In brief: Modern handsets aren’t known for their durability compared to phones of yesteryear, such as the Nokia 3310. To see what kind of tests Apple submits its iPhones to, YouTube tech star Marques Brownlee visited one of the company’s labs.
The first of the clips Brownlee shared on X shows how Apple tests to ensure the iPhone 15 models earn their IP68 rating, which means they are water resistant in fresh water to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) for up to 30 minutes and are protected from dust.
Brownlee showed the other three water tests: a machine that drips liquid onto the phone to simulate rain, a number of low-pressure jet sprays hitting it from all angles, a firehose that blasts the handset, and submerging the iPhone in water with added pressure to simulate depth for an extended time.
#2: There’s an entire room of machines for water and ingress testing
Level 1: A drip tray simulating rain, no real pressure. IPX4
Level 2: A sustained, low-pressure jet spray from any angle. IPX5
Level 3: High pressure spray from a literal firehose. IPX6
Level 4: Locking the… pic.twitter.com/5R38I6QVmW
– Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 29, 2024
Apple also uses a robot arm that repeatedly picks up iPhones and drops them. A high-speed camera allows engineers to examine the impacts and decide if any changes need to be made to the phone’s structure.
Another machine rapidly shakes iPhones at certain frequencies, such as motorcycle engines and subway cars, to see how well the handsets cope with being exposed to these frequencies over time. Apple warns that exposure to vibrations, such as those generated by high-powered motorcycle engines, might impact iPhone cameras.
#4 Ok this one was hard to capture on camera – it’s literally shaking everything at computer-controlled frequencies. They can program in the frequency of a certain motorcycle engine or subway car to simulate how well a device will hold up to sustained exposure to that frequency… pic.twitter.com/K981NzQhhk
– Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 29, 2024
Brownlee also shared some snippets of conversation with John Ternus, Head of Hardware Engineering at Apple, about why iPhones are so difficult to repair. Ternus says Apple focuses more on making a product that never fails rather than one that isn’t super reliable but is super easy to repair, a comment that will likely spark some debate.
$5 – Talked to John Ternus – Head of Hardware Engineering at Apple, and it was interesting hearing straight from the top why the iPhone is harder to repair. Take a listen pic.twitter.com/O9QsQOx4SP
– Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 29, 2024
Ternus does add that Apple has been softening its stance on user repairability in recent times, such as allowing the use of used parts.
In April, Apple announced an upcoming expansion of its iPhone repair program that’ll allow customers and independent repair shops to utilize genuine used parts, including displays, batteries, and cameras.
