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iPhone 6 Plus Bending Limits Tested in New Video

Geez, that thing looks like a license plate! It HUGE!!
Hopefully the iPhone 6 will be ok. I have a 4s now, but keep it in a belt case (I know, nerd alert). I was planning to keep my new iPhone 6 in a pocket. The video does show that that is a weak spot for sure.
 
I guess I will be getting $99 AppleCare+ for my wife's iPhone 6 Plus.
 
Medic311 said:
I know I sound like a broken record but I've said over and over again that the 4/4S had the best design of any iPhone even the most recent ones. I still use my 4S at home from time to time as a media control and streaming source and I marvel at it's design in comparison to my 5
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I think the 3G was the best design. Nice rounded back that fit the hand. Slim sides that made it feel thinner than the 4. Slightly thicker for a larger battery.
 
AndrewR23 said:
I got a Spigen case coming called the slim armor. U think it will prevent bending?
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Unless you get a case of hardened steel, no.

They might help, or at least give you a "feel" indication of your limits but I wouldn't expect a whole lot out of a slim case.

Cases like otterbox, that have the silicone inner shell, would offer the most protection. They always will.
 
I'm more curious to know if some phones ARRIVE slightly bent (easy warranty issue but quite annoying) and people only THINK they caused it themselves. I don't see evidence for this, I just wonder.

Of course, it's probably 1 phone per million no matter what the cause... 2 per million would be a scandal big enough to interrupt prime time TV--as long as there's an Apple logo :p

As for people thinking a case would help: almost any case is weaker than the metal iPhone, AND adds thickness--and thus increases pocket forces (if that truly matters in your pants). Only a metal case that survives MORE abuse than this video shows would be worth considering if you really intend to apply such forces.

A typical case is for drops and scratches, and for looks/personalization. Not for bend/crush protection.

Better solution: pay attention to what you do with expensive stuff! That's not Apple-specific advice....

(As for me, my Lego test-phone has been surviving my pocket quite well: and it doesn't take much hand-bending to crack it apart. This tells my that MY front pockets are not some incredible torture test. Whew!)
 
same thing as every year. people trying to find a flaw.
sometimes i wonder if other manufacturers have teams dedicated to finding and publishing them.
 
Well, at least, now I know what to do with the iPhones of the obnoxious idiots who will listen to loud and bad music on it in the subway or who will spend hours on calls in the train...
 
I appreciate MacRumors following up on these serious reports, but this is a little sloppy IMO.

We all know aluminum can be bent, the issue is reportedly just how easilly the new iphones bend while wearing normally.

Where are the aluminum and industrial design experts? Surely there's someone that can give some insight on the solidness of the construction. You guys should be all over this story, but go a little deeper than just linking to some Youtuber bending an iphone with his hands.
 
Dubberton said:
what concerns me is how it was already bent from normal use
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We don't know how he had been using / carrying the phone prior to.

Given the size of the phone with an aluminum back, it probably won't take as much force as some might think.

I don't know if there is a design flaw per se, but people need to be careful with these expensive phones, unless they have money to burn.
 
The real reason for sapphire screens

I feel confident that Apple knows this is going to be an issue moving forward, and that is why they're investing so heavily is coated sapphire screens for future phones. The rigidity of the crystal would prevent the phone from bending, and the laminate on the sapphire will prevent the crystal from failing.

Apple recently applied for a patent related to this:

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patent...ond-sapphire-glass-strengthening-process.html
 
troop231 said:
Given enough time, sure it will bend in a pocket still. Maybe not as severe as this video, but it will still bend.
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So glad I cancelled my 6+ order. Not paying hundreds of dollars waiting for weeks to have a bendable device.
 
I have a 6+ on the way, and I'd be lying if I said this didn't worry me a little. I think this video was made to show that with just his hands he was able to bend it. He wasn't even exerting a lot of force to do so. I do have a case and AC+ so if this happens I'll just take it to the Apple Store.

And some say be careful with your phones, and most are. It's just the real world can be tough on devices in some cases and accidents happen. I guess we just expect that a mobile device can take minor accidents from drops and such.
 
ke-iron said:
BS this requires a significant amount of force to bend. You could see this guy hand shaking when he's bending it. It's metal so of course if it's in your back pocket and you're sitting somewhere on something hard and the phone isn't flat but at an angle it might bend depending on how heavy you are. I've sat with all my iPhones in my back pocket but in my car and office chairs which are soft. Who in their right mind puts their phone or something valuable in their back pocket and sit on something hard, then when it's damaged you complain?
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It's not back pockets that are causing the problems according to some users, it's FRONT pockets (and obviously back pockets would as well). At some point, people are going to pocket their phones. I'm sitting here playing out scenarios in my mind....I'm a season pass holder at Disney World....walking around the parks I leave my phone in my pocket. I'm not going to hold it in my hand while riding some of the rides (Space Mountain for example). What am I supposed to do in those scenarios? Wear giant pants on those days, or carry a man purse? Front pocketing would be my first inclination, but if the phone is at risk of bending, that really is a problem in my book.

We all know and knew that carrying a large phone like the 6 plus makes pocketing the phone more difficult, but it shouldn't physically damage the phone.
 
I think the 'good news' part of these bending iPhones is that the glass isn't cracking and the phones are still working.

That said, any new device is going to react differently to a pocket so you should always be careful with any new device (specifically one that's bigger than your old phone). I've seen women running around in tight jeans and their iPhone almost falling out of their back pocket.

I know the first iPhone I got was put in a nice holster because I didn't trust my pocket. But 3 iPhones later, I'm okay with my pocket being my phone carrier.

If/when I get a 6+, I won't assume it'll fit in the same pocket the same as my current 5s.

(yes, this means I'm not putting all the blame on Apple for not testing with every body type and pants pocket style. The users have to be careful with their new toys as well to make sure their pockets and bodies don't stress them in bad ways)
 
Thinner and thinner will eventually get more fragile. Not groundbreaking.

I still think it's a waste of a good phone.
 
billystlyes said:
Bend gate. You're bending it wrong...

Come that is sad. I can't bend my S5 like that at all.
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Yeah, an entirely plastic phone is impervious...yup.

or8ital said:
I imagine it wouldn't cover this unless it was so significant that it breaks something?
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Well...it covers accidents that affect the usage of the phone, so I'm imagining if it got severe enough it'd affect usage of the phone...
 
or8ital said:
I imagine it wouldn't cover this unless it was so significant that it breaks something?
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AppleCare+ for iPhone ($99) includes 2 incidents of accidental damage repairs or replacements for 2 years, after $79 + tax deductible per incident.

Replacing iPhone 6 Plus without AppleCare+ runs $329 plus tax.

I strongly suspect folks doing these drop and bend tests purchased AppleCare+ or similar insurance.
 
Schranke said:
Had the problem with my 5s and apple did not do anything...

I hope they will help people and acknowledge this problem, especially with the 6 and 6+ since it take it as a design flaw. A phone should not bend in a pocket
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Yeah same thing with my sunglasses, I sat on them in the car and they broke. I wrote the company because of the "design flaw". They should have been shaped like my A** then would not have broken. Totally the companies fault not mine. :rolleyes:
 
So many idiotic comments. The point of the video is to show how easy or difficult it is to bend your iPhone 6 Plus. It's helpful because it gives people an idea of how careful they need to be.
 
coolfactor said:
Metal bends. I think the big hoopla here is that the metal is *staying bent* instead of rebounding back to its former shape. Plastic would do that unless held in a particular position for a long period of time and/or exposed to heat.

Is this a design flaw? Sure. But it's a flaw by design in the sense that people have placed unreasonable demands on Apple for bigger and thinner. Could you just imagine how the iPhone 6 would be perceived if it came out and was drastically thicker than competing phones? Apple just can't win.

Now, I'm curious to see how Apple responds to this. Will this public revelation force them to create some magical solution to retain aluminum but give it some flex without the concern of staying bent? The challenge is now out there.
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Yeah I heard they will be giving away stainless steel bumpers to help reinforce the new devices. :eek:

Maybe next years model will be rubber with a Glad Wrap display. Then it will bounce when dropped and retain it shape when bent.
 
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