Google Pixel XL 2 Barely Beats iPhone 8 Plus in New Drop Test

A growing trend has emerged among certain smartphone manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, in that their most recent, top-tier flagships are fabricated according to a ‘glass-sandwich’ design — where essentially the entire front and back of their high-end devices are covered with semi-thick sheets of glass which enables wireless charging. It’s by all means a sleek, attractive, and inherently functional design; however not every phone-maker is on board with the all-glass form-factor just yet, as evidenced in Google’s latest Pixel 2 and XL 2 smartphones.

Indeed, for whatever reason Google and HTC passed on the all-glass design — and the wireless charging functionalities which would’ve ensued — again this year. And while some might be quick to point out how that’s probably to the search-giant’s benefit (you know, since glass tends to shatter magnificently when dropped, err, hurled towards the ground), a nerve-rattling new drop test published to YouTube over the weekend shows us that, in reality, Google’s pass on glass made little difference.

iPhone 8 Plus vs Pixel XL 2 Drop Test

In the riveting video, which was published to YouTube on Saturday by the notorious drop-tester PhoneBuff, a brand-new Google Pixel 2 XL goes up against Apple’s glass-encompassed iPhone 8 Plus in a series of par-for-the-course drop tests, which include the usual back drop, corner drop, and face drop from various heights, as well as a fun “bonus round” that’s certain to get your blood boiling. Watch the full drop test below!

Of course, what makes this match-up particularly interesting is that Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus is covered in glass on both sides, while the Pixel 2 XL has only the glass display as its most vulnerable surface. Worth noting, however, is that Apple appears to have outfitted the iPhone 8 Plus and upcoming iPhone X with what it’s unabashedly calling the “most durable glass” ever used in a smartphone before, noting on its website how the front and back of iPhone 8 features “custom glass with a 50 percent deeper strengthening layer, a new steel substructure, and a stronger, aerospace?grade 7000 Series aluminum band [to] provide additional reinforcement.”

Based on statements like these, it would appear that Apple’s iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are just about indestructible, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, while this world-changing glass was able to withstand a pretty great amount of force — considering how it was thrown against the pavement just so, it appears that Apple’s ultra-strong glass is simply no match against the elements — even with its “aerospace-grade” aluminum reinforcement.

As such, after just one drop test on their back-sides, Apple’s flagship showed noticeable signs of rear-glass fracturing — though to be fair, both handsets remain perfectly functional. Meanwhile, when dropped on their displays, both the iPhone 8 Plus and Pixel 2 XL shattered substantially; although as you can see in the video, the Pixel XL 2 appears to have withstood a little more damage than the iPhone 8 Plus.