Whenever a new smartphone or tablet emerges on the market, tech enthusiasts and analysts alike want to subject the latest gadgets to torture tests. The goal of torture tests is to see whether or not a gadget can survive the natural elements (often a controlled few). Sometimes, the drops that happen are the types you may encounter on a daily basis; in other tests, certain drops may not be a common occurrence but show how much your tablet can endure should it face a tougher element in special circumstances.
Android Authority decided to subject the Nexus 5 to three torture tests (back drop, side drop, and face drop), and the Nexus 5 fared well through the back and side drop tests. When dropped on its back, the Nexus 5 had a few scuffs on the side bezel and the back plate slightly emerged from its normal place. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 did the same thing, but, as with the Galaxy Note 3 torture test, the Nexus 5 back plate can be snapped back into place.
When dropped on its side, the Nexus 5 sustained more scuffs but still survived. Last but not least, when dropped on its face, the Nexus 5 cracked – as we expected. Not only did the display crack in several places (with certain “cobwebs” present) but the display also came apart when online casino’s hitting the concrete pavement. Video footage from the Nexus 5 torture drop showed certain parts of the bottom portion of the phone (the portion that eats up some of the display) losing small, black pieces as the phone hit the concrete on impact. There were major pieces of the bottom bezel lost, as demonstrated by the presence of yellow exposure in the after-impact photos.
While Samsung smartphones are known for gaining screen cracks when dropped on their face, Google’s Nexus 5 takes destruction a step further: its collision with concrete led to the loss of some portions of its bottom bezel, far worse than screen cracks. The Nexus 5 screen still operated after enduring the drop tests, but users may want to get a full screen protector that protects even the bottom bezel. To have bottom-bezel exposure on one’s front display can lead to all sorts of injury and electric shock if left unprotected.
One may ask why torture tests are important when many of them often show the same kinds of impact; at the same time, however, I think that smartphone and tablet manufacturers should take a good look at torture videos and seek to correct the problems that drop tests emphasize. The Nexus 5 is an excellent phone, but, like any phone, becomes a health hazard if dropped on its face. No one wants to feel the glass chards peeling through one’s finger skin while touching the display, and Google should seek to make its phone more impact-resistant in the future. Google is not alone in this, but Google is the manufacturer responsible for the next-generation Nexus.