It’s early autumn and as with every other year Apple has just released its latest iteration of its widely popular iPhone. Already, both the 4.7 in. screen iPhone 6 and the 5.5 in. iPhone 6 Plus have started dominating tech news with drop tests, side-by-side Android comparisons, and price analyses – articles that we’d all expect from a new smartphone release.
However, just days after consumers were able to finally get their hands on one a video surfaced on YouTube under the title of “iPhone 6 Plus Bend Test,” where user “Unbox Therapy” used his hands to bend an iPhone 6 Plus wholly out of shape. With nearly 45 million views on YouTube, the video has helped spark controversy. Under the Twitter hashtag of #bendgate, iPhone users have argued that the soft aluminum bodies of the new phones are not strong enough to withstand the pressures of daily use, with consumers reporting that the phones placed in the front pockets of tight jeans have been morphing to better fit the contours of their thighs.
But how much truth is there behind these allegations? Ever since the iPhone 5 was first released over two years ago there have been isolated reports of bent phones. However, since the movement never gained any traction Apple denied any manufacturing defects on their side. Even now, Apple refuses to acknowledge such claims. They state that since launch, the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have only had nine reported instances of bending and that, “[Our phones] feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry,” with normal use, iPhone contortion is “extremely rare.”
To verify these claims however, Consumer Reports conducted a study where they subjected both iPhones and many of their most popular competitors to a series of stress tests and recorded the highest pressures they could withstand before permanently taking a new shape. Using the same testing equipment as Apple and other smartphone manufacturers, Consumer Reports found that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were actually no more likely to bend than their competitors. The iPhone 6 took 70 lbs before deformation – exactly the same as the HTC One M8 – and the iPhone 6 Plus took a hefty 90 lbs before bending. Though neither of the phones were able to really compete with the massive 150 lbs the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was able to take or even the 130 lbs their predecessor, the iPhone 5, both phones preformed reasonably well in the amount of force they could withstand.
But what about people whose phone have already bent despite Apple’s reassurances? Though it has denied any designs flaws, Apple is still willing to replace your phone if it fits under certain parameters, the chief of which is passing a “Visual Mechanical Inspection” administered by a certified Genius at a retail Apple store. Should the genius decide that the phone is indeed a product of normal wear and tear and not of the “catastrophic damage caused by abuse” stated in a leaked 2012 guide, the phone would be covered under warranty and replaced free of charge.
Despite the many complaints and controversies surrounding #bendgate, it seems like the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are in no real danger of changing shape, so take heart iPhone lovers and rest assured that your beloved smartphones are safe from your terrifying pants.
Brian Chekal is the editor-in-chief of Pulse Magazine.