Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17: Apple’s New Ad and the Reality of Gravity
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Every once in a while, Apple releases a video ad promoting a new product or specific features. Most recently, Apple touted the iPhone camera’s Action mode and Voice Control as tools for those living with Parkinson’s disease. That video, entitled No Frame Missed, could bring you to tears. Today, Apple released a short video to its Canadian YouTube channel that takes a sharper turn toward the lighthearted, trading emotional resonance for a chuckle.
In the ad, parties are sitting at opposite ends of a comically long table negotiating a legal settlement. One attorney states her client has been “more than fair” and proceeds to slide an iPhone 17 containing a settlement offer down the table face down. The slide lasts nearly 20 seconds. The other party glances at the iPhone briefly and responds, “Not a chance,” before sliding it back. Apple encourages viewers to “Relax, it’s iPhone 17.”
While the slide demonstrates Apple’s confidence in Ceramic Shield 2’s scratch resistance, the reality of a vertical drop is a different story. As tough as the material is, gravity still wins more often than not.
Ceramic Shield has largely lived up to the hype since its 2020 release on the iPhone 12, offering improved drop performance over Gorilla Glass. The iPhone 17 is made with Ceramic Shield 2, and promises three times more scratch resistance than the glass used on the iPhone 16. That earlier model couldn’t survive Allstate’s drop test; one drop onto the pavement, face down from 6 feet, rendered the iPhone 16 unusable.
No smartphone has survived Allstate’s drop test, but testing of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air supports Apple’s claim that Ceramic Shield 2 is quite a leap forward. While the iPhone 17 and the new ultra-thin iPhone Air both survived Allstate’s 6-foot drop test with their internals intact — a feat previous models struggled with — the glass itself didn’t do nearly as well. Both devices remained functional, but the shattered displays resulted in glass shards too sharp for bare-handed use.
On the other hand, both phones survived back-down drop tests from 6 feet, with only cosmetic damage, likely due to their Ceramic Shield rear panels.
As tough as Ceramic Shield 2 is, gravity still wins. If you’re considering an iPhone 17, it’s hard not to recommend a case and a screen protector — and a protection plan like AppleCare+, given the high purchase price and costly repairs without it. We’ll evaluate the benefits of AppleCare+ compared with third-party plans, such as Allstate Protection Plans, in an upcoming post. You can watch Apple’s video on Ceramic Shield 2 above.
