The iPhone 6 plus bends, when carrying it in your front pocket! Permanent bend and OFFICAL iPhone 6 Plus Bend Test (Update from 25.09.2014)

[AlexGoesHigh]

 

was just about to post this video and say this one of the reason i don't find metal that appealing on phones, aside the increased thermal conductivity of it vs plastic, having some flex to it is not bad, since it decreases the chances it breaks whit pressure placed onto it, just like the video shown in the OP, aluminum and metals in general ain't bad they have its pros but i don't find it to be the ultimate material high end devices should be made of, neither cheap plastics, like @Builder said polycarbonate could be a good replacement

[sof006]

And this is why the internet mob mentality can be a very bad thing. 

 

WE HAVE NO CONCRETE PROOF! 

We have reports. Combined with logical deductions like @LAwLz mentioned with respect to how aluminium responds to stress forces. What we don't have is solid numbers or reproducible events in controlled settings to actually say one way or the other. 

 

And now everyone keeps spreading the FUD as if its been categorized as a fact and so the cycle continues. 

 

And shit, if my 6+ is supposed to bend when in my pocket, it certainly missed that memo since its still as straight as the day it came out of the box. 

Okay well in a few months lets see how many people report this and see if Apple makes a statement. If after a few months nothing comes of it then we can all go back to using our phones and be happy.

[bob345]

was just about to post this video and say this one of the reason i don't find metal that appealing on phones, aside the increased thermal conductivity of it vs plastic, having some flex to it is not bad, since it decreases the chances it breaks whit pressure placed onto it, just like the video shown in the OP, aluminum and metals in general ain't bad they have its pros but i don't find it to be the ultimate material high end devices should be made of, neither cheap plastics, like @Builder said polycarbonate could be a good replacement

yes very true. The major problem with most metal phones is that pretty much every manufacture including apple uses very cheap low grade aluminum. If the phones frames where made of higher grade heat treated aluminum, it would act more like the plastic and spring back to its original shape after being bent slightly. The manufacturing costs would increase, but the end result would be much better.

[Monta]

Soooo "Crappy Plastic".....

 

[Builder]

yes very true. The major problem with most metal phones is that pretty much every manufacture including apple uses very cheap low grade aluminum. If the phones frames where made of higher grade heat treated aluminum, it would act more like the plastic and spring back to its original shape after being bent slightly. The manufacturing costs would increase, but the end result would be much better.

They don't use cheap aluminum. They use this stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6061_aluminium_alloy

[ijKs Snow]

They don't use cheap aluminum. They use this stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6061_aluminium_alloy

Where can I find the source for that?

[Builder]

Where can I find the source for that?

Apple themselves say 6000 series aluminum, (but don't specify which, there are over a hundred in that category) but to me 6061 is the only one that makes sense.

[bob345]

Apple themselves say 6000 series aluminum, (but don't specify which, there are over a hundred in that category) but to me 6061 is the only one that makes sense.

well i can tell you right now, they did not use a tempered 6061 otherwise the phone would not have bent like it did. 6061 is one of the most used alloys in the world, so it wouldent surprise me.

[Builder]

well i can tell you right now, they did not use a tempered 6061 otherwise the phone would not have bent like it did. 6061 is one of the most used alloys in the world, so it wouldent surprise me.

It is awfully thin though...gotta be around 0.5mm or less.

[rashdanml]

6061 is a common option, and it does bend easily if it's thin enough (1/8" sheets require a proper bending tool, lower thicknesses can be bent by hand; 1/8" could probably be bent by hand, but definitely won't be precise). The problem though, is if you bend it too many times, it'll crack. It'll still dent with enough impact too. 

Softer aluminum takes longer to crack, but is easier to dent. So it's a trade-off. 

 

Annealing can make the material less likely to crack, but loses some of its strength, which can be (partially or almost fully) re-obtained by hardening. 

 

The iPhone 6/+ looks like it might have been stamped out of a sheet, which increases its strength just a bit (since it's been through plastic deformation), but the thickness still makes it easy to bend. A block of aluminum machined down to specifications doesn't get the strength increase from plastic deformation (unless the block has been hardened already), but once it's machined down, the thickness of the remaining material would still be easy to bend. 

[Builder]

The iPhone 6/+ looks like it might have been stamped out of a sheet, which increases its strength just a bit (since it's been through plastic deformation), but the thickness still makes it easy to bend. A block of aluminum machined down to specifications doesn't get the strength increase from plastic deformation (unless the block has been hardened already), but once it's machined down, the thickness of the remaining material would still be easy to bend. 

No, it's definitely machined.

[bob345]

No, it's definitely machined.

completely machining each individual frame would be far too expensive for apple to do on such a large scale with the iPhone. The frame is likely die-cast and put through some finish machining( sanding/burr removal). That is how the 5th gen iPod touches where made at least and the frame is very similar to the 6's.  

[dizmo]

Interesting, to say the least. I definitely would have expected more from a company like Apple; surely bending, with the heat of a phone that's been in a pocket is something that they would have tested.

I do think we'll have to wait a couple of weeks to see how truly wide spread the issue is though. This could just be a lot of people purposely breaking their phones to gain some internet popularity.

If not, it's a serious flaw that Apple has over looked.

 

Honestly though there are just SO many variables that can come into play with something like this.

 

Does the person run hot? Not everyone's body temperatures are the same.

How tight were the peoples pants? While this honestly shouldn't even be a factor, if it's very rigid denim it might matter.

Where were they kept on the body?
What were they sitting on?

How heavy are they?

 

At the end of the day, there will always be idiots. There will always be products failing simply because they're being abused.
I see it all the time. Some people are just rough on things.

If you're in your car...why the hell are you keeping your phone in your pocket? Mine always goes right into whatever cubby hole I can find.

 

I guess time will tell.

 

 

Stop wearing tight pants you goddamn hipsters

 

/s 

or not to /s

As much as I'm sure this was a joke...tight pants shouldn't bend phones.
Not only that they're usually part spandex, so in reality, they'll provide more give than say a pair of selvedge denim jeans.

Hipsters can't afford that shit.

 

My HTC One M8 lives in my back pocket, it has yet to bend...

I believe it's because of it's slightly curved back.
I imagine that adds a world more rigidity than it gets credit for.

 

To be serious, how prevalent is this. 6 or 6+. Conditions? Causes? Seriously stop wearing tight pants? I don't know. 

 

Personally, mine is straight as an arrow. With a case, but I'm usually wearing a suit so its not like it sees tight pockets anyways. 

 

I'm a little worried at whats causing this, and what the hell people are doing to get it to do that. 

This is also hilarious. 

 

I'm so conflicted. 

I hope it's not something as sad as tight pants. That would be a massive design fault.

I find with a case you can do pretty extreme things with phones. I had a case on my Optimus G, and I sat on that thing on hard benches all the time. Sometimes on the edge. It was extremely rigid.

 

 

One, two cases of this occurring and suddenly it's an "issue?" 

 

...

I think it's more the easiness of bending it that's the issue.

The video provided seems to show it bending at a certain point, not even where the pressure was applied. If in fact he was correct and most of his force was directed towards the center of the device.

He doesn't seem to be an Apple hater from what I've seen in his other videos, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

wow I had a 5s for years and It didnt do that....

 

 

Is this bending thing only happening in America?

 

because you know.... Americans are rather.... large.

Haha, I actually thought the same thing but...they're more fatty. So, would the fat just kind of make a cushion?

 

This. Sit and wait. 

 

If its a real issue, we'll really know soon enough. 

 

Also, big ass aluminum phones aren't a new thing. If this hasn't been a red herring with other large phones, why now? 

 

I'm just very curious. Is it weak aluminum? Is it the shear forces that are too much when in a pocket? What exactly makes it happen and is it a cause for panic or just a cause for certain users who make use of phones a certain way. 

 

This be not the case where jumping to conclusions makes sense, largely because the claims are so outrageous that its either 100% true or 100% bullshit. 

Actually I think they're a pretty new thing. I haven't really seen any other aluminium phones that are that big. This thing is as big as Androids 6" hitters. Oppo put a steel frame in it's Find 7, and I assume other companies did the same. Another factor is that thinness. The iPhone is extremely thin, and flat. I think if they'd made it slightly curved it would have gained quite a bit of strength.

 

I wonder how Sony managed to do it with the Z Ultra. That thing is actually thinner than the iPhone (I believe). Also extremely large, metal sides. They might have used steel though, judging the weight.

I wonder if the glass back somehow added strength. *shudder* What a thought.

 

I have seen a nearly exploded iPhone 5s. the screen was completely shattered and it was hot. The lady that owned the phone had her ear cut and her nail broken off when it blew up. It happened in the parking lot and the phone was hot to the touch when she brought it in.

...gross! One of my greatest fears is having a nail ripped out.

 

smart people don't put 200 to 700 dollar phones in their back pocket lol

If I spend that much on a phone, I shouldn't be restricted to where I can put it.

All my phones travel in my back pocket if I'm in jeans.

 

He was wearing a suit and sitting for 18 hours.

Suit pants can be pretty tight.

 

I am not sure I believe this

 

I am holding my iPhone 6 in my hands right now, I cannot flex it at all, even with serious effort, it feels absolutely solid

To be fair, I'm sure you're not applying as much force as he was in the video, and it's a 6 not 6+.

I wouldn't be either, I'd hate to break my new phone!

I dropped my N5 a few months after I got it (it was only a matter of time) and I split the back off it. Luckily it just snapped back on, but still. Damn concrete floors.

 

 its not that far fetched that a phone that is so thin will bend. the problem is the 6 is bearly 4 days old and already there is a serious problem rearing its head and this is on a phone tht costs $300 + more to buy than most flagships!   for the money you spend on an iphone NOTHING  should go wrong except 1 off errors that cannot be avoided....this is not one of those time

Unfortunately, spending more money does not mean you can escape the properties of materials or physics.

Nothing's perfect, no matter how much you spend when you're buying a mass produced device. There will always be ones that aren't quite up to par.

 

 

Look at the Apple Watch for example.

At first I thought it looked terrible. Then when I was looking at other "smart watches" I realised it doesn't look terrible, It just looks really bad coming from Apple.

I expected a lot more. The greater the reputation a company has the harder it becomes to uphold that reputation. I think apple have got a couple of challenging years ahead of them.

I think they should go back to their no compromises attitude. The camera bulge C'mon Is this apple we're talking about?

 

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Just on another note anybody who has held the iPhone 6 or 6+ Do you think there is a need for them to keep getting thinner and lighter, Or would a slightly thicker model with no camera bulge and a bigger battery make more sense?

I just recently held a Nokia 930 which is quite chunky and has a lot of weight to it in today's standards. But Holy freaking cow did it feel amazing to hold. It made me change how I felt about a mobiles form factor.

 

@SubTract

I don't think phones need to be getting any thinner. I've said this since they started going under 10mm and sacrifice battery for a thinner device. Or, they say "hey, we can get the same battery life and make it thinner!" No thanks. I want the extra battery life. I think 8-9mm is the sweet spot. Just pack in wicked optics, bigger batteries, etc. At least give us some devices like this.

The camera bulge is a little unsightly. Looks like they did a good job of making it so it doesn't affect typing on a flat surface though.

 

As for the Apple watch, it's. Ok. I guess. Nothing super special, looks a lot like the Samsung Gear. With the fingerprint sensor on it.

Their OS idea doesn't look too intuitive either, with the little dial to go through all the apps. It should be quicker than that.

 

I think wearables will go the way of 3D in tv's. It's something they're hyping up, hoping it'll take off so that they have something they can make huge money in, and get measurable year to year upgrades.

TV's were first, now phones. Both have gotten to a point where there's not a whole lot to improve upon and it'll be little incremental upgrades.

The wow factor is gone.

Makes me sad, but at the same time makes my wallet happy.

 

 

 

Left (IOS 6) side looks clean, professional, modern and everything give more information and or is clearer as to what it is the second you look at it (which is what Apple devices always had going for them as far as OS look). Right side (IOS7)looks like a fisher price toy. Camera icon sucks. The font size on the calendar is too thin. Weather icon has no temp. The bottom icons look cheap and crappy. Notepads are yellow in peoples minds, why the hell change it. The photo icon might be the only good change and to be honest they both suck. Now as far as the actual IOS features? The swipe up was nice. The new camera app could have been better. 

That's pretty hideous. It'd be cool if you could choose between the more punchy color pattern or the more business like one.

Come on Apple. Give them a little customization

 

-snip-

Was Jobs around when they made those pebble mice?T
Those things were absolutely awful. Just. Awful.

 

Sorry, you can't defend this shit. It's very obvious that this is blatant engineering compromise to thin the phone down to such a degree. Everything about the iP6 is great, but this is a proper fuck up.

'you're pocketing it wrong'.

There are other phones that are thinner that don't have such issues.

So it's definitely something they missed during the design process.

 

Did anyone else actually watch the video and notice how hard he is trying to bend it? 

FFS, I can bend almost any phone if I put my arms into it, so to speak, so while I'm not defending Apple on fucking up with a solid chassis are we really accepting this as scientific evidence? 

Jesus. The need to hate on Apple for anything is a little disgusting around here. I'll wait for someone to do a test involving machines that can measure force applied to see what it actually takes, and how it compares to other devices, and then make my decision from there. 

 

But hey, critical thinking is too difficult, far easier to knee jerk everything these days.

 

Can't believe he said "for the sake of science". NOTHING WAS SCIENTIFIC ABOUT THAT TEST FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Unfortunately there's absolutely no way for us to tell how much pressure he was putting on the device from the video.

Nothing, whether he was shaking or not, sweating, etc will help us know because we don't know his physical strength to begin with.

I agree though, all phones can be bent easily with force. They're not tanks.

 

I have to say I am disappointed in Apple if it turns out to be a widespread issue. Jony seems to have mailed this one in while he was working on the Watch. Bad Jony, bad Jony!

 

Only one of those involved a cup holder, most of them were front pocket deformities just like these.

 

I do however think it's time for Apple to get off their aluminum kick at least with smartphones and switch to something more suited to smaller devices, with higher torsional rigidity. Maybe magnesium? Liquidmetal? Plastic just seems cheap to me, at least in most of the ways it's done.

 

I'd love to see them switch to the 5c design with an internal steel frame and polycarbonate outer layer. Bend that, bitches!

I think magnesium is a softer metal than aluminium.

I'm surprised carbon fiber composite hasn't been used more, though I assume that's because of cost.

Tons of phones use steel frames. I imagine that's where they'll go next. Though being Apple it'll probably be something fancier (one would hope, at least).

As phones go into the phablet territory I'm interested to see how Lenovo will change it's Motorola designs. Might come out with some ultra strong phones.

 

Actually that'd be awesome, I'd love to see how 6/6Plus compares to something like OpO, S5 and old Noikas (specifically 3310 and 8910, the titanium one).

 

Oh, by the way my university has a bending press, so if you want me to test a phone, feel free to send me one.

The OnePlus, I'm assuming, uses a steel frame just like the Find 7. So it should be quite strong. The 3310 and such were just super fat and small, so they're obviously much harder to bend.

 

If you can find one, check out the Motorola Razr. Aluminum frame and Kevlar back. I think it feels very premium.

Would magnesium be better than aluminum though? I mean, the Surface already has magnesium chassis so it's obviously possible to mass manufacturer it, but is it stronger than aluminum without any major drawbacks?

 

 

On a side note, Samsung has been making the internal support structure in their phones out of magnesium for quite some time now (ever since the Galaxy S 1 I believe).

The Razr was crazy strong for its size.

IIRC Magnesium is harder to work with than aluminium, at least from a bicycle stand point. Might be difference since there's no welding involved in a phone, however you'd still have to keep it cool while machining it.

 

They don't use cheap aluminum. They use this stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6061_aluminium_alloy

6061 isn't the strongest aluminum it's pretty standard fare. 7000 series would be stronger.

It's so common though that using anything else would be much, much more expensive.

Apple seems to really pad that bottom line.

[Victorious Secret]

 

Just on another note anybody who has held the iPhone 6 or 6+ Do you think there is a need for them to keep getting thinner and lighter, Or would a slightly thicker model with no camera bulge and a bigger battery make more sense?

I just recently held a Nokia 930 which is quite chunky and has a lot of weight to it in today's standards. But Holy freaking cow did it feel amazing to hold. It made me change how I felt about a mobiles form factor.

 

 

Thinner? 

 

Hell no. We're at the point where until battery tech is really advanced and stuff like carbon fiber reinforced plastics are cheap, that going thinner is a diminishing return. 

My 6+ with the case actually feels a bit better. A bit thicker wouldn't be bad. But the market loves thin, flashy crap so what can you do. Soon enough everyone will have devices that are hitting 6-7mm if not smaller, such is tech. 

The camera bulge? It shows Apple compromised. Bad for them, also good for them. They didn't want to gimp thin bodies AND the didn't want to gimp sensor/optics. Is it ideal? Nope. That extra whatever...0.3mm or w/e of added thickness wouldn't have suddenly made me say "Nope, no iPhone for me, it isn't thin enough". But thats just me.

As per the issue of the aluminum strength, you're right; too many unknowns. Sure, logically we know how aluminum behaves under stress but we have no idea whats causing phones to bend. Like I said, Apple isn't the first and nor is this the first time their devices have done this, but I've never been told why. No real data, no real explanation. 

This will most likely prompt a response from Apple, whether good or bad. Who knows. Right now, its scattered cases and cases where people are actively TRYING to induce a bend. There is nothing valid about either sides arguments and the facts that people are taking them as fact is slightly upsetting. 

[Techhog]

They don't use cheap aluminum. They use this stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6061_aluminium_alloy

It doesn't really matter what they use when the sheet is ridiculously thin. I haven't held a 6 or 6+, but the 5/5S casing... Well, there's a reason it dents so easily.

[Builder]

completely machining each individual frame would be far too expensive for apple to do on such a large scale with the iPhone. The frame is likely die-cast and put through some finish machining( sanding/burr removal). That is how the 5th gen iPod touches where made at least and the frame is very similar to the 6's.  

No...you can very clearly see internal machining marks on the 6 in iFixit's teardown: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+6+Teardown/29213

 

Machined aluminum at high efficiency has been Apple's thing for almost seven years now...I don't get why so many people are surprised.

[Builder]

It doesn't really matter what they use when the sheet is ridiculously thin. I haven't held a 6 or 6+, but the 5/5S casing... Well, there's a reason it dents so easily.

In my experience it doesn't dent that easily but it's because the damn thing is so dense that there's not a lot of places for it to give inwards. It's certainly very thin though.

[rashdanml]

Just on another note anybody who has held the iPhone 6 or 6+ Do you think there is a need for them to keep getting thinner and lighter, Or would a slightly thicker model with no camera bulge and a bigger battery make more sense?

I just recently held a Nokia 930 which is quite chunky and has a lot of weight to it in today's standards. But Holy freaking cow did it feel amazing to hold. It made me change how I felt about a mobiles form factor.

Not a fan of thin, large phones anymore. The iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S had the perfect overall size (and on the Android side of things, Nexus One comes to mind). I would have liked to see these sizes be the more common option, with larger screens (less bezel). Phones are simply getting bigger and bigger, but for average sized hands, it's getting ridiculous. 

[dizmo]

Thinner? 

 

Hell no. We're at the point where until battery tech is really advanced and stuff like carbon fiber reinforced plastics are cheap, that going thinner is a diminishing return. 

My 6+ with the case actually feels a bit better. A bit thicker wouldn't be bad. But the market loves thin, flashy crap so what can you do. Soon enough everyone will have devices that are hitting 6-7mm if not smaller, such is tech. 

The camera bulge? It shows Apple compromised. Bad for them, also good for them. They didn't want to gimp thin bodies AND the didn't want to gimp sensor/optics. Is it ideal? Nope. That extra whatever...0.3mm or w/e of added thickness wouldn't have suddenly made me say "Nope, no iPhone for me, it isn't thin enough". But thats just me.

As per the issue of the aluminum strength, you're right; too many unknowns. Sure, logically we know how aluminum behaves under stress but we have no idea whats causing phones to bend. Like I said, Apple isn't the first and nor is this the first time their devices have done this, but I've never been told why. No real data, no real explanation. 

This will most likely prompt a response from Apple, whether good or bad. Who knows. Right now, its scattered cases and cases where people are actively TRYING to induce a bend. There is nothing valid about either sides arguments and the facts that people are taking them as fact is slightly upsetting. 

That quote is actually from someone else. I accidentally deleted the bubble surrounding his text while replying.

I concur though. I think 7mm is almost too thin. Just give me more battery at 8mm!

There's already phones hitting the 5.5mm barrier.

Honestly...I think they just do it because. I've never heard a single person say "I wish I could have an even thinner phone." Just more flash. You know, like the 3D in tv's.

 

Haha, yea. "Hey...guys...when I apply as much pressure as I can muster, my phone bends too! WTF Apple!"

I know they won't change their policies, but I really wish Apple takes a strong stance against idiots like that and deny their Apple Care claims.

[jezza39]

An absolute engineering cock up, how can you not realise such a flaw in a device? This obsession with the depth of the phone being as small as possible now has resulted in two flaws for the iPhone, that stupid camera that sticks out, and the bending.

[dizmo]

Not a fan of thin, large phones anymore. The iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S had the perfect overall size (and on the Android side of things, Nexus One comes to mind). I would have liked to see these sizes be the more common option, with larger screens (less bezel). Phones are simply getting bigger and bigger, but for average sized hands, it's getting ridiculous. 

I have pretty average sized hands, and I find the Nexus 5 the sweet spot. I can still reach each side easily, and it's not too cumbersome to carry.

I can't use the iPhone 5. I find it too small, and it annoys the hell out of me. It's like a toy. And my thumbs are too large.

The rest though, I agree, too big. Note series? Nope. OnePlus One? Friggin' huge. iPhone 6+? Way, way way too big. It's no Z Ultra, but it's up there.

The new Blackberry Passport was massively hilarious to me. Way too wide, and the corners are too sharp.

 

Each to their own though. There's something for everyone.

For example Sony's Z3 Compact would be right up your ally in the small form factor world.

[Builder]

An absolute engineering cock up, how can you not realise such a flaw in a device? This obsession with the depth of the phone being as small as possible now has resulted in two flaws for the iPhone, that stupid camera that sticks out, and the bending.

All phones bend if you put enough pressure on them. We don't know how this happens, what kind of force it takes, or how quickly it happens, or even if it effects all the phones in circulation.

 

Can we please suspend judgment? I know it's tremendously pleasing for you guys to jack off to thinking about how Apple fucked this one up, but honestly before we even know all the details this is just unfair.

[jezza39]

All phones bend if you put enough pressure on them. We don't know how this happens, what kind of force it takes, or how quickly it happens, or even if it effects all the phones in circulation.

 

Can we please suspend judgment? I know it's tremendously pleasing for you guys to jack off to thinking about how Apple fucked this one up, but honestly before we even know all the details this is just unfair.

 

My 5C doesn't bend when it's in my pockets.

[A.D.A.M]

...gross! One of my greatest fears is having a nail ripped out.

I got my nail ripped out once and i can tell you that it was not a good experience

[bob345]

No...you can very clearly see internal machining marks on the 6 in iFixit's teardown: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+6+Teardown/29213

 

Machined aluminum at high efficiency has been Apple's thing for almost seven years now...I don't get why so many people are surprised.

just because you see machining marks on the inside of the device does not mean that it was produced this way. the die's used to cast parts are machined themselves, so any machining marks that are on the mold get transferred over to the final piece. For example, i have an rc car that has some die-cast aluminum pieces on it and you can clearly see the milling marks, but the parts where never milled out.