From apples stock news release today re iPhone X and Protective cases. No mention of us just other top sellers but they have indicated they will be researching for protective cases in the next few weeks. I'm sure the odds are good they stumble across HIT CASE! COVER STORY iPhone X Teardowns, Drop Tests Revealed Flawed Design: Easy To Break, Most Expensive To Repair Trending Now Tech #AllThingsMobileNOV 7, 2017 @ 04:30 Jean Baptiste Su , CONTRIBUTOR Apple's most advanced smartphone is also the most breakable and expensive to repair iPhone ever changing the shattered rear glass means replacing the entire device at a cost of $549 Apple's industrial design choices have made the iPhone X the most breakable, highest-priced and most expensive to repair iPhone ever. With the first drop tests and teardowns of the iPhone X out, we can now say with certainty that Apple's most advanced smartphone is also the most breakable and expensive to repair iPhone ever . After conducting several breakability tests on the iPhone X, SquareTrade, a company that provides extended warranties for electronic devices, concluded that it is the "most breakable, highest-priced, most expensive to repair iPhone ever," despite claims from Apple that the iPhone X has "the most durable glass ever in a smartphone." The glass, front and back, of the iPhone X will shatter if the device drops Some of SquareTrade tests include dropping the iPhone X from a height of 6 feet onto concrete, on its edge, face down, back down, as well as putting it through a 60-seconds tumble test. Except for the edge drop, which resulted in just the OLED display not functioning properly, the other tests shattered the phone's otherwise strong glass. Tech website CNET also published its own durability tests, this time from only 3 feet high, which returned similar results, with the iPhone X glass cracking on the first drop. The choice of having glass on the back is imposed by the physics of wireless charging that doesn't work through metal. You will have to replace the entire device to fix the rear But because of Apple's design choices that were revealed by iFixit's latest teardown, changing the shattered rear glass means replacing the entire device at a cost of $549 , according to the servicing website of the Cupertino, Calif., manufacturer. Which is still way above the $358 it actually costs Apple to manufacturer the $999+ device, according to tech research firm TechInsights own teardown and analysis of the parts inside. Interestingly, the iPhone 4 which also had a back glass was very easy to repair and didn't require to replace the entire device in case its rear glass shattered. Which makes us wonder if Apple's decision was more to maximise profits rather than give its customers a much more affordable - and environmentally friendly - option. So if you still want to buy an iPhone X, our recommendation is to also purchase Apple's AppleCare+ extended warranty for about $200 which covers you for up to 2 incidents of accidental damage, each subject to a service fee of $29 for screen damage, or $99 for any other damage, plus applicable tax. Although it might not be the best choice, from an aesthetic standpoint that is, we also strongly suggest buying a protective case for the iPhone X from a reputable manufacturer, like Lifeproof, Otterbox, Speck or Tech 21. In the next few weeks, we will be publishing a guide with the best cases we found so far on the market. In conclusion, before you decide to purchase an iPhone X, make sure you also include the cost of protecting that investment and most likely the most expensive smartphone you ever had. Author: Jean Baptiste is a Principal Analyst at Atherton Research, and the host of popular Tech Shows "Gadget Talk", "VC Talk", "Startup Pitch" and "Tech Talk" on American Tech TV.