Google Pixel 2 undergoes durability test

We’ve come to really enjoy YouTuber JerryRigEverything’s smartphone durability tests. They give us a comprehensive look into the materials chosen for smartphone models and the bend test gives us general idea of how well the phones are built on a structural level.

The latest device to undergo this durability test is the HTC-made Google Pixel 2. This is the smaller model with a 5-inch display.

The speaker grilled are made of metal, which is an improvement over the fabric-like material found on the first-generation Pixel.

The Pixel 2’s display is made of Gorilla Glass 5, which scratches with the Moh’s hardness level 5 and 6 picks. This is the same case with the front-facing camera, which sits behind the same glass as the display.

While many of the more recent smartphones have been coming with back-sides made of glass, they are more resilient to Zack’s razor against scratches. So you can imagine that the Pixel 2’s metal body with matte finish didn’t do well against the razor. Zack attributes this to the Pixel’s “Premium hybrid coating”, which was briefly touched on at the MadeByGoogle event.

Google’s website even mentions that color from jeans or leather may even transfer to this coating and that the coating could chip when dropped. Something to consider when deciding whether you should get a case for it or not. While many fingerprint scanners that Zack scratches work after they meet his razor blade, the Pixel 2’s was rendered useless. This is only a problem if you plan to scrape it with a blade.

Finally, skipping ahead to the bend test, the Pixel 2 doesn’t totally fail, but the frame did split right where it put a plastic antenna line insert next to the nanoSIM card tray. Putting such an insert must be strategic or the phone’s structural integrity could be compromised.

While the phone didn’t make Zack’s shelf of shame, it barely passed his durability test. The takeaways from this endurance test is you’ll probably want to throw the Pixel 2 in a case or skin to prevent the coating from rubbing on other materials or chipping when dropped.

The Pixel 2 XL is built differently than the Pixel 2 with its 3D glass, which the smaller model does not have. We'll be waiting to see how the Pixel 2 XL does in Zack's durability test.