PC World and Ars Technica both conducted torture tests on the phone and the results are noted in this article. Videos for both of these are also available on Youtube but I don't have the links handy.
Note that the Treo is actually not all that well built in terms of durability. So far my favorite is the blackberry which can be manhandled and keeps on ticking.
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http://1st-iphone.com/Iphone_s_ultimate_stress_test.html
Let's face it: One of the biggest problems plaguing mobile devices is abuse by their owners. We drop them, shock them, scrape them and spill sticky stuff on them. And there are always those mysterious scratches, origins often unknown.
iPhone's good looks make it seem more vulnerable than the average cellphone. But looks can be deceiving. Is iPhone destructible?
THE RESULTS ARE IN
(CAUTION: Don't try this at home.)
PCWorld's Stress Tests. PCWorld's Eric Butterfield conducted a series of infamous scratch-and-drop stress tests on iPhone. First, Butterfield simulated real-world "pocket torture." He sealed an iPhone in a plastic bag containing several keychains and shook vigorously for a few minutes, then forcefully rubbed clusters of keys against iPhone, and ultimately scraped a key across iPhone's touchscreen. iPhone emerged without a scratch.
Next, Butterfield conducted a 3-prong drop test: iPhone was repeatedly dropped on carpet, hard linoleum, and ultimately concrete. The carpet and linoleum drops were performed at waist and chest height. Then iPhone was dropped from head height to a concrete sidewalk...iPhone skipped across the concrete like a flat stone on a smooth pond.
The verdict?
iPhone continued to work flawlessly. iPhone's stainless steel rims were scruffed a bit by the concrete, but the glass touchscreen emerged without a scratch on it.
PC World's conclusion: "There's no need to coddle this sexy little device."
The Ars Technica Torture Tests. Ars Technica manhandled an iPhone to see just how much abuse it could tolerate -- tests that can only be described as torture tests .
As in the PCWorld stress tests, iPhone sustained no damage when repeatedly dropped on a linoleum floor or crammed into tight pockets with keys. Then came the "formal testing phase." iPho ne was placed in a plastic bag with keys, a pocket knife, and a handful of rocks. Ten minutes of shaking, rubbing, and mashing resulted in o ne tiny, inconspicuous scratch on the glass face.
iPhone was dropped repeatedly and thrown forcefully down the length of a sidewalk face down. Skidding across the sidewalk generated a few light scratches that were only visible when the display was turned off, a tiny crack in the glass and some metal rim scrapes.
Since gadgets have historically been stepped on with varying degrees of survivability, Ars Technica asked a 225-pound man to step on iPhone. A large spider web crack appeared in the glass, but the touchscreen was undamaged. And iPhone was still fully functional.
iPhone then leapt from a third-floor balcony, but surprisingly, received no further physical damage to the glass or touchscreen, though its touchscreen was now dysfunctional. However, iPhone could still receive phone calls and music playback could be controlled by the the headphones' clicky button.
And then things turned nasty. This poor test iPhone was subjected to the ultimate torture: The Toilet Test. It died after sixteen seconds of submersion. There was no reviving it.
So, there you have it. You'll have to work incredibly hard to destroy your iPhone.
In truth, iPhone's curvy geometry makes it less susceptible to slipping out of your hand. iPhone feels incredibly sturdy, for a gadget that weighs in at only 4.8 ounces. The edges of the sleek optical-grade glass face tuck seamlessly into its stainless steel rim. Each edge dovetails perfectly with the next, making iPhone less susceptible to collecting crevice grit and grime.
The overwhelming consensus among critics and torture-testers is that iPhone is scratch-resistant -- if not scratch-proof , though as reviewers Walter Mossberg and Steven Levy have pointed out, its shiny black glass face is hopelessly prone to collecting finger smudges.
Perhaps this is the price one pays for a capacitive display that literally puts the world at your fingertips. On the bright side (literally), iPhone's display is so bright that the fingerprints won't particularly bother you. And Apple does include a small black chamois cloth in the box. You'll probably need it often.
The bottom line is that iPhone is, for real-world everyday use, incredibly durable. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't hedge your bets. Don't expose it to extreme heat. Don't key the front just to see what will happen. And buy your iPhone a cool protective case to ensure that it still looks gorgeous two years from now.