UAG case protects the handset, GoPro films the action

Jan 16, 2015 09:00 GMT  ·  By

It’s been done before, but probably not this high above the Earth’s atmosphere. Accessory maker Urban Armor Gear is promoting its super-robust cases with a video showing how an iPhone 6 survives a 100K-foot tumble thanks to the UAG case.

Shot back in November of 2014, the two-minute clip embedded below shows how the people at UAG sent a brand-new iPhone 6 to the stratosphere using a balloon. The device reached a (possibly record-breaking) height of over 101,000 feet (30,784 meters) and powered off when it encountered temperatures as cold as -79 degrees F (-61 Celsius). It also had to withstand winds as strong as 70 MPh (112 KMh).

“During the descent the iPhone 6 and flight rig withstood a 150 PRM rotation as the parachute deployed and the rig fought to stabilize. Upon landing the flight rig broke apart, however the iPhone remained unscathed and in perfect working order.”

The UAG team said the phone came back to life once they recharged its battery, which had lost its energy due to the extremely cold temperatures at the edge of our Earth’s atmosphere.

Two GoPro cameras filmed the action, and the GPS locator strapped onto the mount allowed the team to re-locate the fallen phone. The phone’s journey lasted for about 3 hours. The key moments are compressed into the two-minute clip below.