BEIJING, China – Before they’re released to the world, Nokia phones undergo some rather stiff testing to see if they’ll stand up to the wear and tear of everyday life. After the break, you’ll see the heartbreaking sight of a pair of Nokia N8s undergoing the infamous drop test, simulating your phone falling from the height of your shirt pocket onto a hard surface dozens of times.

In addition to the drop test, there’s more than 200 other endurance tests that we put new models through to see if they pass muster. Some of the highlights include:

• Extreme weather: We use special machines to expose them to extreme temperatures from around -40°C to +85°C, helping them to withstand conditions from the cold of the arctic circle to the heat of the Sahara desert.
• Humidity: We also test for use in tropical and humid parts of the world by placing devices in a special chamber for several weeks where they will experience humidity levels as high as 95%.
• Clothing: When we carry devices in our back pockets they may bend when we sit down or rub on trouser fibres. We simulate these effects with special machines that bend and twist the device, and one that uses a real pair of jeans to test friction and wear and tear.
• Pockets: Devices are often in bags or pockets with other items like keys or coins, so we place devices in a special “shaker” machine with hard particles to see how resistant they are.
• Buttons: People press the main keys on their device an average of 200-300 times every day. To ensure the keypads can respond to this level of use, we press the keys up to one million times in the lab.

As they say on TV, though, don’t try this at home! Extreme endurance tests are not covered by your warranty…

PS: We’ve run a story on Nokia testing centres with another video earlier on Conversations. Head on over here for an introduction to the UK setup.