4 causes I believe smartphones nonetheless aren’t sturdy sufficient

To provide credit score the place credit score’s due, trendy smartphones will be fairly resilient. My

iPhone 16 Pro
, as an illustration, sports activities a titanium shell in addition to crack- and scratch-resistant glass. With regards to water and dirt, it has an

IP68 rating
— it is successfully dustproof, and may survive submersion in contemporary water to six meters (19.7 toes) for half-hour. Evaluate that with the unique

2007 iPhone
did not have an IP score in any respect. You had been taking fairly a big gamble the second you went outdoor. Even your house or workplace was dangerous — it is not like kitchen tile is that a lot softer than asphalt.

We have nonetheless bought a methods to go, although, earlier than I will be assured taking a cellphone anyplace with no case. Certainly, we have truly gone backwards in some methods from the pre-smartphone period. I doubt firms will remedy that anytime quickly, given their priorities, however it’s price mentioning points within the hope that they do.

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1

It is nonetheless too simple to break the again of your cellphone

Kind should not overcome operate

Tesla

Whereas many telephones now use titanium or aluminum shells to guard their inner parts, these supplies are sometimes paired with some type of Corning Gorilla Glass (or an equal). Corning’s engineers appear to be doing good work — on the finish of the day, nevertheless, glass is glass, as Tesla demonstrated all too vividly with the Cybertruck. It is nonetheless going to crack or scratch when sufficient drive is utilized, and nobody desires to hold round a cellphone with ugly spider fractures on the again. That is why I at all times advocate individuals purchase rugged instances for his or her telephones as a substitute of one thing slimmer and extra engaging. There is no sense risking your cellphone’s resale worth within the title of chasing attractiveness.

Smartphone makers and consumers alike have to recover from the necessity for “attractive” electronics. As an alternative of glass, I might personally a lot quite have thick plastic, and even rubber. These supplies are what many early cellphones used, together with the Nokia 3310, which was famously so robust that you possibly can run it over with a car with out doing main harm. I doubt any Pixel 9 homeowners are desirous to repeat that experiment.

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2

Generally IP68 is not sufficient

Thousand-dollar telephones deserve thousand-dollar safety

OnePlus

Actually, in most circumstances, IP68 water resistance is superb. It’s going to save your cellphone should you by accident spill some sambuca on it on the bar, or drop it in the bathroom or bathtub at house. You may even be positive should you get caught in a rainstorm. It is a sensible thought to dry a cellphone off after any liquid publicity, however for many sensible functions, a number of trendy gadgets are waterproof. I am nonetheless amazed by that sometimes, remembering what issues had been like as a ’90s child. It would not really feel like all system with an open port needs to be secure.

Be aware that I stated “most” functions and “quite a bit” of telephones. You continue to cannot take most telephones within the bathe, not to mention swim with them, and you might be really screwed should you drop your cellphone in pool or ocean water. Chlorine and salt are likely to eat by a tool’s water seals. There’s in all probability little cellphone makers can do about these corrosive substances, however I am hoping that the business will ultimately transfer in the direction of standardizing

IP69/IP69K
resistance — sufficient to guard in opposition to jets of high-pressure, high-temperature water. There are only a few IP69 telephones in the marketplace in the meanwhile, maybe the very best identified being the OnePlus 13. It may very well be the harbinger of a brand new development, if we’re fortunate.

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3

Screens are too uncovered

Somewhat raised bezel will not kill you

For nicely over a decade now, the development in smartphones has been in the direction of thinner and thinner bezels, or in some instances eliminating them utterly. There are some sensible advantages to this — it turns into simpler to swipe issues on- and off-screen, for instance — however it’s principally completed for visible attraction. Consumers appear to affiliate minimal bezels with superior design, presumably as a result of thick bezels had been unavoidable with earlier expertise. There was no manner Samsung’s first Galaxy S was going to duplicate the look of the Galaxy S25 Extremely.

There is a purpose why many instances have raised lips, although — the nearer a cellphone’s display glass will get to the sting, the extra seemingly it’s to crack or scratch in a drop. Nobody ought to have to purchase a case to stop this harm, particularly when it is completely attainable to construct a raised lip straight into an aluminum or titanium physique. It isn’t even a sacrifice in aesthetics, actually — it could look fairly fashionable if it is completed proper.

Issues truly worsen should you add foldables into the combination. All foldables have two shows, with the inner one truly being essentially the most weak, owing to softer supplies and the next threat of mud intrusion. You may get a water resistant foldable, however probably not a dustproof one.

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4

Beauty harm is all too frequent

What is the level of coloration that scratches off?

Naturally, there’s some overlap on this level with my earlier ones, however I wished to emphasise the truth that for all the hassle smartphone makers put into their aesthetics, it is nonetheless too simple to destroy them. Ask your self — would you set your iPhone 16e in the identical pocket as your keys? Most likely not, since simply jostling issues round would seemingly lead to a scratch eventually. It is a unhealthy thought regardless, however the level about fragility stays, and ladies do not even get the luxurious of pockets in lots of their garments — they must jam their cellphone in a bag or purse together with every little thing else that occurs to be in there.

The proliferation of shiny supplies and uncovered glass is regarding. On high of that, although, the colour schemes telephones use will too usually fade, chip, or scratch away. Does it have an effect on the sensible use of a cellphone? No. However should you’ve spent $1,000 or extra on an iPhone 16 Professional, it is slightly disheartening to see bits of its coloration coating chipped away in a matter of months. Due to that, I at all times slap a case on my telephones as quickly as attainable, and even my Apple Watches. Individuals make enjoyable of watch instances proper up till their $800 luxurious buy takes successful from a doorknob.

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