14 DAY TRIAL // Nokia thought it would be nice and even potentially funny if it showed us some of the testing methods for its devices. Consequently, it has released several videos and photos of phones being tortured. However, many of these techniques are being used by most of us on a regular basis.
Phones usually undergo about 200 tests before being ready for distribution, but only few of them have been thoroughly presented so far. As you might have guessed, these tests differ considerably one from the other, so let's get started with every day tests.
A first such test simulates the “journey” your device undertakes while it is being placed in a bag or pocket or anything like that. The device is taken with a shaker and some hard particles, and they are allowed to take their normal course, thus learning how easily the devices scratches, or the paint peels off, and other things in this line.
Next, the resistance to weather conditions is tested, like what would happen if the phone were to remain for longer periods in extreme humidity, cold, high temperatures or long sun exposure. These tests are meant to show whether the device will suffer from bleaching, or whether it will just stop working correctly during or after long periods of harsh weather.
To make sure that your device won't let you down because you spilled a few drops of tea on it, splash resistance is also tested. Of course, as you might have expected, the device is not dropped or immersed in water, as it will most likely stop functioning. Along with this comes the dust resistance test, which does exactly what its name implies.
Now comes the “hardest” test for the phone, and the most interesting for us: the robustness test, which practically starts by dropping the phone on the ground and applying pressure, or stepping on it to find its breaking point. This test also determines whether the device will continue to work properly after several “knock downs.”
Finally, robotic arms deliver hundreds of thousands of keypad presses on each key to make sure that the keyboard will not turn into an annoying, malfunctioning one too soon. However, these are only some of the tests that Nokia performs on each of its devices, and hopefully, if nothing else, they will give your curiosity a little time to “recharge.”
To see how some of these tests are actually performed, check out the video below: