What do Bruce Willis and my Lumia 920 have in common?

By Seth Brodeur
last updated

Those busted corners on the Nokia Lumia 920 in the pictures above look nasty, eh? Those gashes, along with some slight scratches on the front of the phone’s screen are the result of my Lumia 920 falling off my bike when a brand new handlebar mount that I bought broke apart when I hit some rough pavement at about 15 miles per hour.

As heart-breaking as that was, let me tell you why those banged up corners are so amazing.

As soon as I saw my Lumia 920 fly by me, I slammed on the brakes, nearly taking a dive, as my bike skidded into the curb. I dropped my bike and made a B-line back to where I saw my Nokia sitting in the middle of the street. But I was too late.

An oncoming car flew over the Windows Phone, narrowly missing it. However, the next one didn’t. Neither did the three cars that came after that.

That’s right, as my poor Lumia lay screen-down on the asphalt, I helplessly watched four cars in a row run squarely over it. I quickly darted into the street as soon as I could, fully expecting to see a pile of polycarbonate rubble.

Instead, to my amazement, as I ran over I could see it sitting there, still in one piece. If that weren’t crazy enough, I could still hear the album that I had been listening to (Elway’s latest album, Leavetaking) blaring from the middle of the road.

It has been about seven hours since the above events transpired, and after spending a whole lot of time using my Lumia 920, it is working perfectly. Even the nicks on the screen are barely noticeable.

Truth be told, I am livid about the fact that on my first ride out with what is billed as both a bicycle and motorcycle mount designed specifically for my Lumia 920 snapped into pieces, sending my beloved smartphone to what looked to be certain death. But on the other, I cannot help but be simultaneously stunned and amused at the resiliency of Nokia’s flagship phone.

Unbreakable? Maybe not. But it is one hell of an action hero.

UPDATE: People have been asking what bike mount I was using, so here (opens in new tab) you go. It is called the "SK3 Bike Bicycle Motorcycle Mobile Phone Mount Clip Holder for Nokia Lumia N920."

Seth Brodeur
Seth Brodeur
184 Comments
  • "Unbreakable", I was thinking you were going to reference "Die Hard".  LOL
  • I thought he was going for Look Who's Talking Too
  • Lol
  • Maybe Bruce Willis can introduce an extra lens in the Nokia EOS as "The Sixth Element"
  • LOL!
  • just an amazing comment
  • I was thinking that they both had no hair...
  • ^^this
  • +1
  • I was hoping they were both in possession of naked pictures of Demi Moore.
  • Rough around the edges was my guess.
  • I was thinking that the Lumia is made from the "fifth element".
  • So it's made out of a girl? O_o
  • Multi-pass Metro
  • Actually, (Spoiler Alert) the Fifth Element is Love. And Nokia most certainly poored alot of love into the 920 :o) Oh, and yeah, huge fan of that movie!
  • I've seen that movie dozens of times and never payed attention enough to realize...I thought it was just a girl...
  • And you were correct. The fifth element is a girl. She just needs to feel love to make the whole thing work. (I've also seen it over and over again..) :)
  • I've dropped my phone so many times and aside from some crumpled corners on the phone it has no issues.
  • I shattered my screen with my first Lumia 920, but I have heard few stories in witch the phone was shattered to pieces
  • My screen also shattered. Drop flat screen facedown on tiles. But live tiles still working T.T
  • The Tiles of the floor or the phone?
  • Phone tiles still working (lcd OK, gorilla glass KO). Repair shop not replace only glass, but whole lcd set and cost me MYR850. I can buy another Lumia 720 with that price Θ_Θ~_~
  • I've done the same, except it was on pebbly concrete. Luckily, I was able to go get a replacement the same day.
  • Can you tell us the mount so we don't buy it. I wanted one for mountain biking and if this one can't handle broken pavement, it won't handle my rides and there are not that many to choose from.
  • Here is the mount: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5575095911&toolid=10001&campid=5337543237&customid=UUwpUdUcU440624&mpre=http2F2Fitm3FssPageName3AMEWNX26amp3Dp3984.m1497.l2649 I am still trying to work things out with the seller.  
  • This link works, but the link the article does not. Just FYI. Sorry about your phone.
  • Thanks for the heads up on the link. Added a new one and the name of the mount, as found on eBay.
  • Definately not getting the SK3.  I am in the market to buy one too.
  • Everyone write to Trident Case and Demand the Kraken case for Flagship Windows phones with their AWS line. I have the Aegis on order for my 928. And when I emailed Trident about a possible 920/925/928 720 option they said they have no plans of making anything but Aegis. The Kickstand part of the Kraken series allows removal to insert all kinds of nifty things like tripod mounts, bike/rail mounts, navigation mounts. I would but car and bike and tripod... But, alsas, no WP love....
  • +1. What Mount?
  • Hahaha, wow. Awesome. I mean, sorry for your phone but awesome at the same time.
     
    "Instead, to my amazement, as I ran over I could see it sitting there, still in one piece. If that weren’t crazy enough, I could still hear the album that I had been listening to (Elway’s latest album, Leavetaking) blaring from the middle of the road."
     
    That must be a bug, it should pause on impact, hehe. :P
  • +620 for this! LOL
  • I would say that phone was Kick-Ass. Get it?
  • No
  • The movie Kick Ass? O.o
  • DING DING DING!!
  • You can change the housing pretty easily if you are out of warranty.
  • What warranty covers being run over by cars?
  • Out of warranty?
  • SquareTrade?
  • The phone came out in November and its warranty is good for a year..so even if someone got it on November 21, still good on warranty..right..??? :P
  • Warranties don't cover acts of God or getting dropped at 15mph then run over by 3 cars. Same as if you threw it on the ground and bashed it with a hammer. They do cover defects and inoperability, say... Touch screen not working or battery no longer taking a charge... Just saying.
  • Well..first off all..my comment was meant to put light on the fact that no Lumia 920 can be out of warranty. Whether it stands for physical damage or not is a different issue. Also, what if the touch screen stops working after sometime, or some other internal defect surfaces..?? Warranty would hold true for that, right.? So changing the housing by yourself will void that, and would not let you replace it if some internal problem should come up..right..???
  • My Lumia 920 is heavy duty no joke
  • Super heavy duty.
  • i guess i will feel safer taking my lumia 920 into the weight section of the gym.
     
    but i never feel comfortable having phone during physical activity as i dont want to be bothered by messages.
    other than that..great story of survival and lumia will probably be banned on international flights as it can be used as a weapon lol
  • Put it in a sock and you've joined the medieval times with a mace! Haha
  • I thought the same thing then I dropped my Lumia on the right point and shattered my screen. Heavy duty phone than most but definitely breakable.
  • Die hard they're hard to kill
  • I feel like the only person who has destroyed a 920 screen with one drop before. Watch out for that hard tile floor, I dropped it once straight out of my pocket at work and that screen was cracked to hell.
  • I missed my pocket in the parking lot last week. Spiderwebs in the upper right corner, crack going across the music control area. I'll swap out the screen when I get the chance, but at least it's still usable.
     
    Lost track of how many times I've dropped it onto asphalt or concrete. Phone handles it fine, but at the end of the day, glass is still glass. I'm going to guess the case was to the ground in this case, car running it over with the screen down probably would've been a different story.
  • Nope. The article says it was lying face down on the asphalt when it got run over.
  • Looked for it in the article and still missed it.
    Still, car running over it probably produces lower point loading than a drop onto a small pebble.
  • I've run just over 600 miles with my 920. Dropped it numerous times and it just keeps going. Was think of submitting a review when I hit 920 miles this fall.
  • I just love how solid it feels in my hand. I never want to go back to one of those dainty phones again.
  • Nice. I do worry about what would happen to my 928 with the screen at the corner as Verizon had to make changes.
  • The 928 suffers from the lack of those corners.  My first drop from about 2.5 feet and the screen shattered.  Get a good case.
  • This is why i bought an otterbox. Nokias can also be used as a hammer. (though not advised ;) would love to see emoticons in the next wpcentral update.
  • My 822 had an otterbox and I dropped it when getting into the car on chip and seal and the screen shattered. ONLY time I have dropped it. My wife on the other hand had no case on her 822 (before getting 928) and dropped it countless times and it never broke. FML
    Her casing on her 822 had so many dings and dents from dropping while mine was in mint condition. All it takes is one drop w/ or w/o a case and the screen is done if it hits just right.
  • I have used my 920 has a hammer to construct shelving in my new apartment as I didnt have anything else that could be used as a hammer XD NO scratches whatsoever and I had no case on it or screen protector x3
  • You checked the cars are they ok ? or did a tire brake after it hit by the nokia.
  • Hahaha
  • ^THIS.
    hahahahaha
  • The tires has damaged, lol
  • I don't get it, because I know people who have their phones barely fall and it isn't a very hard surface, and it breaks.
  • Chance.
  • Yep, that's somekind between the risk and the chance.
  • It's all about how it lands, Corners can be SOL as the back or the front could be fine...
  • I've been looking into mounts since the Lumia 920 first came out. I have tried mounts from slipgripmounts.com finding them to be fairly reliable. When mountain biking there is too much bounce though and it looks like you are swimming in water. I am now currently trying out a chest mount from http://www.velocityclip.com/ . So far I have found the chest mount to be my favorite. From my experiences, I would say the quality is compares to a Hero 2.
  • Sounds like your city needs to make some street repairs. You live in Phoenix?
  • You are absolutely right about my town needing to step it up. My normal bike route crosses over a town line, where the street becomes beautifully paved as I leave my town. I live in Massachusetts, land of perpetual potholes and street repairs.
  • Awesome story!
  • Get a new shell, replace in 30 min and you are done.
  • for every story like this, there are 10 920s on eBay with shattered screens.  you hit this screen just right and its shards for you!
  • This, also my 920 got a bunch of scratches from keeping it in a Pocket with a single coin in it. My Omnia 7 got much worse treatment than that and never got scratches.
  • ^hahaha, no kidding.
  • Awesome story.!! :)
  •  
    You might want to bring this up with Nokia. Knowing them they could even go as far to replace your phone with a new one and keep this one as 'proof of concept' :D
    Tweet on it with a hashtag or add @nokia or bring it up on Nokia Support Discussions
     
  • that's just pandering plain and simple.  The only thing Nokia should do is send him one of their very svelte cases for it and a note attached "you should have used this in the first place"
  • The cars that went over your Lumia were definitely iPhone users :P
  • hey, do you have a same thinking of me, about they (iPhone users on the car) are the 'competing phones racist'?
  • ...and my NL 920 has a nasty scratch ( and several light ones ) from my jeanspocket, and the first layer of polycarbonate at the edges of the phone wear off. Die Hard? Unbreakable? No, I think "killing me softly" fits better. Btw: I contacted Nokia because of the scratches on the screen. They recommend using a display protection foil... Very Funny... ...NOT!!!
  • Those tears could fill wells in Africa, put them to use.
  • well their recommendation is correct. screen protector and case and your phone will be pristine for the next user when you sell it. I never buy phones from people who don't protect them.
  • The only times my phone didn't have a screen protector is when I bought it, when I broke it with my knuckle, and when a metal brake jammed right into the screen. Granted its only a Samsung focus but so what
  • Yeah, I also use screen protectors on phones the don't have a bloody curved screen. ;-)
  • So the phone is so heavy that the mount broke! :P
  • Can barely notice
  • He forgot to mention that right after the cars went over the phone they broke down.
  • Lol..good one bro.. :))
  • My phone spent 2 hours with a honey badger, it didn't give a f**k.
  • 920 is the new 3310
  • Good thing I took German in high school.
  • Corrected it. ;)
  • I understood, even though my German is very poor.
  • I have a couple of friends who own 920s. Both of them have shattered their screens once. It seems its not good when it falls screen first on concrete. At least that's how they claim it broke. And because it happened with both of them, i had to believe that the screen's vulnerable rather that they are careless.. I am fortunate enough that mine's intact but for a small scratch which i dunno where it came from.. :(
  • I've dropped mine on concrete and pavement 8 times (a few times on purpose as a demo), and in 3 instances it fell screen first and once it fell AND slid across the lot on the screen. No scratches. My corners are better condition than Seth's. So bottom line, I know not everyone is this lucky, but it's far better than any competitor.
  • I agree that its better than competition, but to be honest, my iPhone is still scratch less. I don't know how the screen of my Lumia got scratched, but its a pretty deep one, and its almost unbelievable as i have seen people abusing it with knives without any apparent damage..my phone's corners are perfect though..
  • Still running WP8... shame....
  • Where are these trolls coming from? They seem more prevalent.
    I guess the fandroids have nothing better to do.
  • +1. Or, he's from iFan.
  • There are two methods of dealing with these kinds.
    1.) Burn it with fire!
    2.) ignore.
  • I vote for #1
  • im betting you were driving one of those cars =P
  • "Still running WP8...shame...." Thank you, Your comment really helped the article: my Lumia got hit by 3 cars and was fine. please don't post sleaze. :P
  • Solid solid build quality on Nokia handsets. Just adds to the excellence of the WP experience!
  • I have dropped my phone so many times now, the record being 7 times in a single day. Aside from few dents at the corners and multiple round scratch marks on the screen, whenever it slid on the pavement or on the floor, it works perfectly fine.
  • Amazing!
  • As someone who bikes everyday, including on roads with lots of traffic, this is my main concern. That my phone will fall onto the road and break. Hearing stories like this makes me glad I got a 920 because of how strong they are.
     
    Also what mount was it? I'm curious as to which it was so I possibly get it and see if I could make it more resilient to bumps on roads and such.
  • Does no one here use a case/screen protector?
    My phone hasn't seen one single day without at least a screen protector.
    I also have Incipio feather lite & Otter box (for hiking, heavy work scenarios) cases.
  • Cases are destroying the elegant design of these phones and I'm yet to see a case that does not look ugly. Screen protectors are also often kinda ruining the front view, since they are not usually cut exactly to the size of the glass covering the screen and also need to have holes where the front camera and sensors are located. I find it rather amusing how people are buying the iPhone for example and immediately put on an ugly case. No need for that with a Nokia phone - extremely sturdy these devices.
  • Right...
    Looks over function. No thank you.
  • Case? I don't need no stinking case!
  • Agreed no case on my 928 and never will be.
  • Lumia 920 - one tough yippie Kay yay!
  • +9001
  • All I see is 920 this 920 that. Can we share some other Lumia drop stories that survive other then the 920s. Is there a thread on the forums for this? I have a Lumia 822, anyone drop one of those before? Mine also has a case.
  • LOL
    Yes, I've dropped/thrown mine quite a few times. Only a couple of small scratches, none on the screen.
  • My 900 has been through Hell and back.  There's no telling how many times I have dropped it, sent it skidding across a floor or parking lot.  It fell off the camper shell of my truck onto a rocky farm road and then got run over (I found it because it was still playing music even though it was buried by the tire passing over it). 
    I finally cracked the screen after like the 30th time I dropped it face down onto my gravel driveway.  It still looks pretty good (the crack is hairline, but I still see it) except for the metal strip around the camera-- it looks like (poorly) brushed metal now; can't read any of the words that used to be on it. 
    It's never seen a case, BTW.  So far it's the only smartphone I haven't broken in over a year of use. 
  • I have the same ding on the top left corner. Happened one week from the release date in November. I was soo PO'd. I got myself a case the next day but that extra bulk was so annoying, I got rid of it the next month. Riding solo and loving it. Just more carefully.
  • I have a spare yellow shell, I would give it to you for free oh and only you :)
  • I actually just bought new handle bars for my bike and some new grip tape. I smashed my foot against railing going down hill and flipped my bike. Destroying the tape. My Nokia purity over the ear headphones flew off my head and landed on my phone. Not a single scratch on my 920 or headphones.
  • hey guys, i had the same thing (top left corner damaged after a fall to the hard floor). Went to the shop and said the SIM Tray is not closing properly and I'm losing signal all the time -> got a free cover replacement! (Swisscom, Switzerland). Maybe try it out!
  • B-line = line designated with the letter B. Bee line = direct route to destination, as a bee would fly the shortest, most direct route. :-)
  • i wanted a mount of some sort so i could easily use Endomondo on my Lumia 900.  Also wanted a storage pouch for keys, wallet, etc.  Went with this and would highly recommend. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/261216371698?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
    Perfect fit for the L900 and not going to fall apart or drop my phone.  Touch screen works perfect through the clear plastic window.  Only con vs the mount referred to in this article is that its not as "heads up" for use.
  • I was hoping that Bruce Willis was the one who ran it over or handed it back to you.  You should edit the story to have that ending.
  • So you were listening to music on your bike without head phones? Because the music would have stoped at the moment the phone fell down and unpluggin the head phones.
  • You are correct, sir. I feel safer without headphones on because I am more aware of my surroundings.
  • http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2013-03-10-chucknorrisapproves.gif
  • Omg 4 cars ran it over and it still works wow lol. That's incredibly lucky and amazing both at the same time.
  • I was thinking that the thing they have in common is they are both dead. (Sixth Sense)
  • By the way it's bee line..not "B-line".
  • People avoid you at parties, don't they, mdscj4.
  • i dropped mine on some concrete a while ago from about chest height. The corners are bit dinged up and when i picked it up the screen section along the sides had kinda popped out from the black polycarb casing, clicked it back in and life goes on.
  • Put the 920 up against 2 German brothers, ex-military, a pissed off Hacker, and a bunch of Russians.....Then talk to Bruce Willis
  • So that was the level 8 earthquake that was on the news today!
  • But my 810 survived a few drops as well but the "Other" memory space may be it's undoing by my very own hand as the 810 meets the wall.
  • I don't trust any clip in bike mount. I only use an in closed bag/case type foe this very reason...
  • I don't trust any clip in bike mount. I only use an in closed bag/case type for this very reason...
  • if this phone would work well on T-Mobile I would have bought it the moment it the exclusivity contract ended with A&T and unlocked it, because to me this phone is still the sexiest phone out there. While I'm looking forward to the 925 on T-Mobile , to me the 925 is not as sexy as the 920!!! If only, if only......
  • I registered to tell you that the Lumia 920 works perfectly fine on T-Mobile.  I transferred my phone two days ago and have 4G, LTE, and MMS working without a hitch.
    Send me a PM if you want more information.
  • Same here... I unlocked mine, and currently running LTE on T-mobile. I had to wait 2 agonizing month with two phone plans! How is your Android & iOs group text working though? Mine doesn't...
  • I haven't tried group texting with any iOS or Android users, but I was able to group text some images to my parents' Window Phones without issue.  MMS should be universal, but now I am curious...  I'll definitely be trying it out soon to see if it's an issue.  It might be unrelated to T-Mobile and just a general WP issue.  Check out the forums--maybe this is a known problem.
  • I unlocked mine, and currently running LTE on T-mobile. I had to wait 2 agonizing month with two phone plans!
  • Shiny head is what they have in common. Still love Bruce.
  • I picked up a black "Delta Smart Phone Caddy II" from a local bike shop and it matches and fits my Red 920 perfectly... Its like they designed it specifically for the 920... but the packaging only lists Iphone and android... I have been on some very rough roads and I have never feared that it would come out...
  • All I can say is HOLY SHIT! That's amazing, and while I know there are less successful stories out there, I have had similar luck dropping mine in the parking lot at work and such. I often drop it as a demo too. Such an amazing product.
  • You what?
  • Amazingly dropping mine on concrete or asphalt has not done any more than the usual dinged corners. However dropping it on my bathroom floor, with linoleum shattered the screen :(
  • Awesome
  • Nicknamed incredible hulk by some for a reason then bet if that was iphone or galaxy phone they would be dead after that!
  • I dropped it from about 30cm on a woodenfloor. The screen crashed. I guess its all about angle.
  • Wow, that is one amazing smart phone.  Lucky you didn't have a Samsung Smart Phone, like the GS 3/4.  Those cars would have shattered that cheap plastic into a million pieces.
  • I most correct you.... Mire like what do Chuck Norris and my Lumia have in common...Because if you don't know , when Chuck Norris hit Bruce Lee he divided him in 2 : Bruce Willis and Jet Lee
  • One of my favourites: Chuck Norris bit the Apple logo...
  • :) my favourite is : Chuck Norris will never have an heart attack... His heart is not fullish enough to attack him
  • it's Jet Li, not Lee ;P
  • Who needs a bike mount? Duct tape!
  • That'll teach you to use the bike lane instead of riding in the street :-)
    Good job Lumia...
  • Oh, if only we had bike lanes!
  • Nj
  • eBay another genuine casing.... Maybe the grey one
  • Yep, the L920 lives up to the durability of the 3310. Phonedog, a you tuber who does reviews of phones, PURPOSELY ran one over in a sedan as a destruction test. The screen didn't even crack, and the phone was not even that scratched. Thank you Nokia, and sorry about your phone!
  • Should'a put a case on it.
  • I normally have a case on it, but it wouldn't fit in the mount with the case on.
  • I have actually had to replace the screen on my 920, due to as mishap from about two feet above. I can explain it except that it was a different thud than the usual sound my phone make as it falls.
    Needless to say, have tried to be way more careful since. At $225cdn I don't want to pay to repair it again anytime soon.
  • Mother of Lumia O_O
  • Wow, that's amazing! Quality at its best. :)
  •    It's too bad someone didn't film the whole thing. Your ordeal would make a great commercial.
  • http://cdn0.meme.li/instances/300x300/39214515.jpg
  • Meh...it's a Nokia so...there's no surprise in that :v
  • I love this article.
    Mainly because I can share this on the interweb and taunt iPhone users that their phone likely wouldn't have even survived the initial dismount. Let alone four cars running over it.
    But Nokias have a thing about not dying when cars go over them. This isn't the first such tale I've heard, though it is the first with a Lumia.
  • You were listening to music in earphones whilst cycling through traffic? Idiot.
  • If you had paid closer attention to earlier comments, you would know that: 1) Had I been wearing earphones, the music would have been paused by the phone when they became unplugged, and hence, I could not have heard Elway's Leavetaking playing in the middle of the road 2) I specifically said that I do not where headphones while riding because I like to be aware of my surroundings. Apology accepted...
  • For future reference, has anyone figured out the proper grit and method to sand down the polycarbonate on a 920 in circumstances like this? 
  • Actually mine fell from roughly 10 meters on to concrete while i was working on the roof and the only issue I have is the wireless charging does not work otherwise i have a tiny chipping by the back button.
    This phone rocks.
  • I guess you can fix that yourself, maybe the cords inside are loose. See some youtube videos on how to disassemble, they will show you where the wireless charging device is.
  • I dropped my lumia 920 on pavement and the screen had a small chip. Then i dropped in onto a linoleum floor and SMASH. the screen glass shattered. It cost me £130 to fix
  • i even use my lumia in rain (not heavy rain)
  • #AWESOME!!!
  • My 12 years old son saved money for the last 8 months and he finally got a yellow Lumia 920. The first day he took the phone outside, someone pushed him when he was trying to take his first photo with the new phone, and the screen went to pieces the moment it hit the ground. My son was in shock and he actually cryied... I had to take the phone fixed and now it looks like new... the yellow part wasn't dameged at all after the fall.
    All this stories about how unbrakeble is the 920 are nice... but nothing more.
  • Cool, I thought I was the only one who ever had a Nokia 920 come flying off a bicycle mount going down the road... I started a thread (with pics) about my mount, a Dynex, purchased at Best Buy here in the forums
    http://forums.wpcentral.com/windows-phone-accessories/229287-new-accessory-my-nokia-lumia-920-a.html
  • My friend got mad at me and trew my L822 out of my 2nd Floor window onto my driveway it wasn't that bad, just lot of cracking plastic and the battery and rear cover fell off. Long story hort, they were rich and they had to buy me an L928
  • hhhh, I thought I was the only one. I had my 920 fall on hard ground many times (mostly pavement), couple of times while trying to bunny hop with my bicycle. Still, only one small chipped edge and few almost invisible scratches. Surely this does not match four cars run down though