Which Breaks First: iPhone 6s or Samsung Galaxy Note 5?

One of the most nerve-twisting moments in life follows in the seconds after dropping a phone face down on the cold concrete. Thoughts of broken glass, ruined sim cards, and a horrific lack of exposure to the Kylie Jenner Official App spread through the mind like a wildfire, and the only thing that can extinguish the blaze of anxiety is knowing it landed on a patch of gum, breaking the fall in the most disgusting fashion possible. But what if that could be avoided? Which phone is the most likely to break? Should I just go back to the pager method like a surgeon and/or drug dealer?

A new study by SquareTrade, a company that offers third-party insurance on smartphones, outlined how breakable the new batch of smartphones are, and the situations most likely to leave you with a busted screen and a broken heart. They put the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 through the ringer -- this means long distance drops, extreme temperatures, water dunks, and bends -- and seeing how each model stands up to the test.

As far as freezing temps go, the Note 5 rises above the rest -- it's able to withstand zero-degree temperatures for two hours while functioning, while its Apple counterparts, the 6s and 6s Plus, lasted only a half hour, and a little more than an hour, respectively.

SquareTrade found that more than half of broken phones occurred from drops, and that the Note5 was the most susceptible to a cracked screen from a drop -- though, Apple's duo wasn't immune. Apple notably improved in damage from bending, something they caught a lot of flack for when they released the 6 and 6 Plus last year (#bendgate). "The iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6s withstood 180 and 170 pounds of pressure, respectively - a 50 to 60 percent improvement in bendability. The Note5 also withstood 170 pounds," the study said.

According to Jessica Hoffman, vice president of global communications for SquareTrade, "While Apple touts the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus as the most advanced iPhones ever, we still found them at the mercy of the most common of all problems - the accidental drop on a hard surface...On the flip side, both manufacturers have responded to bendgate with significant improvements on the three phones we tested. This is great news for consumers.”

Overall, the iPhone 6s scored 4.5 (medium risk) while the 6s Plus and Note 5 landed a slightly better score of 5. So bottom line: don't drop your phone into water, freezing temperatures -- or at all for that matter. That being said, if you just keep it in your pocket, you should be just fine.


Wil Fulton is a Staff Writer for Thrillist. He keeps his phone safely incased in Carbonate, thank you very much.Follow him @wilfulton

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