There are several rites of passage for new smartphones these days, whether it be the cavalcade of leaks that ruins the fun before the launch, the inevitable teardown, or the obligatory stress test.
And now, having reliably gone through the first two, Google’s latest contribution to the smartphone market has been put through the final stage.
YouTuber JerryRigEverything is back with his latest stress test, putting the Google Pixel phone through its paces and unleashing a series of chasis-damaging experiments on the device.
Related: Head to Head – Is the Pixel phone overpriced?
So, how does it hold up? Pretty well, as it turns out. In the scratch test, the phones’ Gorilla Glass 4 resists scratching right up to pressure level six – matching the iPhone 7 and most other phones for scratch resistance.
Pretty standard stuff, then. The back of the phone holds up well to the scratches too, with the aluminium section of the backplate allowing for key scratches to be brushed off, while providing a lovely canvas for Jerry’s blade to create a more permanent set of indents, resulting in some spellbinding landscape artwork.
The speaker mesh on the front, however, is less than stellar, being made of material rather than metal or plastic – meaning you’ll have to be careful when cleaning it.
Elsewhere,
The Google pixel manages to resist Jerry’s bending efforts well, leading the tester to conclude the phone “could very well be one of the most durable, well built phones of 2016”.
Related: Google Pixel XL review
Unfortunately, the Pixel’s screen isn’t quite as burn resistant as the LG G5, with Jerry’s lighter leaving a permanent white mark on the AMOLED display.
Apple’s iPhone 7, in contrast, managed to completely recover from the burn test – though burning your phone’s screen still seems unlikely.
Overall, then, Google seems to have put together a solid phone this time around. Shame it isn’t waterproof, though.
WATCH: Pixel phone hands-on
Let us know your thoughts on the test in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.