How Durable is iPhone 12?

If you’ve been following the annual release of new iPhones, then you are surely used to hearing claims like “strongest glass ever in an iPhone.” Well this year, it’s not just marketing speak. As we mentioned in our last post, Apple has incorporated Corning’s new “Ceramic Shield” onto the front of the iPhone 12 series, allegedly making it’s screen glass 4x more resistant to damage. Furthermore, they claim their new angular design brings added strength to the device. But how do these phones actually perform in practice? We’ve turned to YouTube for the answer to this question, and rounded up the results from several channels to get a better understanding of what the phone can take.

Drop Tests

Which Screen Quality is Right For You?

When it comes to aftermarket screens, there is a lot of variety. There are different manufacturers, manufacturing processes, display types, assembly techniques, and extra options and features. It can get a bit overwhelming when browsing the large part catalogs of vendors like ourselves. Additionally, the hardware landscape continually changes and evolves over time, which only adds to the confusion.

For this reason, Maya Parts categorizes its screens into several “Qualities,” each sharing a common set of features and traits. The charts below list out those features under the appropriate quality:

Image via Apple

Apple announced today that it will be launching an Independent Repair Provider (IRP) Program in order to offer customers “additional options for the most common out-of-warranty iPhone repairs.” Essentially, this will make genuine Apple parts, tools and resources available for purchase by qualified independent repair shops (following successful application to their free program). The only listed requirements are that the shop be a legitimate repair business in a commercially-zoned area, and that technicians be Apple-certified (certifications are offered online and test fees are waived for approved IRP businesses).

It goes without saying that this is BIG news- but whether or not it is good news remains to be seen. Personally,

As most of you are aware, Apple does not look kindly on the independent repair industry. It has a fairly long history of being unfriendly to unauthorized repair- from the notorious Error 53, to the throttling issues on iPhone 6, all the way back to the very first iPhone with its choice of using a non-replaceable battery (a somewhat unusual feature for that time). Well, it looks like Apple is at it again. This time with an iOS 12 feature that disables XS, XR, and XS Max battery health data for any batteries that were not installed by Apple, or an Apple-authorized service provider.

So what does this mean for repairs?

As iFixit reports, this affects both original and aftermarket batteries, and Justin, from The Art of Repair YouTube channel, claims that this is due

With the launch of the iPhone 7 in our rearview mirror, the entire industry is looking forward to the next Apple release, the iPhone 8. The internet is flooding with rumors and everywhere we turn a new one is popping up. Is it way too soon to tell what the smartphone will feature? Probably, but it's fun to speculate. 

Forget Aluminum and Glass, What About Ceramic?

The possibility