Carphone Warehouse blasts multiple smartphones with fire in awesome durability test

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

Just when you thought your smartphone couldn't withstand much of a drop, UK retailer Carphone Warehouse has decided to test a number of devices to see which could potentially withstand the depths of hell. The company selected the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, HTC One Mini 2, Nokia Lumia 630, LG G2 Mini and Sony Xperia Z1 Compact for a specific test – to be blasted by a flamethrower.

While not a test that will likely alter your decision making when it comes to choosing one of said devices (come on, who owns a flamethrower capable of heating smartphones of up to 1000 degrees Celsius?), it's a humorous look at how smartphones of today can withstand some unusual circumstances. As an added bonus, it looked as though the Lumia 630 came out on top, but that shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

Via: Twitter (@Desmond)

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

98 Comments
  • Nokia Lumia lasts forever
  • haha lumia bitches...now all you have do is to nomianate samsung and all others to #flamethrower challenge. Nokia rocks!!! proud to be an owner of nokia....
  • hahahahaha
  • Thats kind of worrisome if you think about a broken one sitting in a landfill somewhere
  • It's a Lumia babe
  • Right. And if we recall, samsung phones already have the ability to light themselves on fire anyways. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • Hahaha...
  • Brother pigeon, tis you Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • It's still a Nokia!
  • Nokia is still a NOKIA bro :)
  • +630
  • Sony phones are glass covered, rest all are plastic. I wonder how shall metal body phones react.
    Btw the Samsung s3 survived after being left in a washing machine
  • You could watch it and then you'd know....
  • A lumia survived after 3 months at the bottom of a lake
  • True story...
  • I remember reading that...not sure if it was 800 or 820.
  • It's 800
  • It's 800.
  • The HTC One Mini 2 in the picture looked reasonably unscathed. The 630 did a good job to beat a metal phone, if the One Mini 2 is metal.
  • They first tried this at 3310, but 3310 sent them in hell and ordered itself a taco.
  • I'm using a 3310 to beat Diablo III
  • Yeah use it as your special powers, one throw gives 100,000,000,000 damage, even the Diablo would be like WTF before it gets hit.. Lol
  • +710
  • Its nokia ..it doesn't surprise me.
  • First a Lumia took a bullet for a cop and now it can survive hell's flames. Just what kind of machines are Nokia testing and making (gotta love tho) Coolest Man Alive
  • More importantly, who actually comes up with the durability tests?! Who sits there and wonders if the latest prototype can withstand hell, a drop from Everest, maximum sea pressure, and maybe even maximum G force...
  • Well, that's simple. Those will attract more views than dropping them from 30 centimetres ;)
  • 1+
  • That's awesome, go Nokia!
  • but htc one mini look better than l630 Anyway
    Moral of video is - L630 will be the best partner of criminals because they are the who will face hell fire. Lol!
  • Watch the video dude......not just the picture attached here......:)
  • watched two times before commenting here.  
  • The HTC's back is saved by the metal but even that got cracked and messed up. Up front though, it ate crap. 630 came on top.
  • It looked better on the back but the lumia looked better in the front. I'm not sure if the HTC being positioned the the far end gave it an advantage. The Lumia was dead center.
  • I'm from Dominican Republic, here we can take up to 37'C (98.6'F) during the summer. Not that close in order to compare with this test but still.. #Lumia FTW!
  • Lol 37' C! We Indians have summers of 45'C+
  • Nite I'm glad that I don't live in either of these countries. I would die right away xD
    Though Germany could have a little more sun ... the weather here is really depressing at the moment :/
  • Surprisingly, British weather has been holding up recently (although one can definitely tell that autumn is coming with winter not far behind...)
  • Here in the US we have death valley which can reach temperatures of 47.5 C which is the world record.
  • Its not a world record.
  • Nobody lives in the death valley though....
  • Woohh that's very hot!
  • It's probably humid thought. Here in the SW US we average in the mid 100s in the summer. Today is a cool 108*F...
  • This is extremely useful consumer advice. 
  • If it were the Nokia 3310 it would have thrown the flames back to them.
  • Lol wanna know the last time someone tested a Nokia's durability?
    It's why its the Leaning Tower and not just Tower of Pisa e3e Just kidding but still x3
  • At least the handsets from Nokia / Microsoft should Brominated flame retardant still have...
  • Really ? All I have to ask is....Why ? Let's see if you had the phones in your pocket when this type of heat hit you I dont think you would really care.....as you would be dead....
  • "Trust me, you'll be happy with your Lumia in these situations"
    - Satan
  • U can have an armour of lumias to protect urself!
  • Views. It's all about views! That's the YouTube business ;)
    And marketing in general! You don't think they are doing this because they have money to waste, do you?
  • You watched it didn't you? That's why.
  • I am from India, here we can take 49'C during summer. That's why we love Nokia. :-*
  • So will this pave the way for 'fire resistant' ads in the line of those 'water resistant' ads in the future?
  • Psshhht! They are watching us!
  • 3310 must be proud of 630's achievement ;)
  • 3310 must be proud of 630's achievement ;)
  • Not surprise of htc one mini because it is a metal case.... Nokia is the winner Nokia rules...
  • Where's the iPhone? Want to see it burn...
  • I wanna see it take a bullet like the 520 did!
  • Go to youtube and go to the channel TechRax, you can see some crrazy shits done with all types of smartphones!
  • Galaxy cheap crap of hardware.!!!
  • Nokia FTW! :D
  • Not at all surprised to see that the Samsung was obliterated. The HTC's back looked to be still in decent shape. The Lumia showed its durability, not surprisingly.
  • It's NOKIA BITCHES !!!!!!!! :Proud owner Lumia 1520 ;)
  • Boom! Epic win Nokia
  • We all nokia users are completely safe from bullets, fire and destruction... :D
  • yeah, im not surprise.
  • They tried it on a 3310, but it stole their flamethrower and used it to start up it's own barbecue.
  • Or maybe 3310 got sunglasses and enjoyed flame bath.
  • Good that Nokia Lumia came out on top :-)
  • Wow go Nokia!!
  • they should have tried ringing them after each test
  • They dead burned at 1000 degrees at 5 meters
  • Nokia
  • !!!
  • Amazing! Great to see Nokia phones are still tough as hell
  • What does this prove anyway all the phones got burned what a waste
  • Haha, the cheapo beats the expensive handsets :P.
  • Not sure why they picked the Lumia, all phones from the front were either blackened totally or destroyed but from the back the only one that looks pretty perfect was the HTC One Mini 2 Odd
  • Saw this the other day was awesome
  • Lumia rocks \m/
  • "If you happen to live in Hell, the Nokia Lumia is probably your best bet." I want that on a t-shirt.
  • Nokia should be handicap in these kind of tests. It have unfair advantage because it is "nokia"
  • I dropped my iPhone 4 in fire and I tried getting it out for 15 minutes but it was to hot to get even with tongs
  • Proud 630 owner +630 :)
  • I want that apple thing to be burnt with all the cheap androids.
  • Phone of the fire department, Lumias
  • This test would be remotely useful for the average buyer if phones getting cooked at 1000c were a regular ocurrence...
  • "Proud of you my sons" said Mr 3310 to me after seeing this video. I saw this video on 3310
  • Lumia rocks! Waiting for the indestructible Nokia Lumia 3310 :D
  • Noah should take a pair of Lumia 630, into his ark next time. 
  • So really.... What's the point of this test tho.. Are these phones aimed at fire officers? If they are, I doubt these people with be making phone calls in the middle of a burning building.. Lol. These types of tests are pointless and ridiculous.. Or maybe it's just my dislike for tech being destroyed needlessly..lol
  • Military grade test? Anyway, what about the HTC? It still has the cover intacked, doesn't that make it the winner?     521 user
  • Up front it got dead quicker than the 630 :)
  • We all know the phone that wins
  • I live in the Philippines and a lot of people are using nokia phones specially the basic phones like 5years ago models. That is because of the quality of the hardware. I still own n6630 and it still working fine. I have lumia625 and im planning to get the 830 soon
  • amazing test but  from Nokia would not surprise me that  withstands  that test althought  the HTC too look like      resisted the heat but  if watch carefully is melted inside