At the Peek performance event earlier this month, Apple proudly announced that the new $429 iPhone SE 3 features the “toughest glass in a smartphone.” A drop test reveals the iPhone SE 3’s screen could withstand a face-down fall without cracking. However, the entire phone doesn’t exhibit similar levels of durability.

Apple’s marketing speak from the launch event would lead you to believe the iPhone SE 3 uses the Ceramic Shield glass seen on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13’s screens. However, that is not the case. Allstate Protection Plans’ drop test of the iPhone SE 3 reveals that a face-first drop from a height of six feet doesn’t have damage the screen, save for “minor scuffing.” The result is reportedly comparable to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 drop tests.

When dropped on its side from the same height, the iPhone SE 3 survives again, with only telltale scratches and scuffs. However, when the iPhone SE 3 was dropped on its back, the first fall cracked the rear glass panel even though the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 could withstand the impact in a similar test.

Allstate believes the rear glass panel could have cracked on the iPhone SE 3 because, unlike the iPhone 13, the phone’s rounded edges don’t offer sufficient protection for the panel.

Allstate also took the iPhone SE 3 for a dunk underwater. The phone withstood submersion at a depth of one meter underwater for 30 minutes. After the phone was retrieved, the audio sounded muffled for around an hour, after which the speaker cleared up, and the problem resolved itself.

That said, the iPhone SE 3 is well built, although a case would go a long way in helping your peace of mind. What do you think of the iPhone SE 3’s drop tests? Is the phone too fragile? Tell us in the comments section below.