Galaxy beats iPhone in U.S. ‘torture tests’

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S3 defeated Apple’s iPhone 5 in “torture tests” that were posted by U.S. tech media site CNET on the video-sharing portal YouTube.

CNET has performed various extraordinary experiments on the latest smartphones and tablet PCs to publicize the results online.

Both the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 passed three experiments ― being put in a fridge for two hours, plunged into a fish tank and wrapped and roasted in an oven for an hour, according to the report.

Although a temperature warning signal popped up on the iPhone 5 during the roasting test, urging the user to cool off the device, the device worked fine after it cooled down. The Galaxy S3 also passed the roasting test, though it did not display a warning message.

But the score gap widened as the two models endured machine-washing, scratching and throwing.

In the washing machine test where the electronic devices were put in a running drum washer, the Galaxy S3 restored its normal functions after the staff removed the battery from the main body, wiped off water and kept the device in a plastic bag with a dehydrating agent. The iPhone 5, however, would no longer turn on after the test.

The structural difference between Galaxy S3 adopting a detachable battery and iPhone 5 with an in-body battery accounts for the different results, CNET said.

The iPhone 5 significantly underperformed compared to the Galaxy S3 in a scratch test, where they were severely scratched on the backs with metal keys. In the throwing test, the glass and sides were heavily cracked while its Korean rival survived both tests.

The test results on the iPhone 5 were released on YouTube on Oct. 3, and for the Galaxy S3 on July 10.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)