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The iPhone 18 Pro Max drop test is finally here, and today it goes head-to-head with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. If you look at the technical specifications, not much has changed since last year. The iPhone has the same glass and aluminum back design, as well as the same Ceramic Shield 2 on the front. The only significant change is that it is heavier than before, 35 grams more than the Galaxy. Combined with the infrared Face ID sensor under the display and the new replaceable diaphragm with moving parts that can fail if dropped, the situation seems worse. But whether that will actually be the case-there's only one way to find out. This episode
is sponsored by ESR, which sent in its new accessories for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone duo. Let's start with their new Atelier Magnetic Case for the foldable iPhone, which has a nice premium look and feel, which is what you'd expect from a $2,000 phone case. Not only does it have a nice- to-touch material on the back, but it's also designed to be easy to care for. So, even if you accidentally get it dirty, you can just wipe it down to make look clean again. But I especially like the fact that the camera protection folds back and serves as a stand. So you can position your phone to watch a movie in landscape mode or short content in portrait mode.
180° rotation allows you to use the stand as a phone holder, making it easier to hold your phone in different positions. Unlike Apple's own case, ESR also adds magnetic protection around the hinge, providing extra security for one of the most vulnerable parts of a foldable phone. ESR also sent their Ultra Fit Armorite Pro screen protectors, made from Corning glass-the same supplier that Apple uses for iPhone screens. ESR claims they provide 10 times better shock absorption compared to regular tempered glass and twice as good scratch resistance. Of course, ESR also offers cases and screen protectors for other iPhone models. So you can get that premium look and solid protection no matter which iPhone you choose. You can learn more at the first
link below. Quickly, before we get to the downfalls, I want to talk about an update to our testing methodology. We used to drop phones on 80-grit sandpaper, which we measured to be about halfway between sidewalk and asphalt. But the problem was that after several tests, it became clear: no phone could withstand this. So today we're switching to a lighter 120-grit sandpaper, which is an almost perfect match for the sidewalk we measured. This will still reflect the real surface, but will give us the control needed for more accurate results. This time, we tested the reliability of the method by dropping thousands of dollars worth of smartphones to see that while some phones will still break, some have a chance to survive.
But with that out of the way, let's move on to the fall on the back panel. Unfortunately, after falling from a height of one meter, both phones cracked. But on the iPhone, the damage is not as serious as on the Galaxy, where most of the damage, of course, falls on the glass part of the back panel. It's clear to see how the aluminum below and around the camera block helped prevent the entire back panel is glass, the glass broke much harder: the cracks went from the bottom almost to the very top of the phone. So, while the difference is small, as both phones cracked, in the first round it's a marginal win for the iPhone. Second round, a fall onto a corner from a height of 1 meter.
3, 2, 1. That's right, after falling on an angle, both phones have scratched aluminum frames. But on the iPhone it looks much worse. Part of it is because of the color, but the iPhone simply scratches more than the Galaxy. But what's worse, the aluminum frame on the iPhone was also warped. You can see that in the top right corner the bezel no longer fits perfectly against the screen, unlike the top left corner. While the Galaxy, despite the scratches, has no visible structural damage, giving it a clean victory in the second round.
Third round, falling down the screen from a height of 1 meter. Three, two, one. After falling face down, the iPhone survived, its glass completely intact. While the Galaxy screen, unfortunately, broke. But if you look closely at the iPhone, you can certainly see a few scratches on the glass from 120-grit sandpaper, just like on the Galaxy. But the main thing is that none of them led to cracks in the glass. Of course, while the screen looks good, we also wanted to make sure everything else on the phone worked. And after our 15- point check, the good news for the iPhone: everything went smoothly. Face ID still works, despite the infrared sensor being under the display, as is the variable aperture on the back of the phone. So, after three falls,
it's still holding up quite well. Unfortunately, Galaxy performed much worse. Not only was the screen cracked, which is already a significant difference, but due to the location of these cracks, it also completely lost the functionality of the fingerprint scanner. We tried cleaning the screen and tested it several times, but it just failed. And while the Galaxy still has face unlock, it's not secure enough for mobile payments. So this is a big win for the iPhone in the third round. Fourth round, a fall from a height of 1.5 m onto the back panel. After a 1.5m drop and a bunch of drama, to be honest, both phones held up pretty well. The iPhone obviously has more scuffs and the Galaxy has more cracks, but nothing significantly new, and no additional
component failures: the iPhone's variable aperture still works great. So, a draw in the fourth round. Fifth round, fall from a height of 1.5 m into a corner. Wow, despite being dropped straight onto a corner from a height of 1.5 m, the front glass of the iPhone is still intact. However, it's not all good news for the iPhone. The existing dent on the corner only got worse. It reminds me of those old cartoons where a character gets hit in the head and suddenly a huge ball pops out of him. This is what the corner of the iPhone looks like now, in addition to the fact that much more of the burgundy coating has been peeled off. Although Galaxy didn't do so badly, it performed worse than before, as it now also has a
dent in its corner. Although it is not as critical as on the iPhone. So, even though this round was closer, the victory still went to the Galaxy in the fifth round. Round six, a fall from a height of 1.5 m onto the screen. 3 2 1 After the sixth and final drop, the iPhone screen finally cracked, which could be due to both the higher height and accumulated damage from previous rounds. But either way, the iPhone screen now looks even worse than the Galaxy's, given the extent of the damage. However, the good news for the iPhone is that Face ID still works, despite the many cracks in this area. And the variable aperture of the main camera seems to continue to work
without any problems. The Galaxy, in turn, came to us with a cracked screen, and now it looks a little worse than before. So, it's another even round. But in terms of appearance, the iPhone looks a little worse, so a slight advantage in the sixth round goes to the Galaxy. Well, all six rounds are behind us, it's time to take stock. If you're wondering how we score each round: we use an adapted 10-point system, where the winner always gets 10 points, and the loser's score depends on the extent of the damage. In the first round, the iPhone suffered less damage overall thanks to its partially metal back panel. In the second round, everything was the other way around: the Galaxy's aluminum frame held up much better. And in the
third round, there was a big difference: the iPhone's screen remained completely intact, while the Galaxy's cracked. In the fourth round, both smartphones received additional damage to their back panels without any significant difference between them. In the fifth round, the iPhone's corner suffered even more than before, giving the Galaxy a slight advantage. And in the sixth round, although both phones had damaged screens, the iPhone's screen ended up looking a little worse. But, apparently, the third round was decisive, which ensured the iPhone's victory in this drop test. Well, that's all for me. Thanks for watching, and as always, see you in the next video.
