SquareTrade, a company that offers insurance for your consumer electronics gear, recently recorded a video showing what happens when you drop a Samsung Galaxy S II and an Apple iPhone 4S from waist height, shoulder height, and then screen first, all on concrete. The results shouldn’t be too surprising considering that the Samsung Galaxy S II has a Gorilla Glass screen while Apple’s iPhone 4S, which looks exactly like the accident prone iPhone 4, obviously doesn’t. If you’ve got the stomach to watch perfectly good hardware being subjected to torture for the sole purpose of driving traffic to a site that hopes to increase the number of insurance policies that they sell, then check out the ensuing carnage below.
Oddly enough, when you view the video above on YouTube the description clearly states: “We don’t cover intentional damage like you see in the video.” So why the hell would you go with SquareTrade when Apple offers AppleCare+? With Apple you pay them $99 for a 2 year insurance policy, and then said policy allows you to get up to two replacements, with each claim costing you just $50. And yes, if you’re wondering whether or note Apple’s warranty covers accidental or even willful damage, it most certainly does.
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to make sure your smartphone lasts you the full length of your 2 year contract, then just buy a padded case. It’ll make your device look bulky, it’ll probably make you want to use it less since you’ll have to deal with the hassle of removing your expensive smartphone out of a pouch that’s an eyesore, but you know what, you’ll have a smartphone that lasts you forever. This writer used to hate cases, but then after cracking the glass on the back of his iPhone 4, he now keeps his injured Jesus Phone protected in a Monsta Case from Case-Mate.