SquareTrade released the results of its iPhone SE testing, and it turns out the device was less strong than its larger siblings, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone SE bent, cracked, shattered, and drowned before the larger models in most of the tests.
As shown in the video below, iPhone SE bent at 160 lbs. of pressure, 10 pounds less force than it took to bend iPhone 6s. It suffered catastrophic failure at 178 lbs. of pressure, a narrower 2 lbs. less than needed to destroy the larger model.
iPhone SE also drowned in 5 feet of water faster than iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. It took just 1 minute of submersion before iPhone SE shut down, whereas iPhone 6s lasted for 30 minutes losing audio.
Other tests include a go with SquareTrade's TumbleBot, where iPhone SE suffered scuffs on the corner at 30 seconds. iPhone 6s was "unscathed" in the same period, and iPhone 6s Plus suffered a shattered screen.
Lastly, the company drop tested the device. All three current iPhone models lost their screens to a face-down drop from 6 feet onto the concrete. On corner drops, iPhone SE began cracking after 5 drops, which is shockingly good to me. 10 drops resulted in iPhone SE splitting down the side. What's fascinating is that iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus both had just cosmetic damage after 10 drops.