Just a week after the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus went on sale, a video showing the ‘bendy’ iPhone 6 Plus went viral across the Internet. Reports on the web accused Apple of using a ‘flawed’ construction, which cannot withstand the pressure that arises from keeping it tucked in your pocket. Besides, several others, including competitors, mocked the company on Twitter. The social network is abuzz with images showing the design flaw and people have begun addressing the issue as bend-gate. However, the recent scientific test shows that the iPhone 6’s construction is no more feeble than most large-screen smartphones in the market.
In a test conducted by non-profit consumer organisation Consumer Reports, the Apple iPhone 6 Plus’ build turned out to be tougher than recent rumours have been making us believe.
Consumer Reports put both, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus through a ‘stress test’, where each phone is supported at two points on either end, and force is applied at a third point on the top using an Instron compression machine. They found that, in order to deform, the iPhone 6 Plus needs to be pushed by a weight of more than 90 pounds (40 kg). This comes out to be more than the HTC One M8 and the smaller iPhone 6, which start to flex after applying a weight of more than 70 pounds.
Along with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the LG G3, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 HTC One (M8) and the older iPhone 5s were also put through the same test. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 turned out to be the most robust of the lot, which manages to return to its original shape until the weight of the force reaches 150 pounds. At this stage, the screen breaks into splinters and stops working. Here’s the video of test straight from Consumer Reports’ labs:
