Wanted: Intellectual iPhone 6 conversation about alloy material and warping

[Airborne-Ape]

It’s unfortunate that the iPhone 6 bending issue has been blown far out of proportion. Kids are vandalizing demo units in Apple retail stores and idiots on YouTube are forcefully bending them to increase ad revenue. It has made those of us who are legit Apple customers with warped iPhones extremely hard to be understood or believed.

I want to create a thread where iPhone 6 and 6 plus owners can thoughtfully discuss our warped iPhones. I know that’s unrealistic but there must be a legitimate explanation why this is happening on a select few devices. It’s time we stand together and ignore all the baseless accusations. I’d like to hear from those of you who have warped / warping/ bent iPhones. My Apple store has already agreed to repair or exchange my device and politely asked that I remove my bent iPhone 6 photo from Facebook.

My iPhone 6 first appeared to be warped after charging it on Sept 28. It was in a hard case on a flat desk over night with the official apple lightning cable and the 120AC to 5VDC 1A charger. My phone is slightly warped near the sim card tray and the bend is very apparent when I place a flat object (credit card) against the back and hold it up to a light source.

This is where I’d like to hear from those who didn't neglect or forcefully bend their iPhone 6 and have the same problem or from people who specialize in design or the engineering of alloy materials, electronics or firmware development. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this to occur in units where negligence is not the primary cause.

Could the chemical composition in the battery be faulty in some units and cause internal swelling? (it's certainly happened in iOS devices before).

Could the internal firmware that controls the charge cycle be a point of failure causing overheating?

Could the heat generated during the charging phase cause the aluminum to expand slightly faster than the digitizer and cause a permanent misalignment in the chassis?

Could the alloy chassis be reverting to its state prior to machining?

Could the stainless steel Apple logo influence the aluminum when heat is applied?

I think these are the types of questions we need to start asking each other.

It’s worth noting that I have never sat on any of my iPhones or dropped one, ever! I’ve always carried my iPhone 6 in my front jacket pocket while walking. When I drive I place the iPhone 6 in a secure mount in my truck and I know other people out there have this same problem. It’s just very difficult to raise our voices over all the complete nonsense.

I hope somewhere in the vastness of the internet there is someone with enough intellect and intrigue to hear me out and put forth additional challenging questions or some answers regarding this unfortunate and mismanaged issue.

One more thing… there is no such thing as Bendgate. ‘Gate’ implies scandal and this is not a scandal; it’s just a unique flaw in a select very few units. If anything it’s more relate-able to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge when in the 1940’s Americas best and brightest engineers failed to understand how a slight breeze could influence steel.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

If it did get bent while charging then heat may be a factor, however I find that highly unlikely since a phone will not get hot enough for aluminum to warp like that.

 

[Supermallet]

If your phone is running outside of the standard operating specs (and getting very hot during charging with the included charger would fall into that category), then it's possible that kind of heat applied to the aluminum for an extended period could warp it. But, as you say, that's a defect in your individual unit, and not a problem common to all the iPhone 6/6+ units out in the world.

 

[wxman2003]

My iPhone 6 has remarkably short battery life and it gets hot when charging. I've have every version of iPhone since the 3G and it's why I suspect I have a battery problem rather than a defect in materials used. I think my iPhone 6 problem really is one in 10 million. I just want to meet the other 9 people.

----------



It was the reps at my apple store (West Edmonton Mall location) that asked me if I would consider removing the photo, it was not an official request. Regardless this is not why I am here. I want to break away from this nonsense and find other Apple customers with warping iPhone 6 chassis. Have you checked yours? Put a level against the back and hold it up to a light.

No issues with mine. Photos please so I scan scan it against any other photos similar to that on the internet.

 

[Airborne-Ape]

If your phone is running outside of the standard operating specs (and getting very hot during charging with the included charger would fall into that category), then it's possible that kind of heat applied to the aluminum for an extended period could warp it. But, as you say, that's a defect in your individual unit, and not a problem common to all the iPhone 6/6+ units out in the world.

Agreed, and I stated that. Apple has already agreed to replace my iPhone so I'm happy and everything is well. I just want to discuss what could be causing these select units to fail and talk with others who have similar issues.

----------

No issues with mine. Photos please so I scan scan it against any other photos similar to that on the internet.[/QUOTE

Here, this is the first time I'm posting this anywhere other than my own Facebook wall, date of occurrence (Sept 28-29, 2014), location Edmonton Alberta:



----------

No issues with mine. Photos please so I scan scan it against any other photos similar to that on the internet.

done

 

[wxman2003]

Here's your answer. My apologies. Cases can cause issues with batteries. Perhaps that is why Apple has opening on the bottom of their 6 and 6 plus cases to dissipate heat. Bigger batteries, faster charging equal excess heat in a slim frame.

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/

 

[Airborne-Ape]

Here's your answer. My apologies. Cases can cause issues with batteries. Perhaps that is why Apple has opening on the bottom of their 6 and 6 plus cases to dissipate heat. Bigger batteries, faster charging equal excess heat in a slim frame.

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/

No worries, most users give me a hard time at first and it took an even longer long time to convince Apple. I don't blame them or you. I'm an electronics technician for Konami. I take extraordinary care of all my digital belongings. A friend of mine who used to work for Apple gave me his theory which is similar to yours, where heat dissipation is to blame. I have a hard case but it is an aftermarket one made by Spigen. Also, if you need extra credibility that photo was taken with my iPhone 5c and is geo-tagged to my house.... please refrain from sending hate mail lol.

 

[Supermallet]

Agreed, and I stated that. Apple has already agreed to replace my iPhone so I'm happy and everything is well. I just want to discuss what could be causing these select units to fail and talk with others who have similar issues.

I wasn't trying to attack you. I just wanted to clarify that this is a very different thread than the bendgate threads.

So if heat dissipation could be an issue, would an iPhone 6 Plus actually be less prone to this problem than an iPhone 6? More surface area means heat can dissipate faster.

 

[calvol]

This is very simple... the iP6 case has a weak point near the volume control. If pressure is applied over that area in the order of less than 70 lbs, it will bend. That's the pure physics of it, and no other factor will affect it (battery, heat, etc...)

 

[Airborne-Ape]

I still think that in my particular scenario either the battery or the input voltage regulator in the phone may be defective. Remember the old swollen batteries in early aluminium macbooks and iPods? It's not to hard to imagine that with 10 million iPhone 6's sold in one weekend that there are defective units out there.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

I wasn't trying to attack you. I just wanted to clarify that this is a very different thread than the bendgate threads.

So if heat dissipation could be an issue, would an iPhone 6 Plus actually be less prone to this problem than an iPhone 6? More surface area means heat can dissipate faster.

More importantly: how does a case affect that dissipation? Does it act like an insulator and trap excessive heat inside like a blanket, which may cause a faulty unit to operate at or beyond its thermal design?

 

[Airborne-Ape]

This is very simple... the iP6 case has a weak point near the volume control. If pressure is applied over that area in the order of less than 70 lbs, it will bend. That's the pure physics of it, and no other factor will affect it (battery, heat, etc...)

I understand; however, at no point have I ever applied that type of force to the phone. The only amount of force I apply is when I slip the cover on and off or hold it against my face to make a call. I've never sat on it or sat with it in any pocket. I don't sleep with it or near it and it's never been dropped or help by anyone else. It's in a cradle in my F150 60% of the time or in my wide open jacket pocket.

I have no explanation for this and that's why I'm here.

----------

More importantly: how does a case affect that dissipation? Does it act like an insulator and trap excessive heat inside like a blanket, which may cause a faulty unit to operate at or beyond its thermal design?

If anything I would suspect the iP6 to be more prone to heat dissipation problems considering it has such a large battery. It's worth noting that my iPhone 6 chassis malformed while it was charging for about 7 hours in an aftermarket double-layer silicone-insulated hard case.

 

[Zinthar]

This is very strange because it doesn't seem to be quite the same issue as the forcible bending, which usually appears as a distinct bend (steep curve) near the volume buttons. In your case, it looks more like a shallow curve, at least based on that one picture.

Are you completely certain that the phone wasn't like that right out of the box?

Is it possible that heat could cause the alloy on the back to expand and curve in such a manner? What was your charging source on the night in question? And is that the 6 or 6 Plus?

My hope is that these issues are mere QC problems and bending/warping and other failures are falling within the normal percentage range for a new phone launch... and so far, it doesn't seem to be that widespread.

If these problems don't continue to pop up consistently, we might never know why some phones warped. The best way to find out would be to take the thing apart, test the battery, thermals, etc., which is surely what Apple will do with it.

----------

If anything I would suspect the iP6 to be more prone to heat dissipation problems considering it has such a large battery. It's worth noting that my iPhone 6 chassis malformed while it was charging for about 7 hours in an aftermarket double-layer silicone-insulated hard case.

I would think the bare iPhone 6 wouldn't have much of an issue with heat dissipation because the battery has a very large surface area and is right under the rear aluminum, which should act as a giant heatsink relative to the size of the battery.

It should feel warm when charging (when bare), but nowhere near hot enough to reach the point where it would warp on its own. Now, OTOH, maybe the case is stifling heat dissipation. However, I think a better bet here is the battery expanded inside the case.

 

[rkuo]

Odds are you bent it and didn't realize it or the phone was damaged in production or transit. Thermal issues? People cook with aluminum, so heat alone isn't going to do anything.

 

[itsmemuffins]

I bet you bent it trying to get the phone out of a case that is too tight for it...

 

[Piyo]

Mine is similar to yours, OP, though much less obvious. We're talking less than half a mm gap when I hold the carbon fibre wing spar from my RC plane against the back. It was like that right out of the box. You'd never notice it unless you specifically went looking for it so I've just put it out of my mind and moved on with enjoying my phone. =)

Edit: no case or screen protector here, I carry the phone around either in a satchel bag or the inside pocket of my jacket, never in pants - sitting inside a microfibre glasses pouch until my Ikonic Edge leather pouch arrives.