How would you perform a Chinese phone smash test?


This week we have received a few new links to various videos aiming to prove the strength of upcoming and current Chinese phones. It got us wondering, how would you test the durability of a Chinese phone?

The following 5 videos are a mix of new and old, but all are filmed in an attempt to prove to the customer just how tough each handset is. I have my own opinions about some of the videos below, but I’d like to hear what you guys think, and also how you would perform such a test.

HomTom HT5 – Hammer test

Bluboo Xtouch – Stone slab hammer test

Oukitel – Drill Test

Gizchina News of the week


Ulefone Paris – Drop test

How would you perform a smash test?

If you have been keeping an eye on GizChina recently then you will know we recently got a Blackview BV5000 rugged phone for review. This seems like the perfect device to put through its paces and give it a brutal durability test. Do you guys have any suggestions of how we should perform the test? (keep in mind I’m not going to do something stupid which may harm myself or others). Or should I do a repeat of my Umi Hammer test? Let’s hear your ideas.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

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28 Comments

  1. Angry Mobile Nerd
    October 31, 2015

    but Andi, in this fantastic age we live in more stupid = more hits.

  2. Steve B
    October 31, 2015

    Just give it to a teenager for a week.

    • MaxPower
      October 31, 2015

      or a toddler

      • Joel Adames
        October 31, 2015

        That would do!!!

        Hey talking about marketing, where is BalcoBommber ??? I want to ask him about the hipe Motorola is making just because of a Gorilla glass4 and then using a tempered extraFilm. Geee marketing at its best and then people do think it is really ScratchProff sooner or later they’ll find themselves reading the fine print. Is not like I don’t give the phone merit it must really resistant but … What do you say Max ?

        • balcobomber25
          October 31, 2015

          Nothing will ever be scratch proof but GG4 offers a lot more protection than nothing at all. Having used several GG3 phones and I never use a case (which means lots of drops and scratches) I can say it takes a beating before you show any signs of damage.

          • Joel Adames
            October 31, 2015

            And then GG4 is on many of the new high end phones so basicly they are telling intelligent people to get a tempered glass cover for their phones and the not so clever to think their soda is last one on earth.

            • balcobomber25
              October 31, 2015

              Tempered glass is just added protection. It’s never a bad idea to have extra protection.

            • MaxPower
              October 31, 2015

              it’s like wearing a condom when your partner is on a pill.
              better safe than sorry

            • Fred
              November 1, 2015

              “it’s like wearing a condom when your partner is on a pill”

              LOL! I hope that you don’t mind if I use this punchline somewhere else 😀 😀 .

            • MaxPower
              November 1, 2015

              lol, go ahead.

              you’ll know what I’m talking about when you become a father of a terrible 3 years old toddler.

              I’m actually wondering if i should go for a “snip” 😉

            • Joel Adames
              November 1, 2015

              If “snip” = vasectomy then I think every now and then we all end up thinking about it. Hahaha

            • MaxPower
              November 1, 2015

              that’s what i meant 🙂

            • balcobomber25
              November 1, 2015

              That’s a good analogy.

        • MaxPower
          October 31, 2015

          GG are masters in marketing 😉
          besides that i always put the tempered glass on it too.

          it doesn’t add any bulk to the phone since it’s barely 0.4mm thick, and it won’t compromise the touch feel of the phone.

          it is also cheap, so i don’t see any cons with it.

          I’ve not own any GG3 phone though, my last MI4 has a corning concore glass which is pure crap!

  3. Rob
    October 31, 2015

    I would run the phone for 24 hours, testing everything to see if it crashed, lagged or froze, much more important than all this bull. Only then would we know how ‘durable’ the phone really is!

  4. Rick Van de Bovenkamp
    October 31, 2015

    Doogee hammer seems fake as hell! He’s barely touching the phone.

  5. Tajwar
    October 31, 2015

    The more smart phone’s get the more stupid we become.

  6. Angry Mobile Nerd
    October 31, 2015

    Tape it to the back frame of your mountain bike so the edge hits the back tire and see if it makes pseudo dirt bike sounds.

    Ahhhh, childhood memories.

  7. Raul
    October 31, 2015

    I would throw it against a wall

  8. MattD
    October 31, 2015

    I already said that the ultimate smash test would be to put it on a pile of nokia 3310 and then make Chuck Norris to hammer it with a roundhouse kick.

    Doubting about the possible realization of this, I’d say to perform, first of all, some “real use drop”.
    Drop it while you’re sitting, while you’re walking, drop it on the bed marking it fall down because of the ricochet, drop it while you’re walking and, trying to take it, you kick it hard in mid air while cursing among your favorite gods who make you do it… You know, everyday smartphone use, before going hard mode on it.

  9. balcobomber25
    October 31, 2015

    Best smash test I ever saw was Gionee running over the Elife S5.5 with a car. The screen was slightly cracked and there was some scuff marks but the phone still worked. Having owned that phone I can say it really was a tank.

  10. roni24
    October 31, 2015

    drop on the side- tests on all sides
    drop front screen on the ground
    Hammer directly on the screen

  11. November 1, 2015

    They don’t have to do a smash test at all — it’s a fun distraction, but not really necessary. I’m not worried about the durability of the hardware (people who worry can always get a case), I’m more worried about the durability of Chinese software.

    • balcobomber25
      November 1, 2015

      Software is often one of the most overlooked things when talking about phones. The best hardware can be a waste if the software sucks. It’s not limited to just China either, personally I will never buy a Samsung phone because Touchwhiz is a bloated mess.

  12. Ruby
    November 1, 2015

    These videos are too funny! My favorite one was for the Runbo X6

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2zl4Y8QCdE

    • November 2, 2015

      haha that takes the win 😀

  13. Alexis T
    November 2, 2015

    best test course IMHO is just dropping the phone on various surfaces (concrete, stone, wood) on differents faces of the phone (screen, back, side, weak angle) from a height of 1m20.

    other tests are for PR (who drop his hammer on his phone ? who forget his phone under the wheel of his car ? who uses a knife on his phone screen by mistake ? …)

    But i’m afraid a lot of phones would easily break when dropped on their weak angle on a hard surface. So PR engineers keep running on it with their cars and upload it on the internet.