the world's.
I've covered that in a few previous videos.
The sides of this phone are made from stainless steel – quite possibly one of my favorite
build materials on a cell phone.
Super solid, heavy, and just looks good.
The side buttons are made from the same stainless steel material.
Thumbs up for consistency.
Not quite the same ear bleeding sound we get from aluminum.
This is because aluminum is a bit softer than steel and scratches easier.
Down at the bottom of the phone where the headphone jack used to be, may he rest in
peace, I found something pretty cool.
Apple's attention to looks and detail is probably one of the best.
Inside the speaker and microphone holes, we get the matching stainless steel grill that
flows pretty well with the exterior design of the phone.
The little things, like this, is what sets Apple apart from the competition.
Well, that, along with the extraordinary dongle selection in the Apple Store.
This black plastic buffer around the edge of the front glass in between the glass and
the metal frame of the phone is a good thing to help absorb some of the impact and stress
from drops.
It's similar to the buffer we saw on the back panel.
Finally, we have the burn test.
This is the first time Apple has used an OLED display inside of their smartphones.
Their previous IPS LCD displays are really good, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to
beat the colors on an LED panel.
One unique thing about this phone is it's touch sensitivity at 120 Hertz.
The refresh rate of the display is still 60 Hertz like on previous phones, but this display
tracks your finger 120 times per second instead of the usual 60 times per second like on the
iPhone 8.
The average person will probably never notice this, but it's interesting to know that it's
there.
The screen lasted 25 seconds under the heat from my lighter before going white and not
recovering.
You can tell from my fingerprint remaining on the burn mark that the oleophobic coating
has burned off, so there is permanent damage.
Don't try this trick at home.
The heat did mess with the touch sensitivity for a second, but after the phone cooled down,
it all came back.
And finally, the bend test.
It's time to see if those antenna lines are a weak point in the phone's design.
Flexing the phone allows us to see how well the phone is constructed and gives a general
idea of any flaws that will present themselves in the coming years that you own your phone.
There is a very minor flex to the body as I bend the frame, but there is no screen separation
or body damage along those antenna lines.
So the water resistance should remain intact.
This is an incredibly solid phone.
The Achilles heel of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 design is it's irreplaceable glass back.
It won't bend, scratch, or burn, but one little drop and it will be cracked forever.
$549 is just an incredibly unrealistic and unreasonable charge for something as fragile
and prone to breaking as glass.
Aftermarket Samsung back glass replacements are $20.
So it can be done – Apple just chooses not to.
To each their own though.
This phone passes my durability test with flying colors and will make a great addition
to any Apple ecosystem.
Just consider getting a case or a skin for protection.
I'll have a link to dbrand in the description right below this video so you can design your
own iPhone.
What do you think of this new iPhone 10/X?
Let me know in the comments.
Come hang out with me on Instagram and Twitter.
And thanks ton for watching.
I'll see you around.