RHINOSHIELD AirX Sets GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title in Record-Breaking Near-Space Drop Challenge

RHINOSHIELD, the global leader in protective tech accessories, proudly announced that its AirX Ultra-Cushioned Phone Case successfully completed an extreme near-space drop test at Esrange Space Center in Sweden on June 24. During the test, a phone protected by an AirX case was released from the stratosphere at an altitude of 30,607M (100,416 feet) above ground, earning the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for "The Highest Drop of a Mobile Phone in a Phone Case (Natural Landforms)." The challenge validates the comprehensive protective capabilities of the AirX while demonstrating that uncompromising, high-performance protection can be achieved through a circular, mono-material design that is 100% recyclable—setting a new benchmark for "space-grade protection" in phone cases.

Three Times the Cruising Altitude of a Commercial Airliner: AirX Reaches Near Space at 100,416 Feet Before Returning to Earth to Demonstrate Ultimate Protection Developed to redefine drop-protection standards, AirX is RHINOSHIELD's flagship innovation in comprehensive device protection. Inspired by airbags and air-cushioning technology, AirX builds on the brand's signature mono-material design philosophy. Its proprietary multi-layered internal-damage protection system combines impact-isolating air cushioning with a highly resilient, compression-resistant structure to disperse impact forces and help protect the device from internal damage during a drop. Before its official launch in 2025, AirX underwent an extensive series of laboratory tests, including drop testing, tumble-drop testing, internal-damage resistance testing, torsion testing, airtightness testing, and constant temperature and humidity testing, to validate its protective performance and structural stability.

To push protective performance to a new level, RHINOSHIELD partnered with UK-based aerospace company Sent Into Space to undertake an even more extreme testing mission. Following a year of preparation, the teams developed a custom test payload equipped with a remote-release mechanism, GPS positioning, and a flight-tracking system. A high-altitude balloon then carried an iPhone 17 Pro fitted with a commercially available AirX into the stratosphere, reaching an altitude of 30,607M (100,416 feet)—more than three times the typical cruising altitude of a commercial airliner. After capturing spectacular footage of AirX against the backdrop of Earth, the remote-release mechanism was activated, sending the test phone into free fall toward the ground.

With No Additional Protective Equipment, AirX Takes On Three Extremes: Stratospheric Cold, Ultra-Low Pressure, and Ground Impact No heating equipment or additional protective products were used during the mission, leaving the AirX case directly exposed to the extreme conditions of near space: temperatures ranging from –40°C to –60°C and ultra-low atmospheric pressure at approximately 1% of standard sea-level pressure. After a 25-minute descent, the test phone ultimately struck the ground in free fall. "No one could know for certain before the test whether the phone case would withstand such extreme conditions," said Dr. Chris Rose, Co-founder of Sent Into Space. "In addition to the extreme cold, low pressure, and high-speed descent, the team also had to ...