Here's proof that the iPhone 6 'Bendgate' controversy is blown way out of proportion
Amid the so-called “Bendgate” controversy surrounding Apple’s new smartphones, Consumer Reports has chimed in with its take on the issue questioning the durability of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
Yesterday, Apple responded to the issue with an official statement saying that only nine customers had contacted it with bent iPhone 6 Plus units and that its handsets had been subjected to rigorous tests. The company also gave a press tour of its laboratory where those tests are conducted.
Now, Consumer Reports, which calls the viral video that started the issue “highly unscientific,” has published a report detailing the results of its own “bendability” tests on the new iPhones:
To stress test these phones, we used what’s called a “three-point flexural test,” in which the phone is supported at two points on either end, then force is applied at a third point on the top—you can see the testing for yourself in our video. We applied and measured the force using a high-precision Instron compression test machine. Along with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, we tested the LG G3, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and HTC One (M8), and for those wondering about their old iPhones, we tested the iPhone 5 as well. We used one sample of each phone.
Check out Consumer Reports’ video:
If you can’t see the video embedded above, please click here.
With its tests, the consumer product review and comparison company has found that Apple’s new phones, like the other tested devices, were “pretty tough.” In particular, the iPhone 6 Plus was tougher than the iPhone 6: the 5.5-inch model started to deform at 90 pounds of applied force and came apart at 110 pounds, while the 4.7-inch model at 70 and 100 pounds, respectively.
Interestingly, their predecessor, the iPhone 5, was even tougher during Consumer Reports’ testing as it began deforming at 130 pounds and came loose from the case at 150 pounds. It was slightly outperformed by the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the toughest of them all, which also came loose at 150 pounds but started deforming at the same amount of force.
Going back to the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, their test results are all the more impressive, considering that Apple reportedly subjects them with just about 55 pounds of force for the same type of test performed by Consumer Reports.
Here’s a table of Consumer Reports’ smartphone bend test:
“While nothing is (evidently) indestructible,” Consumer Reports concludes, “we expect that any of these phones should stand up to typical use.”
