Apple’s ad spots are always polished, thoughtfully made and worth checking out, and the latest clip to appear promotes the Ceramic Shield covering on the iPhone 16 – suggesting your phone will be protected from drops, even without a case.
The 35-second clip, which you can see on YouTube, is set at an amusement park. A dad hands over his iPhone 16 to a passer-by to take a photo of him and his family, but the would-be photo-taker fumbles the phone and drops it to the floor.
Panic not, viewers: the iPhone 16 in question is protected by Apple’s latest Ceramic Shield glass. The youngster in the family goes over and picks up the iPhone, which doesn’t have a scratch on it, and the family photo can be taken.
Apple has used this robust, Corning-made Ceramic Shield material since the iPhone 12, but the upgraded version introduced with the iPhone 16 is apparently 50% tougher. It’s some welcome extra peace of mind if you use your iPhone without a case.
I’ll stick with a case, thanks
While the Apple advert doesn’t explicitly state this, the implication is that your iPhone 16 is going to be well-protected from drops, even if you don’t put a case on it – but I’m not so sure I’m ready to fully accept that.
Toughened glass is still glass after all, and you don’t have to look far on Reddit or social media to find broken iPhone 16 screen mishaps, even from small-ish drops. In my experience, iPhones remain as slippery as ever, and the ground can be very unforgiving.
We’re talking about what could be one of the most important, valuable, and frequently used possessions you’ve got here: your iPhone connects you to the wider world, keeps you informed, stores all your photos and videos, and much more.
The Ceramic Shield is no guarantee against damage – and nor does Apple claim it to be, to be fair – and given how inexpensive and lightweight a lot of the best iPhone 16 cases are, it makes a lot of sense to add some extra protection on top.