A little over 3 mos. and my Idol 3 has bit the dust

[brybelle22]

Went camping this weekend with a working Idol 3 and came home with a non-functioning one. In an attempt to hang some overhead lights in the dark, I ended up holding my phone in my mouth so that I could use both hands to hang the lights. Then it happened, a cracking sound. At first I thought it was my tempered glass protector cracking so I didn't think anything of it and continued working on the lighting project. When I finished, I tried turning off the light and my touches weren't responding. Naturally, I thought it was just the tempered glass so I removed it, and then I noticed that the crack was on the phone's screen. Four large and a couple of small cracks radiated from where I had apparently just bitten through my phone's screen. So the now my phone is useless because none of my touches are registering; fortunately, I have a pre-ordered OPPO R7 Plus due to be delivered tomorrow.

So while I really did love this budget phone (see me one month review), I wonder how sturdy the non gorilla glass screen really is. Does the fact that it's laminated on top of the panel make it less durable? Whatever the case (weaker glass or my sheer biting power), this was a great phone and definitely not too much of a loss at the $200 price point that I was able to snag it.

 

[jazman_777]

The durability of any cheap phone is always a big question. Or, rather, how long before it disintegrates?

Probably a weird combination of stresses, put glass under tension and it's all she wrote. It's not Gorilla, but some Awesome Chinese Dragon Glass of some kind. You probably wouldn't be able to do it again if you tried. Anyway, it's still broken. :-(

Hey, at least it's not a $700 phone you broke (one reason I bought cheap phone).

 

[MobileNick]

That sucks

My guess is that the bite was simply too much - it may be too much even for gorilla glass. (anyone have a nonworking phone with gorilla glass they want to try and break with their teeth?! ) Haven't people cracked gorilla glass screens even from small drops? I thought main advantage to gorilla is scratch resistance.

Plus, you're holding in your front teeth, which are thin and have sharp edges unlike molars, so you're concentrating the force. And maybe biting down firmly to prevent the slippery glass from causing the phone to fall out.

 

[jazman_777]

Funny thread title, though. Not your typical Phone Bites Man story.

 

[brybelle22]

I'm pretty sure this was a unique situation, but definitely less of a disappointment than it could have been if it had been an S6 (or some variety of S6). I feel like one of the lesser mentioned values of the Idol 3 is that because of its low price point you can allow the phone to live a less protected life since one or more replacements are still less than your top of the line flagship. It was nice not having to constantly worry about babying my phone.

 

[SharkyNY]

That sucks

My guess is that the bite was simply too much - it may be too much even for gorilla glass. (anyone have a nonworking phone with gorilla glass they want to try and break with their teeth?! ) Haven't people cracked gorilla glass screens even from small drops? I thought main advantage to gorilla is scratch resistance.

Plus, you're holding in your front teeth, which are thin and have sharp edges unlike molars, so you're concentrating the force. And maybe biting down firmly to prevent the slippery glass from causing the phone to fall out.

Being scratch resistant is completely different from being crack resistant. That's why Gorilla Glass still cracks from drops. When they refer to scratches they're talking about things that might rub against the surface of the glass, like keys in your pocket.

 

[hpham72]

I wanted to share a completely different experience. I have no case on my Idol 3. I dropped my phone while walking on the cement sidewalk. It landed face down and I feared the worse. In the bottom left corner the plastic chrome trimming below the glass is almost competently scratched off for about two millimeters. But the glass survived without a scratch as far as I can tell. The phone works just fine. Considering the glass looks so vulnerable sitting above the plastic casing, it's held up quite well. My hunch is that, for a phablet, it can handle some punishment because it's so light.

 

[seanpr]

Ouch! That sucks. Maybe they should start doing "bite tests" in comparison reviews!