iPhone 17 Pro survived a fall from an altitude of 30 kilometers
RHINOSHIELD and Sent Into Space companies set an unusual record: the iPhone 17 Pro was dropped from a height of 30,607 meters. The smartphone not only survived the fall, but also remained fully functional after landing.
How the experiment went
The experiment took place on June 24 in Kiruna, Sweden. An iPhone was lifted into the stratosphere using a balloon, then dropped without a parachute. During the descent, the device was in extreme conditions for about 25 minutes, where the temperature dropped to approximately −60 °C.
After the fall, the smartphone had to be searched for more than five hours. When the team discovered it in a remote area, the device was found to be practically undamaged. It was possible to turn it on, make calls, and take photos.
Protective case
The main role in the experiment was played by the RHINOSHIELD AirX protective case. It uses an air suspension system and a multi-layered construction that help dissipate impact energy and reduce stress on the smartphone. RHINOSHIELD states that when creating the case, it was inspired by materials and technologies used in the automotive industry and sports footwear for shock absorption.
The Guinness Book of Records officially registered the achievement as the highest fall of a mobile phone in a protective case onto a natural surface. The record pertains specifically to the combination of a smartphone and its case, not to the iPhone 17 Pro alone.
Despite the loud headlines about a “fall from space,” technically this is not the case. The smartphone was dropped from a height of more than 30 km, while the conventional boundary of space, the Karman line, is located at approximately 100 km altitude.
