Apple recently opened its doors to Marques Brownlee, offering an exclusive look at the testing facility where the durability of iPhones is evaluated. This rare glimpse into Apple’s operations revealed the meticulous and extensive testing processes that ensure the iPhone’s top-notch user experience.
The iPhone’s durability, from its ability to withstand a fall onto concrete to its IP68 rating, is the result of countless hours of rigorous testing and iterative improvements. At Apple’s iPhone testing facility, engineers closely monitor the iPhone as it undergoes a series of tests designed to engineer a product with best-in-class durability.
Apple claims to test around 10,000 different devices of a new iPhone model before the finished product actually arrives in stores. The testing process includes a variety of scenarios, such as waterproof testing that starts with a simple drip test, moving on to a high-pressure hose blasting water at an iPhone, and ending with the iPhone being submerged underwater for a length of time.
Apple also has machines designed to test how iPhone models perform when dropped on a variety of hard surfaces. The machine can drop an iPhone from multiple angles onto a range of different materials.
During his visit, Brownlee sat down with John Ternus, Apple’s head of Hardware Engineering. When asked about why the iPhone is notoriously harder to repair than rival smartphones, Ternus explained that there is sometimes a tradeoff when it comes to durability and ease of repair. He stated that a product that never fails is obviously better for the customer and the environment than a product that is easy to repair but not very reliable.
Read more: bgr.com