Anyone dropped their iPhone 3G?

Nice phone... but how does it respond to being dropped?

In a constant battle against the evil forces of gravity (and paranoia), whenever I am moving about with my ip3g, I am always seeking to avoid a situation where it makes contact with the floor, and inevitably comes off worse. Yep, I’m talking about dropping it.

You see, having dropped a few mobile devices in my time – and these were ones that I really wanted to keep in A1 condition – so I have the feeling that if the ip3g is dropped (say on an outside surface), it’s going to scratch REALLY badly.

My reasons for thinking this are:

large screen area – screen are notorious for scratching
large shiny rear surface – that will show up scratches easily
rounded edges – look particularly bad after damage/scratches occur

So I throwing it out there – has anyone dropped their ip3g and would like to share what happened to it? Interestingly, I’ve seen an ip2g that was dropped, and even with it’s metal back, the impact scratched the case, but more importantly, cracked the glass screen – must have been a decent impact !!

Of course, the logical thing here is to use a case, and I quite agree that would be an option – however, there’s something slightly ironic about covering up the design-centric ip3g with a hulking great case – and at any rate, I’ve yet to see a good one!

[Image via: Apple]

About The Author

Ben Robinson

Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.

John Kelly

I bought my iPhone 3G on launch day, and dropped it after six days. On tiles no less. It’s amazing how well they bounce. Virtually the entire screen was cracked, yet still usable.
I had it insured but due to the fact that they were like gold dust at the time, it took almost three weeks to get a replacement. I’ve dropped the replacement several times on nights out etc. yet it’s managed to stay in one piece.

And yes before anyone asks, I do use a case now!
TGSinSYR

I got mine on launch day, also. I think it took me a few weeks to drop it, tho. The screen was fine but the hit to the pavement of my street took several small CHUNKS right outta the corners (bounced from one corner to another of course!). Still worked just fine…and that was done WITH it in its case. Obviously not the smartest case for such a clutz! I’m on my third iPhone…same case. LOL! CLUTZ! As long as Apple has stock I have stories.
Kiteflyer

you have to buy the $40 dollar brown leather case at at&t it is the only one that will cover all 4 corners and the back , with a flip up cover on the front , i have dropped mine once with the case and there was zero damage
Wicked Soul

I dropped mine, and there were a few scratches on the metal area, they are not that deep though, but if one takes a closer look at it, can see it. and the worst part is that the front glass came out a bit from the top, and i had to push it back inside and now when the screen is not active, thier are a few dust particles in it…
kathi

I dropped mine last week. It fell off the work bench in the garage onto the concrete floor. No case on it. A few tiny scratches on the backside- no other damage. Guess I’m lucky.
Chonburi

i dropped mine on some pavement and it loks like crap especially since mine is white.
igor

My wife droped 2 iphones on our weding day, both phones craked, had to buy new glass of ebay and replace.
Calvin

TGSinSYR, the exact same thing happened to me! I will never buy a Berlin case again!
James Burland

Dropped mine about a dozen times, not even a scratch. As for the original iPhone? Dropped that on the first week and dented the casing.

My policy on new phones is this; get a cheap case for the first couple of months, practically every phone I ever seriously damaged has been within the first two months of ownership. After that ditch the case, you wont need it.

I have 2 super cheap O2 iPhone rubber sleeves, I think they were a tenner for the pair. If I’m in a situation where I might need the extra grip, jogging for example, then I’m good to go!
Stefano

I have dropped mine onto a tar road, it has tiny scratches on all 4 corners, but can barely see it on the black surface, screen is fine. Actually, still looks new I have since then got a back cover though. Sleek cover, fits in with the look of the ip3g
MSJ

so I was at TAO Nightclub at the Venetian in Vegas gettin’ down when I was tryin to drunk-text a friend on my 3g.. all of a sudden, someone hits my arm and my 3g goes flying and drops between 2 dancing gals. Buzzed as f*<k, I quickly lean down and reach between one of the girl’s legs to grab my phone, and on my way up, end up rubbing a lil bit of sweaty thigh (on accident of course ^_- ) Those 2 girls jet off to a different location faster than a spun crackhead.

as for my phone, there was no damage from the drop thankfully, and i owe it to having a Griffin Elan Form.
Will Park

I’ve dropped my iPhone 3G many times. The worst was getting out of a Hummer Limo on Halloween with my iPhone 3G on my lap. Over the course of a few drinks en route to the Halloween party, I managed to forget that my precious iPhone 3G was on my lap. When the driver opened the door to let us out, I just got up and exited.

My iPhone 3G dropped to the broken asphalt from about 3.5 feet up. It hit the ground on a corner and proceeded to slide ~4ft on its back until it came to a stop. The driver looked down and apologetically said “not good.”

Damage report:
Not a single scratch or ding

Protection:
ZAGG ClearCoat for iPhone 3G – it covers the corners, which prevented any dings from impact. The thin plastic covering apparently provided just enough bounce/give to absorb the force of impact. The rest of the body was protected from scratches during the 4-foot slide across the asphalt.
R Lake

I’ve dropped my 3GIphone quite a few times,getting out of the car onto the road,slipping out of my pocket onto the ground, knocked of table onto the ground and not a mark on it and works perfect.
I have a Fullbody Film covering the screen and back,then a Tech21 iband to protect the edges.
This allows you to still have the feel and great looks of the iphone without putting it in a case.
I’ve even thrown my iphone onto the ground to show friends how good the protecton is.
John

Dropped mine off the top of my locker at school, roughly person with their hand up drop, and man was i pissed. My friend said he just saw me pick it up like it was nothing and was scared i would freak i was like thanks but meh it’s a phone, IT REALLY SUCKS NOW but a phone none the less. The top left corner was dented and the chrome plate is off a little but all in all it’s still good. if you press the top left of the screen it vibrates cause it shut off the silence and puts it on real fast