Torture test: mobile devices

We all carry our mobile phones and digital cameras when we go on vacation, but sometimes, unpredictable accidents happen. CHIP creates deliberate catastrophes under extreme conditions to test the loads that gadgets can withstand.

Whether your next vacation takes you to freezing Kashmir or the Caribbean seaside, you’re sure to be taking dozens of photos with your digital camera and using your mobile phone to call your friends and family. But what if luck does runs out and your devices fall in the water or in wet sand? CHIP Germany decided to test the durability of such gadgets, and so set out on a vacation—or at least a simulated one, at Therme Erding, Europe’s biggest spa and water park, located a little way from Munich.

In the sauna, in the swimming pool and on the bathing beach, we simulated the dangers that mobile phones and digital cameras face during vacations, to see and just how much is too much for these mobile devices. As our test candidates, we chose the top-selling devices in each category: the Nokia 6300 and the Canon Digital Ixus 80 IS. For the purpose of comparison, we tortured two other devices in the same way; those that claimed to be specially ruggedized and designed for the outdoors. We chose the Sonim xp3 as an especially durable mobile phone, and the Olympus µ 1030 SW as our outdoors-worthy camera. These two had to prove not only that they could endure our battery of accidents without any damage, but also whether they are worth their extra cost.

A couple of hours in the tropical jungle

Tropical rainforests cover about six percent of the earth’s surface, and some of them are prime vacation spots. The demands on mobile devices are enormous in such regions: extreme temperatures and humidity can definitely put a strain on mobile phones and digital cameras. For our simulation, we put our test candidates into the tropical sauna at Therme Erding. The hardware was left to sweat it out for three hours at 65° C and 90 percent humidity.

We observed pretty pleasing results. After the test, all the devices functioned without any problem, though their displays were heavily fogged up. The first photos taken with each one were a bit misty, but after some time, they started behaving as if they were brand new. There is therefore no problem in visiting tropical countries.

A shock in the shower

After a sauna, you should always take a cold shower—so that’s exactly what we did in our test. The shower was meant to simulate sudden, unexpected rains. The mobile phones and digital cameras were exposed to a downpour of water at about 10 degrees C for a full five minutes.

The sudden cooling effect of the shower after the sauna was a huge shock—for the tester as well as the hardware! Even in this scenario though, the devices did not show any signs of weakness. Though they all dripped for quite a while after coming out of the shower, water had not seeped into the housings. As soon as we dried each one with a towel, it functioned as if nothing had happened. Splashes of water alone therefore seem insufficient for breaking down these mobile phones and digital cameras. However our next test raised the bar for water resistance, pitting them against an entire swimming pool!

Sudden death on the swimming pool floor

Accidents with swimming pools happen more frequently than you might think: you go just a step or two backwards while lining up the best frame for your family photo, and suddenly you’re in the water. How does the hardware respond to such an accident? We jumped into the pool with all the mobile phones and cameras. After about two minutes on the pool floor, we fished them out of the cold water.

The result could not have been clearer. The displays of both the Canon Digital Ixus 80 IS and the Nokia 6300 went off as soon as they came in contact with water, and could not be restarted even after a long drying phase. Both gadgets’ displays were filled with water and internal components such as the microphone or loudspeaker just could not survive.

The situation was entirely different with the Olympus µ1030 SW and the Sonim xp3. According to the manufacturers’ specifications, both the outdoor devices are waterproof, and they proved their credentials impressively. We could take photos underwater with the Olympus and could have even made a call using the Sonim phone on the pool floor—though whether the person on the line would have understood anything is a different question altogether. There was, however, a small issue. One unit of the Olympus camera model did not survive the dive; in this case as well, the display was flooded with water. This one sample piece apparently had a material fault—but in such a case you should be able to get a free replacement.

Water is a real killer for mobile devices if they are not explicitly waterproof. A plunge in the sea is sure to damage a regular mobile phone or digital camera, but other dangerous things also happen on the beach as shown by our next test scenario—handling high-pressure situations.

Trying to bear a heavy load

You might leave your phone or camera on the ground next to your deck chair or lounger. Someone might discard a towel and cover it, or shift the chair without looking, so that its foot lands right on the device. This is admittedly unlikely to happen, but it would mean certain death for a delicate gadget.

We divided this test into two parts. First, we placed each device under a cushion and put our full weight on it, i.e. about 85 kg. We observed that the cushion absorbed the pressure to a large extent, and none of the devices ended up with damage. For the second part of the test, we placed the foot of a large wooden sun bed directly on the device lay down on that as well. This time, both mobile phones and the Olympus camera survived completely intact. Though the Canon Digital Ixus 80 IS was dented a little, all its functions still worked without any problems.

Buried alive on the beach

This time, we simulated what might happen if a small child got hold of the mobile phone or digital camera and decides to bury it in the foundations of a new sandcastle. Each device thus has to be buried deep in the sand and doused with water. Our test ground was the sand beach at Therme Erding. We buried the mobile phones and digital cameras approximately 10 cm deep.

Though they did not look too good when we dug them out, both the mobile phones functioned flawlessly after cleaning. We could also immediately take photos with the Canon Ixus. The display of the Olympus however was quite dead. The problem could be found pretty quickly: a little bit of sand had lodged itself in the lens cover, which could not open due to this. After a round of careful cleaning, we could take photos with the Olympus as well.

The attack of the killer microparticles

Finer-grained sand is a lot more problematic for mobile devices, for instance, the type found on beaches in the Caribbean. We used fine quarry sand to simulate this type of environment. With a granular size of only 0.5 mm, it can seep into even the narrowest gaps. The mobile devices were all stirred around several times in quarry sand, so that they were in contact with it from all sides and surfaces.

Again, both the mobile phones were perfectly fine. Through the buttons felt a bit crunchy, the sand could be blown out and functionality was not impaired. It was more dicey in the case of the cameras. The lens cover of the Olympus jammed once again, and the only remedy this time was dismantling the front panel and cleaning it thoroughly, after which it started functioning properly. On the other hand, this test was just too much for the Canon Digital Ixus 80 IS. Even after intensive cleaning, the lens could not be extended, and the unit had to be discarded.

Brutally smashed on a stone stairway

Your gadgets have survived the entire vacation, but just before packing up, you want to take a nice farewell photo or call home to confirm your flight. At this precise moment, the device slips out of your hand and smashes itself on the rocky ground. To finish off, we simply threw the hardware down the stone stairs of the Bavaria statue in Munich’s Theresienwiese, a national landmark.

This was a difficult test indeed for all our candidates, but the Sonim xp3 mobile phone again remained completely unaffected. The battery cover of the Nokia flew off its clasps, but there was no further damage. After reassembling it, everything worked perfectly. The Olympus µ1030 SW also continued functioning properly after the drop without any real damage, apart from a few scratches. On the other hand, its competitor, the Canon Digital Ixus 80 IS lost its battery while falling down the stairs, and its housing was quite badly damaged. Surprisingly though, it came on and even took photos quite bravely after we reassembled the individual parts and pressed the broken housing together with our hands.

The result would probably be different if the drops had been from greater heights. The Canon camera was on the verge of death, but it might also be difficult for the Nokia 6300 and Olympus µ1030 SW when it comes to more severe drops. The Sonim xp3, though, shouldn’t have that problem. According to the manufacturer’s specifications, it is as good as indestructible—and we look forward to including it in some even more extreme torture tests in future!

A party, not a funeral

We were prepared to have to throw our gadgets away after the series of torture tests, but our findings were quite unexpected and pleasant. While exposure to heat, intense humidity, high pressure and even a fall from the height of several meters can truly destroy a decently-designed mobile phone or digital camera, ruggedized devices flake out only when they come in contact with water or very fine sand. If you want to be perfectly equipped for vacations or even if your regular daily routine involves travelling to or working in unfavorable climatic conditions, you should always opt for rugged devices. Most categories of gadgets have at least some models specifically designed for operating in extreme temperatures, underwater, or even in hostile war zones.