Chris Parker / CNET
O iPhone 12 Mini it’s a hard phone to crack. We already tested the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, but decided to do it all again with the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini to see if the smaller phone produced different results. Mostly, we wanted to see if we could break the screen. Spoiler: We didn’t, but we managed to break other things in the process. Covered with Apple’s new ceramic protective glass, the iPhone 12 Mini screen proved to be virtually indestructible in our drop test. He also seems to be even better at handling repeated falls than his bigger screen brother.
Read More: Is the iPhone 12 waterproof? We take you swimming to test your water resistance
Even though it looks exactly like normal glass to the naked eye, the ceramic shell on iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max it is not an ordinary glass. It is glass that has been infused with ceramic crystals and, according to Apple, is the toughest glass that exists in a smartphone. Since our testing methods are unscientific, we cannot be sure if this statement is true, but our experience with the iPhone 12 suggests that it has the toughest screen of all the phones we’ve tested. The 6.1-inch screen of our iPhone 12 ended up practically unharmed after falling to the concrete seven times at varying heights. The back of the phone, however, is made of glass from the previous generation and we managed to break it in the second drop.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini share the same glass made by Corning and an aluminum bezel (iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max have stainless steel), so we didn’t expect totally different results, but we wanted to find out if the phone is smaller and more light would affect the results.
Corning says that, in general, larger devices may be more likely to bend than smaller ones, and heavier phones may see greater energy on impact, but do not necessarily predict performance during an autumn event, as design can also play a part.
Chris Parker, senior video producer at CNET, threw a Product Red iPhone 12 Mini on the sidewalk for our test.
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The iPhone 12 Mini is hard to break
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Read More: Here are CNET reviews of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Drop 1: 3 feet, screen side down
This is approximately the distance from your pocket to the ground and one of the most common heights from which you can drop your phone. If the ground is uneven, as in the case of a sidewalk, this fall can be deadly for your cell phone screen.
The iPhone 12 Mini fell to the floor at a slightly tilted angle and bounced before settling, although Chris dropped it with the screen down. After dusting the sidewalk, the screen looked new. The metal structure, however, did not look so good. It had a big scratch in the upper right corner, where it fell, which scraped the red paint, exposing the metal at the bottom. The bottom of the frame suffered the same visible damage and also some small dents. The contrast between the bright red of the phone and the aluminum made the damage to the frame more noticeable than what we experienced on our mint green iPhone 12. This was a trend that we continue to see throughout our drop test.
The first drop from the hip hit the aluminum frame, but the screen was fine.
Chris Parker / CNET
Fall 2: 3 feet, back side down
Chris repeated the same fall, but this time with the back of the phone facing the floor. This was the last straw that cracked the back of the iPhone 12 in our previous crash test, but the Mini did better.
The phone hit with a little angle again, but this time the side of the phone hit the floor first, then turned to the opposite side, which made it jump in the air again and collapse again with its back facing downwards.
The damage to the aluminum frame was significantly worse and the top right corner of the phone on top of the camera had dents. But the back of the phone (and the screen itself) still seemed to be in perfect condition.
The second drop from the hip crumpled the frame, but not the glass.
Chris Parker / CNET
3: 6 feet, 6 inches, screen facing down
Although you are less likely to drop your phone from that height, it is still possible if you were taking a photo (or even a selfie for taller people) from that height.
Again, the Mini landed with the screen facing down, but not completely flat. The top of the phone hit first, making it take off again and complete a 360 degree turn before landing with the screen facing down on the sidewalk again.
The canvas survived once more, but the frame around it had more dents. One of the dents in the aluminum frame almost seemed to penetrate the glass where the two met, and I feared that it would compromise the canvas going forward.
The damage to the frame almost seemed to pass over to the glass.
Chris Parker / CNET
Fall 4: 6 feet, 6 inches, back side down
Then we replicate the drop with the back of the phone facing down.
This time, the back of the phone fell almost entirely to the floor, but the impact made it jump up and turn, falling with the screen facing down.
The rear window was still intact, but the lenses on both cameras were damaged. The ultra-wide-angle camera had a visible crack on the side, while the frame and lens of the main rear camera had some tiny dents. The crack was not visible through the viewfinder when we opened the camera application, but it could cause reflections on the lens and continue to break over time.
The fourth drop of 2 meters broke the top lens of the camera module of the iPhone 12 Mini.
Chris Parker / CNET
Fall 5 and 6: 9 feet, screen side down
With the front and rear windows of the iPhone 12 Mini still intact, we decided to increase the stakes and take the phone to almost two meters. Chris had to knock them down a ladder, and making them fall as planned became more difficult.
The first drop was a wash because the screen barely touched the floor. The phone landed on the top of the metal frame and bounced a little, so we tried again.
The second time, he landed with the screen facing the ground, turned in the air and finally ended up with the screen side facing up. The metal structure looked like a war zone at this point, but the screen was totally fine.
The dent in the upper right side of the frame continued to grow, but the ceramic shield screen had survived once again.
Fall 2: 9 feet, back side down
We repeated this fall with the back of the phone facing the ground, but from that height of fall he did not stop after the initial impact and made several turns in the air before landing with the back facing the ground.
This fall finally caused some damage to the back of the phone. He had three hairline fractures starting at the bottom right: two small and one longer that stretched upward along the frame almost to the top right.
Although we were unable to break the screen, the back of the iPhone 12 Mini finally cracked after the seventh drop of almost three meters.
Chris Parker / CNET
Let’s break it down
Based on our iPhone 12 and now iPhone 12 Mini drop tests, the ceramic protection is the strongest part of these phones. Both the lenses and the back of the iPhone 12 Mini cracked in our drop tests, but the sidewalk was no match for the screen, covered by the ceramic shield, surviving consecutive drops from extreme heights.
That said, you may still want to put at least one slim case on the phone to protect the camera and keep the frame looking new. At least, that’s what Apple suggested when we shared the results.
“The iPhone 12 models have undergone rigorous testing in the real world and are designed to be durable, but not indestructible. If someone is concerned about dropping the iPhone and damaging it, we suggest using one of the many beautiful cases available to protect the iPhone . ”