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How durable are iPads?

I

iMore Question

I am considering buying the 2017 iPad, and I heard it uses the iPad Air 1 chassis. I looked up drop tests of the iPad Air 1 and there was one from TechRax that just cracked from a 4 feet drop, is it normal for tablets and phones to crack at this height? Are iPads more prone to breaking compared to iPhones?

Say you use the tablet normally and you drop it at a very very small height on a table desk or something not super high like 4 feet, will the glass crack easily? And will the glass shatter easily on very less violent drops and hits?

I am worried thinking the iPad build quality is weak, I am gonna get the Smart case but please answer my question so I don't have to worry. I am generally very careful with my devices and never drop them at such heights.
 

Just_Me_D

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Nobody can answer a question like that. I mean, dropping almost any electronic device at a certain angle can cause it to become non functioning. Having said that, if you’re a responsible and careful person, an iPad should be quite durable for years to come, but ‘freak accidents’ happen.
 

naddy6969

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This is what cases are for. It is astonishing the number of broken tablets and phones you see for sale on eBay. I will never understand people spending $700 (or whatever) for a device and then not spring the $20 to protect it.

The simple answer is, do not drop it from 4 feet onto concrete without a case. It WILL shatter, just like if you drop a glass (not plastic) drinking glass onto concrete.

Extending the analogy, a coke bottle will break if dropped onto concrete. Put it in a "coozie" to keep it cold, and will probably survive being dropped from 10 feet. The case absorbs the impact.

I just got a new iPad Pro 12.9". I didn't even take it out of the box until the case arrived, then I immediately put it in the case. These things are WAY too thin and slippery to risk the damage.
 

Just_Me_D

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... I will never understand people spending $700 (or whatever) for a device and then not spring the $20 to protect it.

....
Some people are simply not accident prone and others simply choose to exercise their choice to not use a protective case. Remember - what doesn’t make sense to some makes perfect sense to others....
 

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