Dropping phones: iPhone 4S v. Samsung Galaxy S III

Everyone likes a good Apple versus Android video, right? Well, SquareTrade, which appropriately provides extended warranties on your technology, did a drop test of the iPhone 4S versus the Samsung Galaxy S III. Get ready for some communications carnage.

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SquareTrade simulated a number of drop scenarios, including a fall from ear-height, a drop from the roof of a car, and a test of what could happen if your child gets hold of your phone and throws it into the air. That last one is pretty funny. In the ear-drop test, the iPhone survived with minor dings to its corners, where the Samsung Galaxy S III had major cracks all along its glass face.

In the “forgot it on top of a car” test, the iPhone again made out with only a few dings to the corners of its body. The Galaxy’s screen, however, suffered a similar fate to the first test and completely shattered. The iPhone did not make out well when two superhero t-shirt clad pre-schoolers hurled the phones above their heads. The glass back of the iPhone was destroyed, while the front glass stayed intact. The Galaxy’s back and battery popped off at impact, but the glass front was otherwise fine as well.

In the end, the iPhone made out with the least amount of damage in two of the tests, where the Samsung Galaxy S III suffered major damage to its glass face, which is considerably larger than the iPhone’s. The Galaxy’s screen measures 4.8-inches, compared to the iPhone’s 3.5 inches. Of course, in any of these drop test videos, you need to consider the way the phone hit the ground and remember that results could be different with new drops.