Google's Nexus 7 More Durable Than iPad: Report

A new study by third-party warranty supplier SquareTrade has shown that the Google Nexus 7 tablet is considerably more durable than Apple's iPad. The findings are based on drop tests and a water immersion experiment.

SquareTrade, a leading vendor of after-market warranties on a wide variety of electronic gear, recently posted a video on YouTube showing Google's 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet taking more of a beating than the market-leading iPad.

iPad Suffers Broken Display in Drop Tests

SquareTrade's video shows two drop tests, with both tablet devices plopped onto concrete. In the first test, both the Nexus 7 and the iPad are dropped from a height of five feet. (Source: computerworld.com)

In the second test, the tablets drop off a bench onto a concrete sidewalk about two feet below.

The video shows the 9.7-inch iPad suffering significant scuffs and a broken display in both tests. By comparison, the Nexus 7 came away from the tests with no glass damage, just scuffs.

Nexus 7 Survives Dunk Experiment

SquareTrade's dunk test involved immersing both devices in water for a few seconds while they were operating. Afterwards, both the iPad's video and touchscreen display continued to function, but the device had lost all audio capabilities.

The Nexus 7 suffered no such setback, and all three features continued to function after the quick dunk. "Wow, that's impressive," a SquareTrade tester comments in the video. (Source: computerworld.com)

These two tablets have vastly different warranties available at the time of purchase. Buyers of the $500 iPad can get a two-year warranty, without any deductible, for just under $100 (16GB WiFi version only).

Those picking up the $199 Nexus 7 can get a similar warranty for under $20. However, in the event a repair becomes necessary it's not clear whether the Google warranty requires users to pay a deductible.

SquareTrade, which has previously performed similar tests on the Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone smartphones, says that 90 per cent of its own warranty claims come after a user drops or spills liquid on a device. (Source: huffingtonpost.com)