Specs and design-wise, the OnePlus 5 is one of the best smartphones to come out this year. It looks to be a treat despite accusations of copying the look of Apple's iPhone 7 Plus. Inside, the OnePlus 5 sports some of the best specifications around. The question now is if the OnePlus 5 is as durable as it is powerful.
JerryRigEverything is a popular YouTube account and its host, Zach, is a well-known figure online and among the tech industry. That's because he subjects almost every device to his renowned torture test - the "Scratch, Burn, and Bend" test. Of course, Zach just had to torture the OnePlus 5.
Zach started off with the Mohs scratch test. He subjected the screen to different hardness. The OnePlus 5 started exhibiting light scratches at a hardness of six. At 7, the scratches on the glass are more noticeable. It's one level lower than the sapphire screen of the HTC U Ultra which is the most durable smartphone, scratch-wise, tested on the show. GSMArena noted that the Home button, where the fingerprint reader is, did not scratch at all when subjected to a blade. This is because it is made of ceramic.
Other parts of the OnePlus 5 that did not get scratched were the front camera and the dual cameras at the back which happen to be covered with Gorilla Glass. The flash is made of plastic like other smartphones before it so it did get some scratches. The back panel, made of iodized aluminum, was scratched easily by the razor blade but this is expected. A key and a coin were then used to scratch the back but the marks disappeared after simply wiping them off with the thumb.
For the burn test, Zach subjected the screen of the OnePlus 5 to the fire from a lighter. After 40 seconds, the OnePlus 5 exhibited a white mark on the screen which did not go away. PhoneArena pointed out that the mark was permanent because of the AMOLED display of the OnePlus 5. With LED screens, the scars from the burn test were usually temporary. Despite that, the OnePlus 5 showed that it can withstand fire as long as it is not exposed for a long time.
After surviving the scratch and burn tests, Zach proceeded with the bend test. The OnePlus 5 is only 7.25mm thick making it the thinnest flagship smartphone from the company. It also made it look like it would easily break. The OnePlus 5 also passed this test as the screen only popped out when bent. It easily popped back in when bent from the other side.
To quip, the OnePlus 5 is one of the most durable smartphones today. This goes well with its quality specifications and impressive build.
