Despite New Ceramic Shield, iPhone 16 Models Still Vulnerable to Drops

Apple's latest iPhone 16 models feature a second-generation Ceramic Shield material, which Apple says is even tougher than the prior-generation Ceramic Shield. Device insurance provider Allstate Protection Plans today published the results of its annual device drop test, giving us insight into the durability of the new iPhones.


Allstate tested the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is Apple's largest iPhone to date at 6.9 inches. It continues to have a glass front and back, and though Apple has introduced better Ceramic Shield material that's infused with ceramic for durability, it's still no match for a concrete sidewalk.

Using a "DropBot" to simulate drops from a height of six feet, Allstate conducted several tests. In the front-down drop test, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max display shattered and there were visible scuffs along the titanium frame. This drop rendered the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max unusable, though haptic responses were still felt so it could be repaired.

In the back-down drop test, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max's rear glass shattered after one drop and suffered damage to the camera housing. It did remain functional, including the camera, but it was not safe to handle with bare hands due to the broken glass.

No smartphones that have glass have survived Allstate's DropBot, so it is not surprising to see the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max fail. Glass and hard surfaces do not mix, so it is a good idea to have a protection plan of some kind like AppleCare+ or a protective case. Drop tests of all kinds are hard to use to determine durability in a real world situation, as the angle of the drop, the height, and the surface that an ‌iPhone‌ is falling on are always going to vary.

Allstate has stopped doing dunk tests because ‌iPhone‌ models now have such solid water resistance, and the ‌iPhone 16‌ models continue to offer the same IP67 water resistance as prior models. Other YouTube videos have tested the ‌iPhone 16‌ models with drops, hammering, scratches, and other damage for those interested.


‌AppleCare‌+ for the ‌iPhone 16‌ and 16 Plus is $179 for two years or $8.99 per month, and for the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and Pro Max, it's $199 or $9.99. With ‌AppleCare‌+, an ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max display replacement costs $29, and without, it's $379. Cracked back glass replacement is $29 with ‌AppleCare‌+ and $199 without, and if both the front and back are cracked, it's $499 ($58 with ‌AppleCare‌+).

Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Tuesday March 4, 2025 3:15 pm PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
Apple MacBook Air hero

Apple Announces New MacBook Air With M4 and 'Sky Blue' Color Option

Wednesday March 5, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple today announced refreshed 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models, now featuring the M4 chip, an upgraded camera, and a new "Sky Blue" color option. "Sky Blue" is an all-new blue finish that joins Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. Apple describes it as a "beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface." Space Gray is no longer available. ...
ipad 11 feature

Apple Unveils 11th-Gen iPad With A16 Chip and More Storage

Tuesday March 4, 2025 6:06 am PST by
Apple today announced the 11th-generation iPad, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage. The announcement came alongside the debut of the new iPad Air, which now features the M3 chip. From Apple's press release: The A16 chip provides a jump in performance for everyday tasks and experiences in iPadOS, while still providing all-day battery life. Compared to the previous generation, the...
M3 iPad Air

Apple Announces New iPad Air With M3 Chip, Updated Magic Keyboard

Tuesday March 4, 2025 6:04 am PST by
Apple today introduced new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models with the M3 chip, along with an updated Magic Keyboard for the device. With the M3 chip, the new iPad Air should offer up to 20% faster performance compared to the previous-generation model with the M2 chip, which was released in May 2024. In addition, the M3 chip brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the iPad Air for the...
CarPlay Hero

iOS 18.4 Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Tuesday March 4, 2025 8:39 am PST by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes two smaller but meaningful improvements for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. First, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a 14-inch...
Apple MacBook Air hero

Apple Has Finally Solved One of the MacBook Air's Biggest Limitations

Wednesday March 5, 2025 11:29 am PST by
The new MacBook Air has a useful upgrade: it natively supports up to two external displays, in addition to the laptop's built-in display. In other words, the latest MacBook Air can be used with a pair of external displays without needing to keep the laptop's lid closed. Apple's tech specs for the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air:Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the...
Mac Studio 2025

Apple Announces New Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips, Thunderbolt 5, and More

Wednesday March 5, 2025 6:01 am PST by
Apple today announced that it has updated the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options, Thunderbolt 5 ports, and more. The M4 Max chip was already released last year in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It can be configured with up to a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified RAM. Geekbench 6 benchmark results indicate that the M4 Max is up to 75% faster than...
Apple MacBook Air hero

Here Are Real-World Photos of the New Sky Blue MacBook Air

Wednesday March 5, 2025 1:47 pm PST by
Apple today updated the MacBook Air with the M4 chip, and the laptop is also available in an all-new Sky Blue finish alongside Silver, Starlight, and Midnight. YouTuber Andru Edwards has showed off the Sky Blue color in a few real-world photos. Keep in mind that the Sky Blue finish is not very saturated. However, the color's appearance will vary based on lighting conditions. View ...
ipad air magic keyboard

Apple Announces Redesigned Magic Keyboard for iPad Air

Tuesday March 4, 2025 6:36 am PST by
Apple today announced a completely redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory for the iPad Air. The new keyboard features a larger built-in trackpad, a 14-key function row, and a new aluminum hinge. From Apple's press release: The all-new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air expands what users can do at an even lower price. The larger built-in trackpad brings greater precision for detail-oriented...

Top Rated Comments

GrayFlannel Avatar
23 weeks ago
Glass breaks when impacting concrete. Smashing development.
Score: 73 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
23 weeks ago
Despite all my best efforts, I am still unable to get women.

Water is wet.
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Seoras Avatar
23 weeks ago
"Son, before you were born, they used to put the new iPhone in a blender to see if it would blend. That's how real men used to test them back in my day"
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Radeon85 Avatar
23 weeks ago
What do people expect for christ sake!, glass is glass and it breaks. Make it 100x stronger and it's still going to break.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mousse Avatar
23 weeks ago

No smartphones that have glass have survived Allstate's DropBot,
Time to replace glass with Scotty's transparent aluminum.?
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
23 weeks ago
Scratches on the screen is a much more serious problem starting from the iPhone 15 series. I wish Apple made the iPhone 16 screen more resistant to scratches.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)