Ever since Apple unveiled the iPhone Air, calling it its most durable iPhone ever, it feels like all of the Apple YouTube community has been waiting to see the JerryRigEverything hands-on test.
Sure, enough, he delivered. And the iPhone Air held up to Apple’s claims. Despite using all his force, the iPhone Air would not break from bending; the phone simply flexes under strain and returns to its normal flat shape. But it wasn’t just the bend resistance, the scratch resistance of the front screen also impressed thanks to the new second generation of Apple’s Ceramic Shield cover glass.
For his smartphone screen scratch tests, the iconic quote from his videos is “scratches at level 6 with deeper grooves at level 7”. This is because glass usually scratches at around a level 5 or 6, with sapphire at 9.
Basically all previous iPhones would show scratches at level 6. But the new Ceramic Shield 2 cover on iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models has taken a tangible leap forward, with effectively no marks at level 6 and only minor light scratches at level 7.
This bodes well for long-term durability of the front screen and corroborates Apple’s claims that the new generation of Ceramic Shield offers up to 3x better scratch resistance. Of course, for peace of mind, you might still want to use a case for additional protection, like the new Apple Clear Case.
Despite taking several tries at it, the iPhone Air would simply not bend using his human force. After the failed attempts at bending the phone with his hands, JerryRigEverything resorts to a mechanical contraption in his garage to find the breaking point.
Incredibly, the iPhone Air survived more than 215 lbs of point force before it snapped. Even in the broken state with the front glass had shattered, the back glass remained intact, and the touch screen digitizer still worked. Apple said it was the most durable iPhone ever, and that certainly looks to be true.
You can watch the video in full here: