Apple's New XS and XS Max are Literally Groundbreaking

Less than a week since release, reports are already coming in that the iPhone XS and XS Max are not all they’re cracked up to be.

Last week, Apple announced the release of the new iPhone XS and XS Max, the newest phones in the Apple lineage. They were developed to be more efficient, powerful, and, in particular, more durable than their predecessors.

However, after less than a week, cracks are already showing in Apple’s new product — literally.

At the release event, Apple boasted about their phone’s new durability, claiming both phones to be more water resistant and have more durable glass than previous models. The tech giant went as far as saying that this was “the most durable glass ever in a smartphone”. Unfortunately for Apple, this claim turns out to not be entirely true.

Although independent sources have shown that both phones perform well in water durability tests, their performance in basic drop tests has been poor at best.

As you can see in the above video by SquareTrade, both the iPhone XS and XS Max perform exceptionally well in liquid tests.

The drop tests, however, are a different story.

In almost all the basic drop tests they performed, both phones broke or shattered either partially or entirely.

A backdown drop test from six feet led to both phones shattering with loose glass. The same result was seen when the phones were dropped on their fronts, with the XS’ display becoming entirely unusable after the drop.

When dropped on their side, both phones managed to survive the fall thanks to the stainless steel bordering on both models.

In a tumble test, where both phones were placed in a rotating metal box for 60 seconds, both the XS and XS Max suffered serious shattering, breakage, and chipping on their front and back.

Both phones performed relatively well in pressure tests, with the iPhone XS cracking and malfunctioning at around 250lbs of weight.

These breakages would be understandable in these new iPhone models had Apple not boasted that they were made with the most durable glass ever used in a smartphone.

With a standard screen repair costing up to $600 USD for both phones, this discovery is likely to discourage many people from investing in these newly released smartphones.

This is also not the only issue being found with the iPhone XS and XS Max — reports are already appearing of both models having issues with WiFi and LTE connectivity, a far more serious bug if it does turn out to be widespread.

Other reports are showing that the promise of increased battery life in these new models is also not true, with both models having a battery life of almost half an hour less than the iPhone X.

Although it is the world’s first trillion dollar company, and the brand is stronger than ever, new releases by Apple this year show that the end of the road may be near for the endless addon features and improvements given to iPhones.

With Apple already investing in augmented reality and self-driving cars, could they be branching out from their roots towards a more expansive and integral form of personal tech for their customers?

Apple’s iPhones being exposed as not what they were promised to be is no new revelation, but it could be a sign of the times for smartphones as Apple continues to release placeholder products to keep their legacy going while focusing on other projects.