RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Your new $1,000-plus high-end Apple, Samsung or Google smartphone can survive a dunking – but don’t drop it and expect to keep dialing, searching or streaming.

That’s the verdict of new test results from Allstate Protection Plans. And repairs aren’t cheap. Americans already are spending $17 billion a year on smartphone repairs, mostly for damaged screens, Allstate says.

Even the Apple’s new iPhone Pro with its titanium frame.

“To test the durability of the most premium devices on the market today, Allstate Protection Plans put four smartphones through its Drop and Dunk Tests at the same time: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (starts at $1,199), Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (starts at $1,199), Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 (starts at $1,799), and Google Pixel Fold (starts at $1,799),” the report says.

Dropped, not dunking (all phones survived that), are the big threat.

Here’s what happened:

●  Front Screen-Down Drop Tests: Both the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra shattered on their first face-down drop from six feet onto a sidewalk and were unusable. Both phones suffered raised and loose glass.

●   Main Screen-Down Drop Tests: Both the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and the Google Pixel Fold survived two main screen-down drops from six feet onto a sidewalk with only minor frame damage, corner scuffing, and small screen dents. This could be in part due to the raised lip around the interior edge of both Fold main screens. Both were fully functional and usable.

●   Back-Down Drop Tests: Both the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra shattered on their first back-down drop test from six feet. The S23 Ultra was still fully functional but was only safe to handle when in a case that covered its back panel. The iPhone 15 Pro Max was fully functional except for its Main Camera and Ultra-Wide Angle Camera, which were shattered. Like the S23 Ultra, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was only safe to handle when in a case that covered its back panel.

●   Outer Screen-Down Drop Tests: Both the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and the Google Pixel Fold shattered on their first outer screen-down drop from six feet onto a sidewalk. Both outer screens were unusable. Both Fold phones main screens were still fully functional but were only safe to handle when the outer screen panel was not in contact with the skin.

“Even though the most advanced smartphones today are made with space age materials like titanium, Armor Aluminum, and Ceramic Shield screens, they’re still susceptible to damage when dropped on a concrete sidewalk. That’s especially troubling considering that our most recent survey shows that nearly half of Americans vastly underestimate the cost of smartphone repairs,” said Jason Siciliano, vice president of marketing and global creative director at Allstate Protection Plans. “That said, it looks like we may be retiring our Dunk Test. Liquid damage was once a leading cause of smartphone repairs and replacements. Today, it doesn’t rank in the top five.”

Read more at www.AllstateProtectionPlans.com