- D3O® takes phone case testing from the lab to the ice rink
- Phones survive impacts over 12× tougher than standard drop tests
- Watch the full D3O Ice Hockey Test video HERE
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Dec. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — D3O®, leading developers of advanced impact protection materials, is known for testing its technology everywhere from war zones to mountain trails and racetracks. This time, the British ingredient brand took phone protection to the ice, teaming up with professional hockey player Dakota Joshua and Coach Jeremy from the How to Hockey YouTube channel to see how D3O® infused cases perform under professional-level impacts.
On the ice at Upper Canada College, Joshua stickhandled, passed, and fired shots at iPhone 16 and 17 models protected by various cases containing D3O® materials. The four-part experiment was designed to push far beyond typical industry testing.
Standard lab drop tests involve heights of 1–3 meters, generating around 8 joules of impact energy. But when a 268-gram phone and case is passed with a hockey stick at 40 km/h (11.1 m/s), the impact more than doubles to 16.5 joules, the equivalent of dropping a phone from over 13 meters.
A regulation puck hit at 120 km/h (33.3 m/s) carries roughly 94 joules of energy, 12× tougher than the hardest standard drop test and similar to dropping a phone from a 14-story building.
“It was an awesome way to test phone cases,” said Dakota Joshua. “I was amazed at how the phones held up against some hard hits. The D3O cases clearly provide effective protection as I was hitting them across the ice with the same force I use in a game.”
The results were striking, phones survived passes at 40 km/h, fast stickhandling drills, and shots into the goal at 74 km/h. Only a full-speed puck fired directly at a phone strapped to the net finally cracked the back glass on impact with the ice.
“At D3O, we test our products differently,” said Stuart Sawyer, CEO of D3O. “Our materials are trusted by special forces, elite athletes, and the world’s leading phone case brands. This ice hockey test shows how effectively D3O dissipates energy far beyond conventional drop tests.”
D3O® materials are used worldwide by case manufacturers including EFM, Hama, SBS, and AXS. The brand’s protection also spans motorcycling, mountain biking, sports, military and law-enforcement applications.
Notes to Editors:
Click HERE for a downloadable version of the video.
Click HERE for imagery from the experiment.
Media Contact:
Serena Thynne
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SOURCE D3O
