Gamer mouse vs. rugged phone - an absurd battle with an even more absurd outcome
11.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
What do a smartphone and a gamer mouse have in common? Nothing at all - except that they are both part of our Community campaign. Both devices made it into the campaign because of their longevity.
What do a smartphone and a gamer mouse have in common? Nothing at all - except that they are both part of our Community campaign. Both devices made it into the campaign due to their longevity.
Comparing a gamer mouse and a smartphone is like comparing apples with ... broccoli. In other words: a comparison is pointless. I like meaningless things, which is why I put a mouse up against a smartphone in various stress tests. Let's see whether the mouse is actually that bad, or the smartphone that good (?).
Two unequal opponents
Washed for 45 minutes at 40 degrees and still works. This is what user Anonymous had to say about the Samsung Galaxy S10 after his wife accidentally threw it in the wash. It's your own fault, you don't do your own laundry, I would say now if the mobile had broken. But IP68-certified devices can actually survive a wash cycle.
Fits well in the hand, but otherwise not usable - says user SlendyMilky about the Roccat Kone EMP RGB gaming mouse. The cable detached from the mouse within a short time and the left mouse button stopped working after just seven months. It remains to be seen whether this is due to the poor quality or whether SlendyMilky games so much that he has already reached the 50 million clicks promised by the manufacturer after seven months.
The mouse isn't a problem. I can easily justify 80 Swiss francs a-fonds-perdu to my superiors for an absurd article, but 750 francs for the mobile? I ask my colleague Dominik if he happens to have an S10 lying around that could break. He doesn't, but he does have a Doogee S80 rugged phone that I can destroy.
So a rugged phone versus a gamer mouse. That makes the comparison even more pointless. Perfect.
If you're too lazy to read: I recorded my test odyssey on video. So you can be there up close when I push the devices to their limits.
From freezing to falling to being run over
I put the Roccat mouse and the S80 through the following tests - at the same time if possible:
- Temperature shock: The two devices are stored in the freezer for 30 minutes and then placed directly in the oven preheated to 100° Celsius for 30 minutes.
- Washing: The appliances are washed in the trouser bag of jeans with other laundry at 30°.
- Scratch test: The devices are tied to the bike in the best Wild West style and dragged over 100 metres on a string over the asphalt.
- Drop test: The devices are dropped from two metres onto concrete.
- Load test: The devices are placed on the road and a 1400-kilogram car drives over them.
After each test, I check whether the devices are still running. As I can't always test the mouse when it's switched on, I also switch off the rugged phone during the tests. That way, both devices have the same conditions.
Temperature shock
I shiver just thinking about it: 30 minutes in the freezer - no thanks. What comes next is even worse: half an hour in the oven at 100° Celsius. I have to be careful not to burn my fingers when I take them out.
After 30 minutes in the freezer, the appliances are very cold. As I want to shock them with the temperature difference, I don't test their functionality yet: it's straight into the preheated oven. After half an hour, I actually have to put the oven gloves on, otherwise I would burn myself.
The rugged phone looks exactly the same on the outside as before. The temperature shock has not affected it. Only after a quarter of an hour is it cool enough to switch it on. And indeed: I am asked to enter the PIN after the boot screen. Unfortunately, I don't have it. My colleague Dominik has probably already entered a PIN. But at least I now know that the device is still running, the touchscreen is responding and the device is still emitting sounds.
What about the gamer mouse? It has suffered externally. It has got stains - from whatever source - but more importantly, the left mouse button is deformed. It has bent slightly due to the temperature. The adhesive on the underside has also come loose. I want to know if it is still working and connect it to my PC. The RGB lights up and I can move the cursor. Everything is fine. Only the left mouse button is no longer as easy to click as before due to the deformation. But the mouse is alive.
Washing
I have a pair of jeans to wash. The rugged phone goes in one pocket and the mouse in the other. To prevent the washing drum from being damaged too much, I put more clothes in it. This protects the drum a little better. Then it's off to the washing machine. I wash the appliances - and the laundry - on the easy-care cycle at 30° Celsius. The programme lasts 55 minutes.
After washing, both devices shine like new. Let's see if they also work like new. This time I test the mouse first: everything is fine, I can still use it without any problems.
The situation is different with the rugged phone: It can no longer be switched on. Is it really already broken? I decide to let it dry overnight. Maybe it's still too damp inside and that's why it refuses to switch on.
Scratch test
Even the day after, the rugged phone remains dead. It's possible that my first attempt to switch it on caused a short circuit and that's why it died. The gamer mouse is already the sure winner. Nevertheless, I'm also carrying out the other tests. My "researcher" nose wants to know when the mouse will give up the ghost and how much more damage the smartphone will suffer.
I do the scratch test by bike on the beautiful Lake Biel. To do this, I wrap a cord around the rugged phone and connect the other end of the cord to my seat post. I attach the mouse to the seat post with the USB cable.
Now it's off on my bike and 100 metres along the Strandboden - as we Bielers call the park by the lake. I lose the rugged phone on the first half - unfortunately, I was never in the scouts and therefore can't tie a decent knot. The mouse makes it all the way. After the "hellish ride", both devices have a few more scratches than before.
I connect the mouse and sure enough: it still works perfectly. With the exception of the left button, which has already suffered somewhat during the temperature shock test. Top, the mouse has already survived one more test than the rugged phone.
Drop test
Now it's down to the nitty gritty. I suspect that the mouse will give up the ghost during the drop test. I do the test in my courtyard and drop the mouse and rugged phone simultaneously from about two metres onto the concrete.
Once again, there's not much more than a few new scratches on the two devices. Out of curiosity and because hope dies last, I try switching on the rugged phone again. Still nothing happens. Quite unlike the mouse. There is no change to the mouse. The device is still running almost flawlessly.
That's really cool. I wouldn't have thought it possible for the mouse to last this long. This is probably the toughest test yet.
Stress test
I grab the family car and drive to a deserted car park. I put the mouse under the right front wheel and the rugged phone under the left. I feel like a murderer. I've really grown fond of the mouse. I don't actually want to destroy it.
I'm going to go through with it and take heart. Press the accelerator, let the clutch go and drive over the mouse and the rugged phone. Even with the windows closed, I can hear it crack as I roll over it.
I suspect the worst for the mouse. It's probably as flat as a pancake. And the rugged phone certainly hasn't been scratched. I get out as quickly as possible and take a look. The rugged phone looks really broken. The display is completely ruined. The mouse, on the other hand, still looks functional.
Of course, I immediately test whether the mouse is still working. And indeed: the sensor still works perfectly. The cursor glides across the display as if the mouse hadn't been through a temperature shock, wash cycle, scratch, drop and stress test. The right mouse button also still works. Unfortunately, the left one no longer works and neither does the mouse wheel.
Surprising winner
I didn't expect this: The Roccat mouse actually emerges as the winner - and by a huge margin over the Rugged Phone. User SlendyMilky was probably just unlucky with his model. Although: Like him, the left mouse button no longer works for me. SlendyMilky: Are you playing with your car?
User Anonymous, on the other hand, was probably extremely lucky with his S10. IP68 certification does not make a device machine-washable. It is very likely that his smartphone was always caught by the washing machine during the wash cycle. The Doogee S80 was less fortunate.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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