Nokia reveals phone testing routine

Ever wondered what kind of testing the hardware of the phone gets before being released on the market? Today Nokia released a video showing more details about its testing facility and the testing process itself. The footage is from one of the 11 Nokia test centers documenting some of the more than 200 mechanical tests that each phone goes through before hitting the shelves.

As you might have guessed the tests vary quite substantially. The everyday use tests include placing the device with a shaker with hard particles to simulate placing your handset in a bag or a pocket with things such as key rings. Splash resistance is also checked to make sure that a cup of spilled coffee isn't going to ruin your evening by turning your phone in wreckage. Dust resistance is also properly inspected.

Bending and twisting tests • dripping water test • dust box test

The resistance to various weather conditions is also examined. Those include extreme hotness and coldness, humidity and continuous exposure to sun, which might cause bleaching.

The funniest part is the robustness testing when they simulate dropping the phone on the concrete, twisting it and applying strong pressure to it. Admit it - it is a nice thing to look at when it is not your phone that gets tortured.

Scratching test • dropping test machine • humidity test

Finally the phone keypad endurance is tested by special robotic arms that simulate several hundred thousand presses on each key. We wonder if Sony Ericsson did this test for the S500 and W580 that earned their sorry reputations for having faulty keypads.

Keypad durability test

We certainly hope that thanks to this intensive testing the endurance of the Nokia phones will improve. It is not too long since some of even the highest-end phones of the Finnish manufacturer used to have paint that is easily peeled off and frames a bit too fragile.

And here goes the video from Nokia for you to enjoy some extensive phone tormenting.