Watch the OnePlus 10 Pro split in half during a durability test

OnePlus officially revealed the OnePlus 10 Pro just days after 2022. Then the flagship phone was launched in China on January 11th, and OnePlus is planning to launch it in the US this spring. As with other recent OnePlus phones, the OnePlus 10 Pro has an impressive spec sheet that includes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. But despite the hardware’s power, a recent OnePlus 10 Pro video shows the limits of the phone’s durability.

OnePlus 10 Pro durability test error

Earlier this week, Zack Nelson (JerryRigEverything on YouTube) posted a durability test video focusing on the OnePlus 10 Pro. In the middle of the video, Nelson performs the bend test. This test involves holding the phone horizontally with your fingers on the screen and your thumb on the back panel. Then he continues to press the middle of the phone with his thumb while pulling from the front with his fingers.

“If you hear noise during this part of the video,” he says, “it’s usually a bad thing.” Needless to say, you’ll hear noises around 7:10 in the video below:

Immediately after Nelson begins to put pressure on the device, cracks begin to appear in the ground glass. As he notes, the notches have merged into a line directly below the cam’s “burner” protrusion. At this point, the phone is in poor condition, but it still works.

Then it flips the phone over and starts tapping the screen. The phone snaps in half where the notches have formed under the rear camera assembly.

Why is the new OnePlus phone so fragile?

Nelson explains that most phones can’t be manually split into two pieces.

As such, he wants to understand why he could easily jailbreak the OnePlus 10 Pro. While doing an impromptu disassembly, he notes that the massive 5,000mAh dual-cell OnePlus 10 Pro battery runs the length of the device. This only leaves the side rails to withstand the force of any severe pressure exerted on the phone.

Nelson also explains that the volume button on the side of the phone is exactly where the phone splits in two. Its location appears to have contributed to the lack of structural integrity. Therefore, you will need to be extra careful if you are planning to buy the OnePlus 10 Pro and put it in your back pocket. If you sit badly, your phone may look like Nelson’s.

In the video, Nelson speculates that disappointing durability may have something to do with the company’s OnePlus 10 Pro exit strategy. The phone has been available in China for nearly two months now, but it does not have a US release date. Maybe the company wants to make the phone less unbreakable first.

If you want to know more about the OnePlus 10 Pro (aside from its durability), be sure to check out our January announcement post.