Welcome again to the JerryRigEverything durability circus! In this ring, we have the Moto X Pure Edition! The Moto X Pure is virtually identical to the the Moto X Style, which is the international version of this phone. Today’s post and the accompanying video are testing the 2015 version of the Moto X Pure. Step right up to see how this Gorilla Glass 3 screen holds up to scratches dealt by special picks made to assess the hardness of the phone’s screen according to Moh’s scale of hardness. Lean in closer to watch this quality screen burn. Hold your breath as we bend this metal phone to it’s farthest limits. Would you like to see it all for yourself? Watch the video on YouTube:
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A solid Smart Phone repair kit can be found at this link.
The WHITE screen with frame can be found at this link.
The BLACK Screen with Frame can be found at this link.
Before we begin, as always, please remember that there is more than durability to take into account when making a smartphone purchase. Also, even if they pass these tests, I keep my personal phones in cases and cover my screens with screen protectors for safe keeping.
Up first on the agenda is a scratch test. Moh’s Scale of Hardness goes from one to ten with one, the softest material, being equivalent to Talc powder and ten, the hardest, being as hard as a diamond. The Moto X Pure Edition is equipped with level 3 Gorilla Glass. I was surprised to see that the screen does not scratch until a level 7 pick is applied and then leaves a deeper groove at the 8th pick. Gorilla Glass 4 usually scratches a whole level sooner at level 6, so this was an interesting find. One key difference between level 3 and 4 Gorilla Glass is that the level 4, not on the Moto X Pure Edition, has an ionic silver antimicrobial coating as the top layer. Gorilla Glass 3 does not have the coating, but is still a bit thicker than level 4. I theorize that the antimicrobial coating on top of the glass is just a little softer than the glass itself, making the glass scratch more easily. Either way the level 3 and 4 Gorilla Glass are almost the exact same hardness. You won’t have to worry about keys and even coins in pockets scratching your Moto X Pure Edition.
The back rubber of the phone has a nice feel to it and you can hear the ridges as a key rubs the back of it; it is a fairly thick coating of rubber too. A razor blade slices through the rubber fairly easily, but the back is pretty safe against keys and coins The camera’s lens holds up well against a razor; when it is scratched against the camera lens, there are no marks left behind. In addition, there is a solid little wall of protection all the way around the lens. Overall a very solid pass for the Moto X Pure Edition on the scratch test. What do you think of that ionized coating that makes the Gorilla Glass 4 a little softer?
Now we head to the burn test. The Moto X Pure Edition is equipped with a 5.7 inch IPS LCD display similar to what Apple uses for the iPhones. The Moto X Pure Edition screen does well on this burn test by turning off and going black where the flame is held, but once the flame is gone the screen pixels come back on. There is no mark left behind from burned pixels and the screen is cool to the touch. The Moto X Pure Edition passes the burn test, as well.
For the grand finale, I present the bend test! An initial bend shows the phone’s ability to flex quite a bit more than your average phone, but other than that, not much happens, even after bending it in the opposite direction the Moto X Pure Edition holds up. The cover separates from the phone while it is in the process of bending, but even twisting the Moto X Pure Edition from side to side reveals no weaknesses. Another solid pass for the Moto X Pure Edition.
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