Under extreme 'pressure tests', Apple's iPhone 5 is more likely to survive deliberate and unintended abuses over the new Samsung Galaxy S4.

Mobile device insurance firm SquareTrade recently subjected the Apple and Samsung flagships, including the generation-old Galaxy S3, and the results returned were fairly expected - all three succumbed to the torture tests.

But the iPhone 5 emerged with a higher chance of still functioning following the series of experiments that saw the three upscale gadgets experiencing nasty falls and being submerged underwater.

SquareTrade, according to Apple Insider, labelled all three smartphones as 'Medium Risk' handsets, which describes how they will fare in real-world settings, in which they would slip out of users' hands and probably end up in a pool of liquid.

The iPhone 5 earned a score of 5 in scale where 1 represents the highest mark. Its rivals, the GS4 and the GS3, got 7 and 6.5 respectively. It appears that Apple's choice of metal casing for its smartphones provided better protection.

In one instance, all three mobiles phones were left sitting underwater while playing video clips. After some specified moments, the iPhone 5 and the GS4 remained functioning while the GS3's audio components malfunctioned.

SquareTrade researchers also conducted free-fall tests involving a high of 4-feet distance. Both the GS4 and the GS3 incurred spider-web screen cracks in the aftermath.

The insurance firm concluded too that the iPhone 5 offers more ergonomic features, which means it is easier to handle and less-prone to slip out of users' hands and suffer accidental drops.

The tests concluded that all high-end smartphones are fragile but it is the iPhone that offers better durability, which is some sort of assurance for consumers considering SquareTrade's claims that more than 30 per cent of smartphone users wreck their units each year.