It wasn't phoned. It was merely recorded.
And I’ve had some not survive a drop by my hand (3, 3 1/2 feet off the ground). How did they find ANY phones that survived a 500 MPH+ crash into a mountain?
They didn't claim the phone was still working, only that they were able to read its memory chip.
The micro SD card in my phone is encrypted. They’d never get video off it if the phone is dead. they’d have to use dropbox or something.