Alexandra Burlacu
SquareTrade has pitted the Moto X, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C and Samsung Galaxy S4 against each other in a new drop, slide and dive test.
All four smartphones are among the highest-rated handsets of this year and each one of them created a lot of hype upon its debut. When it comes to investing a small fortune in a smartphone, however, durability makes a world of difference, so which handset is the toughest among the four?
Protection plan company SquareTrade has conducted a "breakability" test with several trials and determined that Motorola's new flagship, the Moto X, is the toughest of the bunch. The new iPhone 5S comes in second place, followed by the iPhone 5C. The Samsung Galaxy S4, meanwhile, suffered the most throughout the drops, slides and water dunks.
SquareTrade conducts such tests every year to test the durability of new smartphones. The company simulates common accidents such as counter drops, plunges into the toilet or accidental slides across a desk or table.
Using robots, SquareTrade performed a corner drop from five feet high on each of the four smartphones. The company then slid the handsets across a table and, for the last test, it dunk them into water for 10 seconds.
Apple's newly-unveiled iPhone 5C came out with a cracked screen after the drop test and was rather capricious after the water dunk. The iPhone 5S scored better at these two tests, showing only a dented corner following the drop test and having good response after the short bath, but it did fail the slide test. In fact, the new iPhone 5S was the only smartphone of the four to slide right off the table.
Samsung, meanwhile, may have increased the durability of its flagship with the Galaxy S4, but apparently not enough. The smartphone came in last, with the drop and dunk tests rendering it unusable. In the last test it almost slid off the table.
Google's Moto X came out as the clear winner, getting only a small dent on the corner during the drop test. According to SquareTrade, the concave backing of the Moto X has "set a new bar" when it comes to the durability of the handset's back panel.
"We were expecting that at least one of the new iPhone models would up its game but surprisingly, it was the Moto X that proved most forgiving of accidents," said SquareTrade CMO Ty Shay. "This is the first time we've tested the breakability of a Motorola phone, the only phone we've ever tested that's made in the USA. We were pleased to find that it withstood our drop, slide and dunk test with only the slightest dent. It looks like Google is giving Apple and Samsung a run for their money."
In other words, the Moto X may not be as high-end as the new iPhones or the Samsung Galaxy S4, but it seems that it's the most durable of the bunch. Check out the video below to see for yourself.
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