Several organizations with an extra $1,000 to spare are reporting very poor durability from the iPhone X. Initial drop tests reveal Apple's new flagship is extremely susceptible to having its front and back glass broken upon impact.
CNET did a drop test from a height of three feet and the glass cracked on the very first drop. This was only cosmetic damage but cracks from a single drop are not a good sign. A second drop landing on the face, created even larger cracks. A case is a must for the iPhone X considering repairs can cost up to $550 each without AppleCare+.
CNET concluded a single bad drop can break the glass and damage the steel frame so dropping it without a case "is out of the question."
SquareTrade, a company offering extended warranties and mobile protection plans, conducted some more rigorous tests. Since this is their business model, it's in their best interest to convince consumers that the device is susceptible to damage.
Their tests were performed mechanically to create uniformity across all devices. Dropping the phone from six feet onto its face caused the TrueDepth sensor to break. Dropping it on its back shattered the rear pane of glass and dropping the phone on its side broke the display unit, thus rendering the screen inoperable.
The harshest test performed was the 60-second tumble cycle. This is meant to simulate accidentally leaving your phone in your pants when running them through the wash. Accidentally drive off with your phone on top of your car? Both the front and back glass as well as Face ID will break according to their tests. All of this caused SquareTrade to name the iPhone X the "most breakable" iPhone ever.
All of these results should be taken with a grain of salt though since it's unlikely most people will hold their phone from six feet up or leave it around carelessly. That being said, with tiny bezels, a huge amount of glass, and a $1,000 price tag, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a case and look into a protection plan.