Is the much anticipated iPhone X really worth it?

SquareTrade Labs uses a range of scientific robots to drop, bend, tumble, and dunk devices to see how they live up to the activities of our everyday lives.

SquareTrade’s Breakability tests results revealed:

• Face down drop test: On its first drop, SquareTrade saw the iPhone X shatter, its screen become unresponsive, and its widely touted facial recognition feature fail completely.
• Side and back drop tests: The side drop did the most internal damage to the phone. While the outside of the phone only suffered cosmetic damage, the screen was rendered inoperable. Meanwhile, the back drop completely shattered the back panel leaving loose shards of glass, making it difficult to hold.
• Dunk test: The iPhone X faired similar to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus models, surviving 30 minutes under five feet of water with some audio muffling during playback.
• Shot test: Meant to simulate a phone falling off the roof of a car, the shot test showed that the iPhone X is prone to damage from a variety of drops. While the screen and back panel did experience cracks, the biggest damage came from both Face ID and the new 'home' swipe command failing.
• Tumble test: Sixty seconds in the Tumble Bot was no friend to the iPhone X either. Although the screen was able to recognise touch through cracks suffered during the test, the 'home' swipe command failed, stranding users in the app that happened to be open.
• Repairability: SquareTrade’s Master Technician noted that the iPhone X has a thinner, costlier OLED screen that’s more expensive to replace, a smaller logic board, multiple cables, and a split battery that’s more difficult to remove. All of which may be why Apple is charging $279 for front screen replacement and $549 for other repairs.

“You’d expect there to be a high price to pay for a beautiful phone like the iPhone X. Unfortunately for consumers, in the end it’s likely to be more than the $1,000 they’ve already invested.” said Jason Siciliano, Vice President Global Creative Director at SquareTrade.

“Despite Apple’s claims that their glass is the most durable ever in a smartphone, the iPhone X is the most breakable iPhone we’ve ever tested. The iPhone X’s fragility, along with Apple’s $549 fee for most repairs, make it the definition a high-risk phone.”

SquareTrade's Breakability Score fills the gap left by traditional reviews. The Score is based on several factors: from physical characteristics and components to the results of SquareTrade’s drop, dunk, bend, tumble and shot tests. The higher a device scores on 100-point scale, the higher the risk of it breaking due to an accident.

To guard against the worst, SquareTrade advises people to use screen protectors and phone cases, and more so than ever, get covered by a protection plan.

Recently, SquareTrade introduced new pricing and services to better serve the increased fragility of phones like the iPhone X.

The updated plan offerings include two-year plans for all smartphones for $129 with an option of adding a third year for just $30. With costs for iPhone X repairs skyrocketing, SquareTrade’s plan is the most affordable option for consumers.