I just broke my iPhone — here's what I learned about the durability of today's phones
My iPhone 12 has served me ably for more years than I can count without pausing to think about. It's been there on trips, helping me snap photos, and it's gotten me from point A to point with trusty navigation tips. It's also tested innumerable software updates and features, without complaint or incident.
And the other day, I smashed it beyond repair.
I was out for one of my evening walks to get my steps in — yes, the Fitness app on my iPhone 12 also encourages me to stay active — and I reached for my phone to start a new podcast to accompany me for the rest of my journey.
But while taking the iPhone out of my pocket, it slipped from my hands and took a plunge to the concrete below, bouncing on the sidewalk and then skidding to a stop a few feet away.
You can see the after-effects in the photo at the top of this article. My iPhone 12 landed flush on the main camera, cracking the lens for good. The phone is still perfectly functional, but if I want to take a photo with the camera, the end result looks like a Monet painting.
Don't feel sorry for me. I got a lot of use out of the iPhone 12. Apple first released that particular model nearly five years ago, and while I haven't been using the iPhone 12 since Day 1, it's been my go-to model for at least three years, maybe four. An upgrade was in the cards anyhow, and my clumsiness merely forced the issue.
So I'm not looking for any sympathy. Rather, I'm sharing this story because I think it reveals a couple of important things about today's smartphones and making sure they last as long as possible.
When it comes to dropping phones, the incident that finally did in my iPhone 12 wasn't exactly my first rodeo. I would estimate that, conservatively, I've probably dropped that phone once a week for the past three years.
Sometimes, it would fall harmless on cushions or padded surfaces. But otherwise — hardwood floors, linoleum, bathroom tiles — this phone has come into contact with it at all, usually at less-than-ideal acceleration.
For heaven's sake, the iPhone 12 that finally succumbed to my ham-fisted handling is the same one that wound up at the bottom of the Russian River when I capsized a canoe. And that only knocked it out of commission for the time it took me to expel water from its charging port.
Through all that mishandling, the cracked lens from its most recent fall is the only significant damage my iPhone 12 ever suffered. Yes, there were cosmetic scuffs and scrapes, mostly to the phone's frame, but this Apple device definitely took a licking and kept on ticking.
And that's by design. The iPhone 12 introduced Apple's Ceramic Shield, a tougher material designed for better drop protection. Mission accomplished, I can safely confirm. And the iPhone 12's IP68 water resistance rating has kept my phone safe from dunks in the water, whether it's the pool at my gym or the aforementioned ravages of the Russian River.
More encouraging, if your phone is more recent mine, Apple has only improved durability. The latest iPhone 16 models offer a newer generation of Ceramic Shield for even greater durability. And if you spring for one of the Pro versions, you get a titanium frame that's stronger yet lighter than the typical aluminum materials used in phones.
Despite all that, I think you still should get a case for your phone — at least if you want it to last for a very long time. My iPhone 12 was naked as a jaybird when I let it slip from my hands, and I think it's a safe bet that had it been in case, it might have come away from this latest tumble unscathed.
Don't be like me — get a case to keep your iPhone safe.
• Best iPhone 16 cases• Best iPhone 16 Plus cases• Best iPhone 16 Pro cases• Best iPhone 16 Pro Max cases
That's because even the thinnest, low-profile cases offer key protection for the two most vulnerable areas of your phone — the screen and camera array. Any phone case worth its salt has raised edges around those areas, aimed at preventing them from coming into contact with unforgiving surfaces.
Throw in even a modicum of drop-protection — Tom's Guide recommends you look for cases that offer at least 4 feet — and there's a good chance that those inevitable accidents won't result in catastrophic damage.
Put it this way: if I had been keeping my iPhone 12 in a case on that fateful walk, I'd have the option of upgrading to a new device whenever I wanted instead of having to get a new phone now. With the iPhone 17 launch still a few months away, that extra time might have come in handy.
So celebrate the fact that the phone in your hands — whether built by Apple or someone else — is probably a lot more durable than a device you might have owned a few years back. And that's great news if you're one of the growing number of people who try to make their phones last as long as possible.
Just make sure you keep a case handy for those late-night walks.
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Rank Phone Capacity Duration Points 1st OnePlus 13 6,000 mAh 23:21 h 10 2nd Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 4,685 mAh 23:04 h 9 3rd Motorola Razr 60 Ultra 4,700 mAh 19:22 h 8 4th Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5,000 mAh 18:42 h 7 5th Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 3,900 mAh 16:58 h 6 6th Oppo Find N5 5,600 mAh 15:01 h 5 7th Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 4,400 mAh 14:58 h 4 8th Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold 4,650 mAh 14:31 h 3 9th Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 4,000 mAh 14:21 h 2 10th Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 5,060 mAh 14:02 h 1 The OnePlus 13 unsurprisingly outperforms the competition here, as the larger capacity and software optimizations work their magic. The iPhone 16 Pro Max meets expectations here as Apple's software and hardware integration proves to be magical for endurance. It'll be interesting to see how the new background tasks feature in iOS 26 affects this. 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It also applies to the 15-minute reading, where we record the battery percentage reported by the phone and multiply it by the capacity to estimate the mAh charged during those 15 minutes. Let's take a look, first, at the time taken for a full charge: Rank Phone Speed Full charge m/Ah min Points 1st OnePlus 13 80W 35 mins 171.4 10 2nd Oppo Find N5 80W 50 mins 112 9 3rd Motorola Razr 60 Ultra 68W 48 mins 93.8 8 4th Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 45W 64 mins 78.1 7 5th Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 37W 78 mins 64.9 6 6th Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 25W 67 mins 58.2 5 7th Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 25W 91 mins 48.4 4 8th Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold 21W 105 mins 44.3 3 9th Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 37W 114 mins 41.1 2 10th Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 25W 102 mins 39.2 1 For more than a decade, one thing has been clear: companies like Huawei, Oppo, Honor, and OnePlus have all figured out how to recharge phones quickly and safely. This has been the case since long before the introduction of the new generation of Silicon Carbon batteries, and the technology is significantly faster than its competitors. The result is that it's no surprise that OnePlus and Oppo dominate the list. However, the biggest surprise comes from the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra and its new 68W charging, which significantly increases charging speeds. I don't know about you, but I often forget to charge my phone, or the battery runs low when I only have a short moment to recharge. For those times, I also noted the percentage each phone added to the battery after a 15-minute charge. Rank Phone Speed % at 15 m ~mAh Points 1st OnePlus 13 80W 55% 3,300 10 2nd Oppo Find N5 80W 42% 2,352 9 3rd Motorola Razr 60 Ultra 68W 48% 2,160 8 4th Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 45W 40% 2,000 7 5th Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 37W 35% 1,771 6 6th Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 37W 27% 1,265 5 7th Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 25W 30% 1,170 4 8th Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 25W 26% 1,144 3 9th Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold 21W 24% 1,116 2 10th Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 25W 23% 920 1 This overall charging test is when Apple's core weakness becomes apparent. The battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is fantastic, but the charging speeds leave much to be desired. As you'll see below, however, this is not always the case, and the slower overall iPhone charging speeds are usually due to the device charging more slowly (to protect the battery) once it reaches 80%. The phone with the best battery is… There's a lot more testing to do on these phones and many of the best upcoming folding phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, but where do Samsung's current folding phones stand? How about the new Galaxy S25 Edge? How does the thin body affect that battery compared to its beefier sibling? Let's look at the final results to find out! Rank Phone Total Points 1st OnePlus 13 44 2nd Motorola Razr 60 Ultra 41 3rd Oppo Find N5 37 4th Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 35 5th Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 33 6th Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 25 7th Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 21 8th Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 17 9th Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold 16 10th Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 6 It's no surprise that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes last, especially given it's been there for most of these tests, but it does have me curious whether they'll be able to improve it in the upcoming Z Flip 7. The Galaxy S25 Edge performs admirably given the capacity constraints, especially as it has the smallest battery of all. In the top 5, Apple is the most interesting. Improving charging speeds would eliminate the gap to the top of the leaderboard, especially since it currently ranks first in the battery life tests. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a solid contender, but it shows that there's still room for Samsung to improve. The top 3 are very interesting. The Oppo Find N5 has the best book-style folding phone battery life that I've tested, and this rings true in the testing. The same applies to the Razr 60 Ultra, which proves that flip phones can be just as capable as non-flip ones. I'm very surprised by just how capable the Razr 60 Ultra battery life proves to be in this test. The best phone for overall battery life, however, is the OnePlus 13, which continues the OnePlus trend of offering outstanding battery life and super-fast charging. This is the biggest and best battery in a OnePlus phone to date, and shows that Silicon Carbon is the smartphone battery future we've been waiting for.
