New iPhones have already passed the first tests for durability and autonomy, but a blogger from YouTube channel PhoneBuff decided to go further and arranged a comparative drop test of iPhone 17 Pro Max with an aluminium frame and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with a titanium body. For the purity of the experiment, a robotic arm was used to drop the smartphones from a height of 1 and 1.5 metres onto concrete that simulated a pavement.
The first stage-falling on the back panel-showed different results. In the Galaxy, the impact was distributed across the entire glass surface through the rigid titanium frame, resulting in large chips and damage near the cameras. The aluminium iPhone absorbed some of the impact, limiting itself to a thin crack at the top of the glass, with the cameras unharmed.
1 out of 5 
When smartphones were dropped on corners, the situation was different. The Galaxy got away with light scratches, while the iPhone suffered deeper dents, which is typical of aluminium. Both devices shattered their displays when dropped screen-down, but the Ceramic Shield on Apple’s flagship showed slightly better stability.
From a height of 1.5 metres, the Galaxy lost its rear glass and cameras, while the iPhone’s glass insert shattered, but the lenses themselves remained intact. However, Apple’s smartphone’s main camera autofocus stopped working. PhoneBuff’s bottom line: the Samsung scored slightly higher overall, although the result was almost equal – aluminium is better at absorbing impact and titanium is more resilient under point load. Either way, both flagships need protection in the form of a case.
Check out the video below: