How durable is the iPhone 18 Pro? Here are the test results.

 How durable is the iPhone 18 Pro? Here are the test results.

YouTuber Zack Nelson, known by the channel name "JerryRigEverything," has tested the durability of Apple's new smartphones, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. While the phones' external structure proved robust during testing, Nelson noted that the new technologies incorporated into them had already been utilized by Android phones years ago.

The durability test results showed that the "Ceramic Shield 2" glass on the front sustained minor scratches at Level 7 and deep scratches at Level 8 on the Mohs scale. Nelson reported that the display suffered no permanent damage even when exposed to a direct flame for 25 seconds. He also stated that the phone did not bend at all when subjected to maximum force applied by both hands, passing the bend test successfully.

His testing revealed that, aside from drops, the phone remains unaffected by ordinary pressure or stress. Upon opening the device to examine its internal structure, it was found that Apple has utilized a "vapor chamber" (cooling system) three times larger than previous versions. Nelson noted that this chamber is made of 80% recycled stainless steel—rather than copper—and contains deionized water vapor. Additionally, to keep the new "A20 Pro" processor cool, a thin metal sticker was used instead of traditional thermal paste. Nelson praised the design that allows the 4,288 mAh battery to be replaced by simply removing screws, as it is attached directly to the metal frame. However, he noted that repairing other components would be quite difficult due to the presence of tiny screws and soldered cables on the motherboard. Disassembling the camera revealed a variable aperture mechanism that operates using extremely small magnets and paper-thin blades. He also claimed that Apple’s "Sensor-Shift" technology offers the best stabilization among current smartphones.

Nelson remarked that the phone's key new features are not original. Pointing out that Samsung introduced variable aperture seven years ago, ZTE debuted under-display cameras six years ago, and Oppo launched 60W fast charging back in 2019, he commented that Apple was very late in adopting these technologies. While criticizing the new Burgundy color and acknowledging the phone's sturdy build and excellent internal engineering, he concluded that he would not switch from Android to the iPhone just yet.