Every time there's a new iPhone there's also a new scare of people being upset by one thing or another that turns out to be greatly overblown. Be it Antennagate with the iPhone 4, or purple lens flare with the iPhone 5, or tricking the Touch ID sensor of the iPhone 5s with elaborate fingerprint duplication, there's always something. Now, with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus we've got a new world-ending catastrophe on our hands, and it's already taken on a name of its own: #bentgate.
The gist of it is this: The iPhones 6 can be bent. That's it. A phone that's made out of a generally rigid but deceptively thin metal shell can be permanently deformed if too much force is applied.
The iPhone 5 and 5s also bend. I've got an iPhone 5 with a slight bend to it, though the cause and time of the curve aren't know. The iPhones 6 and the preceding iPhone 5s and 5 are made out of precisely machined aluminum. It's a metal, yes, but metals such as aluminum generally possess the quality of ductility — they are pliable, not brittle.
If you apply enough force to an inch-thick solid steel rod, it will bend. Same goes for the quarter-inch-thick iPhone 6 and 6 Plus (which, I should note, have far less than a quarter of an inch of aluminum in any one spot). Aluminum is actually a fairly soft metal, ranking at 2.5-to-3 on the Mohs scale of hardness. That is to say, it's about as tough as a U.S. penny (which is actually 97.5% zinc and just plated in copper).
The complaints that circle around #bentgate come from people pulling their iPhone 6 or 6 Plus out of their pocket and finding that it's got more of a curve to it did straight out of the box. The iPhone 6 is 5.44 inches tall while the iPhone 6 Plus is 6.22 inches. That's a lot of area to spread out force along, especially if the phone ends up sideways in your pocket. It's pushing up against your leg, which contains a hard-as-concrete femur bone that's up to 2 inches thick. If your pants are tight enough around your leg, that iPhone will bend. It's a thin piece of metal, that's how it deals with forces beyond the failure threshold — it fails.
Unsurprisingly, most of the bends that we've seen online have occurred at points where the iPhone is weakest — the cutouts for the volume buttons and SIM card slot. Here the thicker frame around the rest of the phone has a hole cut through it that reduces the structural rigidity of the device.
So here are few ways to deal with this:
- Do not put your iPhone in your back pocket.
- Ensure that your iPhone stays upright (parallel to your leg) in your front pocket (having it horizontal looks stupid anyway)
- Put the iPhone in a shirt or coat pocket, or in your purse.
Yes, I know, that won't work for everybody. And I know you won't be happy about spending a few hundred dollars to replace an iPhone 6.
Very few cases would help in this regard — they're all generally more pliable than the aluminum-body iPhone is anyway.
This is what you get with a metal phone. It will be durable, it can be made thin, and it looks damn good. But it can also be bent. Your alternatives are to make it thicker and more durable, build it out of different materials that will change the appearance, cellular reception, and weight of the device (the iPhone 4's stainless steel is around a 6 on the Mohs scale, but weighs nearly three times as much as aluminum), or just deal with it.
Just as we do our best not to drop our phones on hard surfaces because the screen could shatter and we avoid rubbing it against rough surfaces so we don't gouge the back, we should be cognizant of the pressure we're applying to our phones and recognize that too much will damage it. They're not indestructible.
Via: MacRumors
Reader comments
Yes, the aluminum iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will bend if put under too much pressure, because physics
the disgusting fanboyism in this article is overwhelming. hey ***** its called BENDGATE not bentgate wdf is that? morons stop trying to defend a moronic design flaw. bendgate did infact exist since the iphone 5 because thats when they had the GENIOUS idea to start making them out of aluminum. stupid article cant face the facts that companies are not in the business to make durable and tough devices, they want cheap stuff that will break before the next one is released so that people will have incentive to buy the new thing. The only reason they started using aluminum in iphones is simple and obvious. the iphone 4 with its steel body was wayy too durable for the market and they dont want people holding onto their device for longer than 2 years
My 6 plus is perfectly straight. Using it from 1 month. No, I don't sit on it :D
Yes it bends, but it's a ridiculous attitude of the author to imply that is normal and acceptable. The question is "How easily does it bend" and in the case of the iPhone 6, more easily than the iPhone 5.
iPhones should be bend resistant. How about that!?
I shan't buy another iPhone until it's fixed.
A.) You are a moron if you think your back pants pocket is a safe place for a smart phone. Morons will say that mobile phones are supposed to be put in pocket because they are something that can be carried around. I guess to them that means putting expensive smart phone in back pocket, not in a case. That is moron logic. Moron logic does not think of the physics of what may happen if you sit on thin aluminum bodied electronics. They may get damaged. You don't need to go to college to figure this one out
B.) 2 words - Protective case. You know, those things you cover your phone with or put inside in order to protect them from damage. They'll also aid in keeping phones from bending.
It is always Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in mechanical engineering to make only small diameter holes near the center of a truss (like the iPhone's aluminum frame). Apple engineering managers ignored this SOP, somehow.
I would prefer to build/attach the volume button outside the frame, and use small-diameter steel pins to pass the movement into the case. That way, the frame would have been nearly full strength at this location. Pins are easy to seal with o-rings.
Since you do really need to prevent snagging, I would have also suggested that stamping a shallow Indentation into the frame while at least maintaining (or slightly Increasing) cross-section would have been Much stronger than Cutting an Opening to pass through the rocker switch cover. This is not rocket science, just more automated manufacturing steps and, sometimes, patent royalty payments.
After watching the Apple webcast release of the iPhone 6 in real time, the first things I noticed were 1) it was thin, 2) it was very lite weight, and 3) it was so thin the camera stuck out. As an engineer I knew this would be a problem I was was very interested to know.... why Apple why! ... why does your new phone have to be so thin that structure is going to be an issue? The phone should have been made with extra aluminum and the back-shell should have been made flush with the camera lens.
There is only one possible explanation I can think of... it's possible that the antenna's inside the iPhone need a thin aluminum backshell for some reason... possibly a reasonably thick backshell interferes with the reception. No idea... and this is grasping at straws.
This is why every iPhone owner should have a case on his or her phone.
Yes, aluminum bends but a 750 dollars phone shouldn't, at least not in your pocket. I would think these phones have gone through all sort of testings to prevent these kind of matters but, apparently, they forgot to properly reinforce the Plus large structure (and the 6 as well, being thinner). The iPhone loses a few points (for me) because this issue reveals the phone is cheaper than I thought and didn't go through a thorough testing process.
Exactly. This is what people wanted, if you take something that large and thin it'll bend. I don't feel the need to complicate my life with a device of this size but it looks like Apple is missing a huge opportunity here by not offering their special line of 'accessories' - special Apple Pants with custom tailored iPhone 6 pockets (or Apple Bag & Apple Man-Purse). :) it's progress, few years ago cellphones didn't bend or didn't fit your clothes.
Front pocket bending shouldn't happen. There are a lot of reports of front pocket bending under usual day to day use. While this has happened on a limited number of HTC one M8's and also seen on the Sony Xperia Z1 phone makers shouldn't be letting this happen. These phones aren't cheap and to be told "you're putting it in your pocket wrong" is an absolute joke. remind anyone of the iphone 4 "you're holding it wrong" (please note iphone fans I haven't just moaned about apple here before you start)
Personally, I've done quite well with my Apple devices to this day and, like the article mentions, if you keep it in your front pocket and not a back one...it is much less prone to any pressure or strain. If you're good at taking care of your devices I wouldn't be too worried. Keep in mind that most of the people that experienced this sat on them........any hand held device could be bent under someones weight......so just take a moment to consider the obvious before you go ahead and sit on top of your $500 piece of aluminum.
.
The problem isn't that it bends when enough pressure is applied, if I use 2 industrial bending machines I'd be suprised if there was a phone that didn't bend
The problem is that this pressure threshhold can be reached just carrying it around in your pocket.
You can say that HTC phones have bend in the past, but the reports of that happening have been far less numerous, considering apple supplies to a much larger userbase, they cannot afford to have such a bad design because of this.
That being said, Steve jobs died and took apple to the grave with him, I'm suprised the iphone 5 didn't have problems like this. The company is a corpse being kept alive by shareholders in the hopes of keeping the glory up
or do I need to remind everyone what happened just after apple fired Steve Jobs, only to hire him again when shit fell apart without him?
Note 3 seems to be better at this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwM4ypi3at0
hey nice pic,
this plate in the back is also bent, just noticed...
Time for a MAN PURSE!!
Seems to be a problem if you have a big ol' butt, or some thick ol' thighs.
Sent from the iMore App
Well, I can guarantee that the 6S will be thicker metal.
Sent from the iMore App
I figured out how to solve the problem!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZRIlsdXc5A&feature=youtu.be
Da, Common Sense?
Sent from the iMore App
This is STUPID - all of the pictures I have seen are bending the screen "outward" and who in their right mind puts their iPhone - any vintage - in their pocket with the screen facing outward? That is a clear recipe for disaster if you bang your leg into a table, chair, or other object, or even sitting on it if you are stupid enough to carry in your back pocket with the screen facing outward. Something really seems off about all of this.
Soooo, you're telling me I have to put my phone in my pocket a certain way? Is that in the product manual?
The comparison with not dropping your phone smacks of fanboyism. A design choice that leads to you not being able to put your phone in your pocket when other phones deal with that perfectly well is a design flaw. It is very different from not being able to drop your phone which is not part of how most people use their phones and is not due to a design choice about looks but rather about a lack of affordable tech that can remedy that issue.
How true can this be!!
Apple iPhone 6 is up for sale. Find sites offering best prices & amazing deals on iPhone 6 & 6 Plus only at freeappleiphone6(dot)com (Just replace the (dot) with the actual . )
This is hilarious. Apple-infighting in the form of one group blaming it's own skinny jeans-wearing faithful instead of Apple itself for not properly reinforcing a larger phone.
I can just see at MacWorld the aging hippies and trustfund hipsters flinging fair-trade java at each other. Oh the humanity.
Apple kool-aid drinker logic: Don't confront a design flaw. Blame it on aluminum and people not knowing enough about aluminum (and therefore not babying their phones). Because obviously since you spent $500 on a phone and it has a little apple logo on it, the fault must be yours (or aluminum's!)
Ya know, when phones become mini laptops you quit treating them as carelessly as aphone.
Just sayin'.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2014/09/24/iphone-6-plus-bendgat...
who wants to buy an iphone 6 plus now?
At what point does it become obvious Ive can't design for shit?
Posted via the iMore App for Android
Is to put the phone in ur pocket too much pressure?
It's simply a design failure. They know how people are likely to transport their phones and should have better tested it - It's not an impossible thing to do, others have proved it during the last years, Many people would have also been happy about an even larger battery instead of a device that gets thinner and thinner every year to a point that it's almost uncomfortable to hold.
Every single person here that is defending apple should be beaten to death with the new phone. I don't give a crap if metal bends. PHONES SHOULD BE DESIGNED FOR EVERY DAY LIFE USE. Where do people store their phones when they aren't using them? In their pockets! If it bends from any force being exerted in a pocket bring worn by a human being, guess what? That's a fail on apple. Any jerkoff defending apple is either a idiot or on apples payroll. Come at me nerds
Cant do that, it would be like trying to beat someone to death with a newspaper, too bendy.
Oh that's awesome.
Posted via the iMore App for Android
The death penalty seems a bit harsh, Budler light. Moreover, I think the jury is still out on whether this is a real issue or not. After preordering a 6 plus and reading about the so far handful of bent ones, as well as watching the video of the guy doing it on purpose, I did a little homework. First, people have been bending iPhone 4s and 5s, as well as some android phones for some time. But it never turned into a widespread big deal. Next, I went into my local Apple store this morning - where I could have bought a 6, but no pluses for sale. Never mind, I was there to see if they would bend with the kind of forces I might expect to get in my front jeans pocket. And I did a little significant (but not to the point where my hands started to shake with the effort as in the famous video) and I don't see any evidence whatsoever of a weak spot along the volume buttons or any bending. I can't imagine greater forces than I used in my front pocket, with the possible exception of the phone sliding to a horizontal position in otherwise tight jeans and then something landing on it. But I couldn't make it go horizontal in my cargo pants - either ordinary or extra pockets. But it wasn't hot, you might say. Well, as a display model, it was at least warm and I'm having a hard time believing that 37 degrees C of my leg plus a bit more from the phone would in any way soften the aluminum over what it was at room temperature plus continuous operation in the display.
My conclusion is that what we have seen so far may be the result of manufacturing flaws in particular aluminum shells, or perhaps some stuff happened during that 14 hour wedding trip plus reception that were beyond the norm. Like it went horizontal in the pocket with someone sitting in his lap or something (as in, is that an iPhone or....). My own hands on experience today with several models in the store gives me no cause for worry. IF there are phones with manufacturing defects making them weaker than normal, Apple will have to replace them - and in one of our handful of cases, i.e. the PD13 phone that went (light) bump in the night, they already have. But I really doubt we'll see widespread bending with ordinary use in front pockets or shirt pockets. By the way I also tested the silicone case by itself and that thing bent like crazy right at the volume control spot.
I'm not going to defend apple if they make hyper fragile phones. But so far, especially with the recent Squaretrade test finding the 6plus was the strongest phablet size tested, I think there's not enough evidence to say there is a design flaw here.
All large, thin phones can bend under enough pressure, and have--do more than a casual search--it may take more than a casual search because non-iPhone problems are generally not news. This is only news because it's the newest iPhone. Period.
Sent from the iMore App
Sure with it's current design (light and thin) the phones, especially the Plus will bend and those who want that design have to accept that. However does the phone have to be that light and that thin? It might look great but at what stage do the compromises for cosmetic preferences become too much for too little benefit? If they made it 1mm to 2mm thicker to put a stainless steel band around the inside of the case to strengthen the phone and then used the extra space to add a larger battery would that little extra weight and size really turn off people?
I don't understand this rush to Apple's defense. If you're going to have an aluminum shell, then at least reinforce it with an underlying rigid material. The properties of composite materials is a first-year concept of engineering. What's also part of engineering is idiot-proofing your products, especially when your target is the mass market.
Treat your phones well, sure, but I don't think it's asking too much for a plastic or ceramic backing to the aluminum.
Exactly, people are jumping to defend Apple even when they may be heading down the wrong path.
Engineers may have gone to the Materials 101 class but I wonder if the design team under Jony Ive did. I fear they skipped that class to attend the History of Swiss Watches lecture instead.
Same opinion. During the last 1-2 years the phones of many companies have gotten so slim that it' gets less comfortable to use and makes them even more slippy.
You have to be pretty dumb to intentionally bend your phone. Also, everyone knows you can't leave your phone in your pocket for 18 hours. Wow. Also, why sit on your phone in your pocket. Use your head people.
Sent from the iMore App
You have to be pretty dumb to not realize that this is something that has never happened to so many people before at a phone launch. Before you tell people to use their heads, use your own.
Admittedly I didn't read all 142 (at the time of me writing this) comments, so this might have been discussed.
Also, I want to say, I'm not trying to be a d!ck. Rather I'm genuinely trying to be helpful.
I'm a Mechanical Engineer. I agree with all of the conclusions that you (Derek) came to in this article, but a couple of the specific details you got wrong.
1) You reference the Mohs hardness scale, but hardness is not the a measure of the susceptibility of a material to bending. Rather it's a measure of the susceptibility to scratching and other surface damage. What you want to reference is aluminum's modulus of elasticity (also called Young's modulus). This is a measure of stiffness and susceptibility to stretching and bending. But your conclusion is correct that aluminum (especially the alloys of aluminum that are used in consumer products) are not stiff and very susceptible to bending. You can look up material properties here: www.matweb.com
2) You then compare the hardness of aluminum to the hardness of your femur. (We already established we should compare stiffness, not hardness.) But the phone isn't pushing against your femur; rather it's pushing against the flesh (skin, fat, and muscle) of your thigh. This cushions it against your femur. But even though flesh allows an initial deflection pretty easily (low stiffness), after that initial deflection, the stiffness increases very rapidly. I.e. you can squish your flesh a little pretty easily, but you can't keep squishing it. So yeah, especially with the large area of the phone to be pushed against, your thigh can exert enough force to bend the aluminum.
I hope someone learned something. :)
Not something Apple wouldn't be aware of with their engineering knowledge - New phone New form factor almost inevitably needed New composite material - It's a pity they haven't worked out a solution to make us feel safe with our investment...
Sent from the iMore App
"Ensure that your iPhone stays upright (parallel to your leg) in your front pocket (having it horizontal looks stupid anyway)"
If I carried my phone this way the middle of the phone would be right where my leg bends and I would be the proud owner of a flip phone. Women's pants don't have enormous deep pockets like men's pants.
still so much better than having the risk of exploding ....
http://www.ibtimes.com/samsung-galaxy-explosion-5-times-galaxy-devices-h...
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/04/16/exploding-cell-phone-battery-injure...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/samsung-galaxy-s2-explodes-girls...
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4532397,00.html
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2285688/samsung-galaxy-s4-repor...
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/samsung-galaxy-s4-explosion-burns-down-apartmen...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331945/Owner-claims-Samsung-Gal...
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/26113370/texas-girls-samsung-phone-ex...
Bad products are bad products.
All these test and complaints tend to be more on the 6 plus not the 6. Yes the 6 can bend but I think this issue is more a plus issue then a iPhone 6 issue
Some very nice excuses, a 750-950 $ phone should not be broken a week after release!!! PERIOD.
Or at least they should have told customers not to put it in their back pockets because it will bend ... lol
Sounds like more Apple apologists. Then again this is from the writer who goes to Android events and has no idea what hr is talking about at them.
Maybe the iPhone was designed to be unapologetically bendable?
Posted via the Android iMore App!
I think all of these phones will have either be bent deliberately to prove a point, just like the idiots who threw their iphones on the floor after getting them, or people who have stupidly sat down on them. Do people really think that a company as big as Apple would put out a product without carrying out stress tests with loads far greater than a phone should get in normal use?
Posted via the iMore App for Android
You guys are funny. Even when there's a flaw you would hide it just because you don't want people to know there is a flaw. Is it because you paid 1000 dollars for it? Even in your front pocket it will bend, believe me. If you bend to the front while putting on your shoes or when you try to pick something up from the floor. It's not just the back pocket!
Best part is this... now whats the point of the apple watch? Ur supposed to leave the iPhone in ur pocket and get the notifications on ur watch. If u have to take the iPhone out of ur pocket when u sit down... why have a watch! I work in a lab with labcoat and gloves, I don't have the luxory of taking my phone out of my pocket everytime it vibrates. I have a note 3 (which doesn't bend lol) paired with a gear 2 Neo. Works awesome. Taking ur phone out of ur pocket everytime u sit is a pretty stupid response instead of saying maybe a company should make sure a phone can be carried in the most used way to carry a phone. But then again... maybe this whole time everybody has been carrying it wrong.
It looks like that the bendable Sapphire Crystal display and the soft Aluminum casing make a bendable phone unintentionally, especially for the larger size model. You better pocket it gingerly. iPhone 6 may be a better choice than iPhone 6 Plus.
this is a very legitimate issue. read the article here: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/bendgate-apple-iphone-6-plus-...
Enough is enough. Apple has an obsession with making devices thinner. Often this is justified, but for phones, I think they need to stop. They were deceptive on their announcement marketing slides of how thin the iPhone 6/plus was and even cut out the protruding camera from some images. Users are not complaining about phones being thick anymore - they're complaining about battery life. Apple, would you take your head out of the ground and listen to your customers already? You ignored them when they said they wanted a bigger iPhone and it took you 3 iterations to finally release them. Don't wait until Samsung beats you to this again - just go back to iPhone 5 thickness and give users a bigger battery!
Weren't they doing lattice / honeycomb structures on the thin laptops? That might be a solution.
Do people really keep phones (as big as they come these days) in their pants' back pocket? Where I come from, there are a lot of pick-pockets so people refrain from keeping valuabel things there, but is this a general trend elsewhere?
Keeping phones there places a lot of stress on them when we sit. So, a bent/broken phone is not surprising.
I believe the simple answer is common sense. Yes it is a phone. Yes people tend to put phones in their pocket. But common sense tells us that a bigger phone may not fit in a pocket the same way a smaller phone can. The same common sense tells us two hands are better served with a larger phone rather than one. Apple did not suggest the larger model would or should fit in your pocket. Let's state the obvious... their ad even says "bigger than bigger."I have an iPad Air and I don't keep that in my pocket. Why? Because it is too big. It's called a "phablet" for reason. It's a small tablet with phone capabilities. I think it's funny how everyone expects Apple to dumb down technology for the lowest common denominator then complain there are not enough features. It rained on my phone. I dropped my phone. At what point does the consumer assume responsibility? If you drop a glass it breaks. If you sit on a phone while you are wearing tight pants it bends. Guess what? So do sunglasses. And yes, even a spoon will bend if it is in your pocket and you sit on it. The common denominator... drum roll... metal. If it were plastic it would break. It is truly a first world problem when people begin to complain about how "indestructible" their phones are not. It's an expensive piece of equipment. People should assume some amount of responsibility and treat it like one.
Most of the big phones the last 4 years have been plastic. They've been carried in peoples pockets for 4 years. Have you heard of them all breaking as u claim they would. No.
So how are people supposed to now suddenly carry large phones? Men carry purses? AppleFags are just in denial and can't stand that apple screwed up.
If you bend it they will come!!
Sent from the iMore App
No sweat. Just bend it back. Right ?
Sent from the iMore App
So you guys think this would happen say if you have a otter box on it maybe defender case plus has any one seen one on a 6plus and if Ya have one how is it on it huge or not bad lmk what you guys think
Sent from the iMore App
If Apple wernt obsessed with bulimic phones may we wouldn't have the curved screen feature plus the camera on the back would be flus instead of unapple like
Sent from the iMore App
Totally sensible article, but I have a question. Who asked for thinner and lighter phones in the first place? Personally, i would be totally happy with a phone thickness and heft similar to phones from two or three years ago if it meant more durability and improved battery life. I can't imagine I am alone with this opinion.
I knew there was a catch to how light the iPhone 6 is, of course the material will bend but this is bad, I mean we're talking a $600+ device off contract and now there's more responsibility of taking care of it? I think I'll pass till a real solution is made, because accidents do happen and that's a kinda hard to catch accident when your working in a fast paced environment
So, out of curiosity, does the HTC One bend? That's all aluminum. If it does, why hast that been in the news?
That's probably because when you ask a person "are you going to get the new HTC one?" the response is usually "what's an HTC one?" "Is that like an iPhone?"..... that should your answer right there
I usually show them the phone and then they say "WOW, why haven't i seen this gorgeous phone. Is it new?" they ask. I say, "NO, couple of years old, but apple is working on one this size soon with similar features. Also, there is an m8 newer version so this is old. I like my old phone, check out the Zoes, let me turn the tv in this bar off, feel it, hear it.." and i've gotten about 20 or so to get one. Not because they heard everyone has one but because they loved it.
Honestly the HTC one m8 is a beast of a phone, I'm just being honest because in my area those are the typical responses I get upon mentioning the HTC one to someone, of course showing off the actual phone people are surprised how amazing it really looks
amen! perfectly said. It's always something....someone always finds fault. I just read, digest content, assesses its applicability, then move on. Thank you for your candor on this!
I understand that yes, physics! But still it's quite an expensive piece of technology. A little more research and engineering to make it more resistant would have been great.
Yes physics does have an impact on how things hold up to stress. Yet Android phones have held up far better in the back pocket than the current iphones, even the Galaxy Note 3 holds up better and can be sat on without bending or breaking. So it seems the quest for the ultimate thinness has come at a cost, your $1000 iPhone just bent in half. Better get AppleCare+.
iMore makes ridiculous apologist preemptive justification for obvious design flaw, because iMore.
Bias trumps fact.
Sent from the iMore App
So just walking with it either in your front or rear pocket
Will bend it?
Sent from the iMore App
I would say no, if you put it in the front pocket you should be fine (unless you wear skinny jeans then all bets are off), the back pocket, well that isn't a great place to put a thin device in the first place so the answer is no unless you like bent phones.
This drama started from a post on macrumors where the phone was in the front pocket, not in skinny jeans but in the pocket for 18hours in a sitting position.
I'm sorry, but this issue is a little bigger than 'be careful with your phone', and it's bigger than Apple, and it *is* all because of physics.
The thing is, you can't make a phone larger and expect to make the chassis with the same (or lesser) material thickness and strength and expect it to hold up as well. A larger phone will be subject to greater torques, therefore making a larger phone easier to bend or break. The same holds true for belt clips... if you use the same materials and thicknesses for a belt clip on a 4 inch phone and a 5.5 inch phone, the belt clips for the 5.5 inch phone will break more easily due to the greater torque available from the effectively longer lever arm.
I never broke phones and rarely broke belt clips prior to owning my Galaxy Note2. Not only did I break the phone once (hard to handle a slippery large phone... not a torque issue) but I also have gone through belt clips at an alarming rate. I broke a SPE horizontal pouch belt clip, a Seidio Dilex holster belt clip, and then two Otterbox Defender belt clips, after which I chose to carry my phone in my front pants pocket. It sure isn't comfortable, but it's not flying off my belt anymore.
So, of course you need to take care of your phone, but I believe that the industry isn't paying attention to how the size of the phone affects the durability of the materials in the phone and its accessories.
Correct, make something bigger, thinner and expect it to hold up that is just not gonna happen. You can apologize all you want for Apple but in the end this is a HUGE design flaw and another reason to use a solid case and not a flimsy one. I have a Spigen NeoHybrid Aluminum/TPU on order and just ordered a Spigen iPhone 6 Plus Case Slim Armor case as well so I have something even more rigid when my phone arrives in about 6 weeks (thanks AT&T).
I love Spigen cases.
Love my spigen neohybrid on my 6
Sent from the iMore App
I don't understand? What happened to the superior build quality? The impeccible attention to detail?
So you mean to tell me that the iphone 6 and 6 plus are bending simply from being in people's pockets for prolonged periods of time?? Those assholes!!! Didn't anyone tell them they can only put them in theyre pockets in a certain way? I mean geez, they should expect they're iphones to bend if they use them like normal people do right? Lolololololol
What a laughable disaster, the media is going to have a field day with this ! Sorry Ifans, but your beloved apple just dropped the ball big time ! the androidsphere is loving every minute of it!!! Lololololololololololololololoololololol
Posted via the iMore App for Android
Well, all you iPhone defenders, is it wrong for people to expect for a device MADE for the pocket, to be able to be put in the pocket without bending? Hence why Samsung was smart enough to use the "cheap" plastic. 2 thumbs up for function over form, or in this case... DEform.
My hunch is that this will turn out to be just like every other "-gate" issue that has cropped up with iPhones. It gets blown out of proportion because it's Apple, and because literally millions of people are getting these all at once. Some of these units are going to be faulty, and some people are going to do stupid things with them. It's not always easy to tell which is the case, though.
That said, I don't like how many people seem to automatically blame the user. Unless they were doing something really irresponsible with the phone, it shouldn't bend or break, and I don't think keeping your phone in your pocket qualifies as irresponsible (unless it's the back pocket and you then sit down on it -- that just seems silly).
I think people should be more aware of the battery leaking after a bend like that. I wanted a L1520, but the video of the 6plus bending made me change my mind.
/Even if the L1520 is plastic.
She has never complained about my bend!!!!
Hmm...no. I have an HTC One M8 and yes it is made of aluminum, but I weigh over 250 lbs and have sat on it and stepped on it, and it has yet to bend. Not all aluminum is created equal...THAT'S BASIC PHYSICS TOO. And if a person is spending hundreds of dollars for a phone, then they ought to expect that it will not bend with the simple strength of two hands...really?!?! I just tried seriously bending my HTC and it didn't budge!
I think the curved back on the M8 has to do with it being stronger
There are bent HTC Ones out there. Google it ;-). I have an HTC one and a 6+ and I prefer neither permanently deform.
The initial problem has 2 sides: Why design something thin that is going to be sat on? Why sit on something that is thin? Possibly Apple could should have put a label on the iPhones "this iPhone may bend if sat upon".
But now that is known that sitting on an iPhone 6 may bend it, there is no longer an excuse for sitting on it. Either buy something that can be safely sat on, or don't sit on the thing that you bought.
I'm not too worried about it. If I break the glass, I'll go get it fixed. If I somehow get it bent, I'll go get it fixed. If Shamu the killer whale dumps water on me and kills my phone (that actually happened to me. oops!), I'll get it fixed.
Its funny to iMores spin on things. If this had been the Note or any samsung problem the title would have read "Big tractor trailer phone bends in pocket; Samsung not too bright". Lol but I understand that your job is to downplay apples flaws and point out all of its competitors issues. That aside, I do hope this is only limited to a small number if handsets because I dont see people not putting phones in their pocket in the near future. Either that, or apple replaces these phones free of charge.
Indeed. If the phone was bursting into flames, iMore would write an article explaining that lots of things burn if they get hot enough. The point they are ignoring is that phones should not bend (or burn) under typical use scenarios.
Hahaha hah lololol, you guys are awesome ! And yes, apple screwed up big time here. Making a phone as large as the iphone 6+ that thin and this was bound to happen......it's already plastered all over the internet, on every homepage, and if it 2 this turns into an epidemic, then it's going to be a disaster!!
Posted via the iMore App for Android
that phone shouldn't bend like that with normal usage. Bottom line. If it bends like that with normal use It's a flaw not a feature.
Thankfully my 6 Plus is fine, but I can guarantee that nothing will bend my old Lumia 920.
Everything will bend under any amount of pressure. It doesn't take a certain amount of pressure to bend something, it take any amount of pressure to bend anything. I suspect that what we are really talking about here is permanent deformation, and that does take a certain minimum stress. It is actually nice to know that the Iphone will bend before anything actually shatters.
Adamantium won't bend.
Sent from the iMore App
Patent that shit
If you bend it enough, you won't even notice the protruding camera lens.
By the way, antennagate was a legitimate issue and definitely not an overblown complaint as this article implies. It was a serious design flaw.
Every iPhone has really needed a case for reasons ranging from improving reception, to protection, to now providing a reinforcing exoskeleton. As good as the iPhone looks, why not try use different materials? You going to put a case on it in any case.
Sent from the iMore App
Because metal automatically makes it a better more high end device (at least that's what everyone claimed why android phones were "cheap") but seriously, maybe this will speed up apples use of liquimetal materials
Sent from the iMore App
My Lumia 1520.3 doesn't bend in my pocket and it's larger than the 6+
I'm just sayin...
Hey now we know why they went with the flexible glass!
"Do not put your phone in your back pocket"
Really? Given that putting a phone in one's back pocket is a *super* common thing for phone-having people to do, maybe "have it be able to be put in a back pocket" should have been one of the design constraints. (Do not taunt happy fun iPhone.)
just because it's common doesn't mean it's smart
Right. Don't use the phones the way *you* want to, use them the way *we* tell you to. Because we know best.
No, use them and treat them like the $600 to $1000 devices they are. I would love to be able to take it in the shower with me. I don't because that would be stupid. Same thing with putting the phone in my back pocket. I don't because if I forget it's in there and sit on it and bend it or crack the screen it's not the phone's fault or Apple's fault, it's my fault for being stupid. It's a phone, not a cushion. Not a wallet that can flex. A phone. Take care of it like you would any other high dollar device. If you think your back pocket is a good place to keep your 5" device, you deserve what happens to it when it's back there.
If I'm gonna drop not-so-few hundreds of dollars on a phone, I want to be able to carry it around in my pocket without having to worry that normal, everyday use (which pocketing is, and showering ain't) is going to mess it up. Being able to carry this tiny amazing computing device in one's pocket is kind of the point. Not being able to do that is a design flaw.
I suppose scratches on the screen and aluminum from coins and keys in your pocket is a design flaw too. It's not. That's what cases and screen protectors are for. If you don't mind scratches you don't protect it with a case. Likewise, if you don't treat the device appropriately for what it is, what happens to it is on you. You put it where it's appropriate. And hey, more power to you if you want to put it in your back pocket or front pocket or wherever. Back pocket is just a bad idea. Front pocket is better, but you still need to be careful how it's situated when you sit down. Or hey, take it out of your pocket when you sit down. It's simply not Apple's fault if people treat their devices poorly. On the bright side, maybe this'll be the beginning of the end of skinny jeans.
Ha wow so now you're expected to hold your device at all times because putting it even in a front pocket isn't ok? The length people go to defend Apple is crazy. Then again I guess antennagate wasn't apples fault either. Face it, Apple chose to make it thinner and rather than reinforce it, they just went with it and this is what happens. There is no excuse as to a phone in someone's front pocket bending.
Sent from the iMore App
oh no. you are an iloser. Going so far to defend apple. Think about what you just said.. ""but you still need to be careful how it's situated when you sit down. Or hey, take it out of your pocket when you sit down. "".
whats wrong with you....
My son is currently waiting to get his Nokia Lumia replaced because he was wearing it in his back pocket at a High School dance.
I betchya he doesn't do it again *if* I decide to pay for the phone. I think he's going to pay for a replacement so that he takes better care of it.
My daughter has had to chase several friends down the hall who lifted hers out of her back pocket. Good thing they were friends and weren't real thieves, right?
It's ALWAYS a bad idea to put a phone in your back pocket.
Maybe if they made it thicker and put a bigger battery in it it wouldn't be as pliable. I like the new iphones overall, but apple dropped the ball in terms of battery life and durability
Posted via the iMore App for Android
Agree. Make it thicker, larger battery and no bulging camera lens
Sent from the iMore App
I'd rather have to deal with a possibility of bending over cracked glass. I never put my phone in my back pocket anyway. That just seems like you're asking for trouble.
Easy fix though - Just turn the phone around in your back pocket and crouch again. It should bend back the other way and be straight again. Of course I on't know how many times this will work before the Aluminum cracks.
Apple's Comment "We've invented the iSquat to fix the bentgate issue found in the Jobsent 6 & 6+"
Posted via iMore App
Wow, I thought Apple was all about not doing something until they could do it right? That's been espoused endlessly on iMore. Yet here they are, the first to market with the thinnest metal phone, and there's a serious issue. Something that's meant to be in your pocket should only bend like this under extreme force.
Maybe make it a little thicker next time so it withstands pressure a bit more, doesn't have the camera protruding, and it can hold a larger battery too?
+1
Sent from the iMore App
Might just be why no one else went this thin with an aluminum phone. Might just be why other phones have a curve to the back.
So basically Apple wanting to look pretty comes at a cost of durability of the phone. Come on people that should not be surprising. Apple is very much a form over function company.
This site literally will defend apple regardless of anything. Don't put it in your front pockets, don't do this etc. Seriously putting a phone in front pocket which is a normal thing to do should not lead to phones bending easily. If it's that easy to bend just by being in a pocket I wonder how it past there stress test if they did one at all. You guys literally give apple a pass in everything.
Posted via the iMore App for Android
It's an expensive phone. Take care of it. It's that simple.
People saying "an expensive phone shouldn't bend" is like saying a Ferrari shouldn't dent if you drive it into a post.
Sent from the iMore App
Driving a car into a post and having a phone in a pocket is completely different. If you drive anything into a post it will damage. A phone which is meant to be put in pockets shouldn't damage so easily. Driving a car into a post isn't a normal thing to do, putting a phone in a pocket is.
Posted via the iMore App for Android
It totally the same. If you have something expensive you don't put it in a place where it can break.
Just because the iPhone is a bit more expensive than a galaxy note doesn't mean it should take the weight of someone butt while in their back pocket!
The longer a bridge is the more reinforcement it needs and a phone with the dimensions of the iPhone 6+ or a Samsung Galaxy note etc are going to bend under too much strain purely because of the length of them.
Sent from the iMore App
It really isn't the same. Products should be designed for how they are used. People intentionally carry their phones in their pockets as a matter of course. People don't park their cars by driving them into posts. Phones should bend in your pocket the way that Ferrari's should bend in garages.
Wow you seriously think putting a phone in a pocket is the same as driving a car into a post. Again driving a car into a post isn't normal and will damage any car. Putting a phone in a pocket is normal and should not damage a phone. How can something be built so well which supposedly the iPhones are yet it can't survive in a pocket.
Posted via the Android iMore App!
So the ones who bent in the front pocket what then? Your argument is terrible. If you read the article, some of these instances are from being in a front pocket, aka not being sat on. And it's not anything like driving a car into a pole...
Sent from the iMore App
Driving into a post is NOT the intended use for a Ferrari.
The correct analogy would be driving a Ferrari down the road you will bend the wheels. Because they are prone to bending with regular and intended use.
I'm guessing that your iPhone would also bend if it smashed into a post.
Sent from the iMore App
Nah its more like : Ferrari paint should not dent when you drive it on the road..
As putting a cellphone in ya pocket is something everyone normaly do!
Not surprising that most tips for users of Apple products rank in the 'common-fking-sense' category for everybody else?!
So after a quick google search i found posts with pics of the exact same thing on iphone 5 when it came out.
Also found one about the galaxy s5, not bending but cracking in pocket.
Nothing new here, just more cases of people not caring for the phones..... Or too many people wear skinny jeans.
Sent from the iMore App
The argument you've made here is analogous to "don't drive your car on a road, because a tire could pop"; as opposed to "don't drive your car over nails because a tire could pop"--which is what I think you intended.
Is there a reason, other than weight, that they use aluminum over stainless steel? Price, maybe?
Posted via iMore App
milling stainless steel is slow (expensive)!
There is a reason that good safes have a thick sheet of stainless steel in them. Stainless is a pain to cut through. So, yeah Apple *could* figure out a way to shape stainless, but it would take much longer than aluminum. I will say if they made the 6/6+ out of stainless.... wow that would be awesome!
Is nice that Google spreads news of this kind as end-of-the-world, earth-shattering developments, and then Apple proceeds to bury it under a shroud of irrelevance, those companies have the best oiled PR and smear campaigners around. If a Blackberry or a Lumia bended, then you would see The Verge, Pocketnow, Android Central or even here on iMore all the shills making a huge deal out of it, making it to be yet another pitiful failure of MS or Blackberry, and saying that only Android/Apple products work.
+1
Sent from the iMore App
Google is not writing the news story. iMore wrote this one. And when Apple competitors have problems, I would say it is far less publicized because far fewer people are seeing it happen. Much more should be expected of Apple because Apple/Apple apologizers are so critical of any flaw in the competition.
The best phone in the world,it shouldn't bend! And for €900 off contract,I shouldn't have to or need to be careful every time I put it in my pocket(where all phones live). With all the amazing engineering that went into it to make it thinner,surely some amazing engineering should have gone into it to not make it bend!
Sent from the iMore App
This is one of the reasons I bought a Nokia Lumia 920. I got fed up of having to have a case and a screen protector, so I bought a device I don't have to curate. In 20 months or so use I've dropped it 3 times, but you'd be hard pressed to find where it landed. There are no bumps or humps to trip the fingers or areas where weight is concentrated, so I feel confident handling the device.
Apple could learn a lot about design from Nokia and also Microsoft's Surface products. Their robustness make them practical for day to day use, while features like tap to wake, Glance and Live Tiles make the devices more responsive and pleasurable to use. By comparison, my iPad seems dull and uninformative.
That's why I need a case+holster combo. Especially for a 6+.
Case to protect the device from drops and the holster to carry it.
best reason to get a case. this doesn't change my decision to buy the 6+. i was planning on getting a case and a screen protector anyways.
Good information to have though
This is something I seen on one of my friends iphone 5 but never had a problem with my iPhone 5 bending. Yes it does make sence to me and it is possible I just hope it does not happen to my iPhone 6
Thank you for a well written article on this matter and for reminding everyone to think from a practical standpoint when it comes to how to care for and carry ones new shiny iPhone 6 & 6+. Think people think!
Sent from the iMore App
But the author bent his IP5 and doesn't know how it happened. If he doesn't know how that happened, how will he prevent it from happening again on a larger, thinner phone?
By not keeping it in his tight jeans' backpocket.
Lol, my friends 5s is bent from her front pocket. It's not always the back guys.
Posted via iMore App
Yeah, maybe he kept in his back pocket too once in his usage?
I kept both my HTC m7 and m8 in my back pocket and sit on it all the time wtf is this crap?
This article is like telling people when their battery life sucks to stop turning on the phone. Step back and take a critical look at this. This is the first bent phone story I have ever seen hit so many news sources. Not like everyone bought an iPhone and changed how they use. This is a flaw.
Why is there always such snark every time somebody posts an issue with an Apple product?
Yes, aluminum bends. So what?
Does that make it unreasonable for a consumer to expect a product most frequently stored in a pocket be engineered to withstand the stresses in that pocket?
Or should purchasers of the phone "for the rest of us" research the bending strength of Apple's particular mixture and thickness of aluminum as well as the force exerted by denim and khaki when stretched taut?
Dropping is a ludicrous comparison, because dropping is an accident. Carrying in a pocket is the sort of use Apple needs to design for, because they know customers are expecting to do it. Everyday.
The fact that customers need to be careful with expensive purchases does not excuse the manufacturer from shortcomings when that purchase is used in entirely foreseeable ways. As Gruber noted, maybe this is why Samsung uses plastic on their "big-ass" phones; it looks worse, but handles that stress better.
Edit: Full disclosure; I keep my 6+ in my front pocket, and take it out when I sit down.
In this blogosphere, it's apparently impossible for writers to have a negative opinion about the tribe they've aligned themselves with. Just imagine, for a second, the snark pieces that would be written by Apple bloggers had the new Galaxy Alpha suffered from this bending problem first.
The galaxy alpha is not even half metal. Just a metal rim does not make it metal. It is a plastic phone with a metal rim. Whereas iPhone is a metal phone only. So, yes, if a plastic phone bends and remains that way, then that is a flaw
Well put. My Surface RT has a slight bend in it as well from normal use and it's slippery to hold. Soft touch plastic is the best choice for phone and tablet backs. Period.
Agreed. I don't think anyone is surprised that aluminum bends. What surprises people is that it is possible this high end phone can't safely be carried in a way that phones are commonly carried.
On the other hand, this may just be a few isolated incidents, and it may be the iPhone 6 Plus is no more prone to accidental damage than other phones are.
I don't agree with snark but I understand why it happens. There have been more then a few comments that Apple wasn't late to the phablet party, instead, Apple waited till they could do it right. I guess not.
Posted via the Android iMore App!
Your iPhone 6 Plus won't bend if you get a cover, like the ones they sell on http://giveandstyle.com/store/?___store=en_us
Science! It knows stuff!
Sent from the iMore App
Will be curious to see how widespread this is under "normal" use. Only time will tell if it is ultimately a design flaw or just a handful of few unsound units which is bound to happen with anything mass produced.
Sent from the iMore App
No. It will never be a "design flaw" as that suggest that Apple did something wrong that makes the phone bend when pressure is applied. Clearly this isn't the case.
What "time will tell" is whether or not there will be any PR blowback about this. The facts are already established and logically, there is no fault.
The design flaw in the case is human silliness. I've seen HTC's come into the store bent, iPhones, iPads ... Some asus transformer tablets.
Anything metal will bend ... The only reason we didn't see it happen with smaller iPhones was.. well they are smaller..
So I guess you could say the larger size is a 'design' flaw? ROFL!
Working at a cellshop too here.
I had both the M7 and M8 from HTC.
Sit on it all the time and droped them a lots and i dont use a case.
Phone never bend and only has some mark on the aluminium from the drop.
Sure an HTC will bend if you go over the board like you weight 300 lbs or something lol.
But even a 10 year old child who sit on an iphone 6 or 6+ can bend it..
Thats the difference.
This is the dumbest thing I've ever read, but you work in a phone store...
If you make something bigger, you reinforce it to compensate so it will function the same or better under the same usage circumstances. People have been putting phones in pockets for 20 years. Now that apple makes a bigger phone they're supposed to magically know that's no longer safe. Right.
But it bends so elegantly.
Posted via the iMore App for Android
On my 5s, that I baby incessantly, keep in a case, and put forth extraneous effort to keep safe from torsional force application, one day during a road trip I grabbed it from the car mount and noticed it was extremely hot through the case. I put it in my front pocket and walked into a restaurant. That was my cardinal sin. That was enough to bend the metal frame on the left side leaving visible damage to the metal at the pivot point just below the down volume button.
I never subjected my phone to my back pocket ever, I never dropped it, and it was literally in mint condition just prior. The heat from charging it and using it for gps navigation was enough to soften the aluminum to where it would bend. Fortunately Apple replaced it, but don't presume the bending is abuse. I see it as design flaw, something should be looked into. Failure isn't a feature, just a failure.
You're charging it wrong.
Posted via the iMore App for Android
Actually, the correct response should have been "Just avoid charging it in that way"
Actually, using it as GPS is likely the culprit, though charging it does get a phone warm; so it probably didn't help.. specifically the SUN, while using it as a GPS gets any phone VERY hot on the dash.
Cases usually act as insulators too.. So, yeah.. I've had my phone just shut down while on the dash from heat. I don't do that anymore. ;)
I keep it high at visor level or low in front of a air conditioned vent; especially in summer.
Come on guys! I am sure that everything inside an iPhone would have burn completely well before its aluminium case becomes soft (and bendy) from heat. As for bending an iPhone 6 by "pushing it up against your leg, which contains a hard-as-concrete femur bone that's up to 2 inches thick" (as suggested by Derek Kessler) you'd have to wear reinforced steel and titanium trousers AND be imune to pain, for goodness sake...
I had to return my iPhone 5s as out of the box it was bent, and like your experience you could see the precise point just below to volume button where the bend had occurred. I have a 6 Plus now and I'd already figured that there is potential for it to get bent, especially if in a tight pocket.
Sent from the iMore App
Your iPhone 6 Plus won't bend if you get a cover, like the ones they sell on http://giveandstyle.com/store/?___store=en_us
I had one of the first 100,000 iPhone 4s that had been sold. I can positively assure you there was little overblown about the antenna issue.
It may not have affected every phone, but it was a demonstrable design flaw.
That said, Oh My God the metal bends??? BURN THEM!!
That's because the iPhone 4s addressed the issue. It was the iPhone 4 with the new design that actually was the problem. I did experience the issue with the antenna, and believe me when you see the signal strength on your phone drop before your eyes down to no service when you are standing next to a microcell and your call drops, it is an issue. The only way I could use the phone reliably for making calls was to use a case. That said, I put the case on and moved on.
Putting a phone in your back pocket is just a bad idea, I don't care how it's designed. Glass, metal, plastic, or wood, nothing good can come from sitting on your phone..
Personally, I've put phones in my back pocket for the last 20 years or so. I've never broken a phone, or had one die in any way, save for battery death. I've been treating my iPhone 6 the exact same way as all my previous phones(last phone was a 4S), in my back pocket. Sitting on it a lot when at my desk and sometimes in the car. After reading these reports, I did a test with my phone for a bend, putting it on its side to use it like a ruler to draw a straight line. It's as straight as a ruler.
If it bends, I have a replacement plan for it and I'll use it, but I won't be buying another aluminum frame phone for my next phone. One of the reasons I stayed with iOS after my first iPhone(the 4S, which I got after a terrible experience with an android phone that made me miss my Treo 750p), is because when I use it, it does what I need it to do and I don't have to think about the phone itself, I can just stay focused on whatever it is I'm working on with it. The phone does not require my attention, only the things I use it for, which can not be said for a certain other platform I had the misfortune of trying. If I have to treat it extra special and change the way I've always worked and behaved with phones to keep it in working order, then that zen that I've come to love about using iPhones will be damaged.
I'm hoping this isn't going to be the case though. I always read about alleged problems with iPhones that neither myself, nor anyone I know with them ever experiences, but they're always made to sound like they're epic scandals hitting everyone. So part of me isn't convinced this is going to be the big wide spread problem the current hype elsewhere is making it out to be.
But if there is a problem with this phone bending, Apple needs to step up, extend warranties, stand behind the product, and look into titanium frames or something if they're going to stay at this thickness or go even thinner. Part of me is concerned that it might be an issue, given that there isn't a single aluminum frame phone I know of that I can't find examples of being bent online. That's worrisome.
No microwave it
Umm what?? Wait, phone bend over time?? Yet to notice that with the iPod touch, don't expect it with iPhone 6 either. I know it's obvious that alumninum will bend, but honestly, what the hell do with their phones that will result it to go that far??
Sure, aluminum bends if enough pressure is applied. But for a phone that, for most people, will be moving around in your pockets every day and could, in normal daily use, be subjected to pressure here and there... Maybe aluminum wasn't the best choice.
Also, the HTC One (both models) is made of machined aluminum and some have reported bending as well. If you can live with a bend, great, if not, look elsewhere.
No. Aluminium needs quite a bit of force to bend, even in an item this thin. The people in question are idiots. You would have to have it in your very tight back pocket of your jeans (a stupid move to begin with), then bend over or crouch down many times, or sit for a long period without removing it (another really silly move) for this to happen.
Personally, I think the bent phones are kind of cool and I don't see a big problem with them, but to blame this on anyone but the owner is just wrong. Stupid is as stupid does.
So you are saying the author is an idiot since he has no idea when his phone got bent?
And you think bent phones are cool. Figures. Were cracked glass backs cool as well?
Face it, aluminum is a stupid material to build a phone out of just like glass was. Its only redeeming quality is appearance. And even then, it only stays looking nice if you put a case on it.
It's for lightness also. And anybody who doesn't take care of $700 + possessions deserves a bent phone. It's a fine choice for materials for non idiots. If they used stainless steel and it was too heavy for the average limp wristed mouth breather it would be a bitch fest then too.
Sent from the iMore App
That's ridiculous. Cell phones are devices that need to survive a lot of handling, an occasional drop, motion, weather and impact. A back pocket is not an extreme scenario for a phone, it's a common one. It's where people have been putting their cell phones since they were invented and became small enough to fit back there. To blame the user for putting their phone where they always have is ridiculous. It's like blaming a car owner for driving in the snow after their iCar snaps in two when a kid throws a snowball at it.
Have you seen the kind of pants people (mostly kids) are wearing these days?!? You get the kids that wear the super tight "Skinny Jeans" that make anything in your pocket protrude like a vacuum sealed sausage. Then they ask why it bends... scenesters.
Apple should have considered normal use in their design. If it can damage in the front pocket from bending then the design is flawed. They test these things and should know better. Obviously a design flaw in my opinion. Stick to more robust phones.
Lol agreed. And seriously, how hard does someone's ass have to be to bend a friggin phone. In all seriousness, a lot of people don't take cre of their stuff. My nephew breaks a phone every month or so. He is rough as hell on it, refuses to put it in a case, and then complains because it breaks in some manner.
Sent from the iMore App
Refusing to put a case on it and breaking you phone is one thing, but this is just a case of physics as the author states. The iPhone 6+ is a very large aluminum phone. Pressure in your pocket is the force and the larger footprint of the phone acts as a lever on the weak points in the aluminum back causing these bends. This is obviously a design flaw and probably could have been mitigated by internally reenforcing the phone with steel.
Plus who wants a 6 inch phone anyway. So big its inconvenient.
Seems that Samsung has been making big phones for a long time, and selling a lot of them. Never heard about a them bending. Physics excuse is crap. Physics did not change because Apple made a bigger phone. Author says Iphone 5's bent too, but it was never news worthy like this.
No excuse for Apple. This is a screwup for a company with a reputation to keep. A little credit is due to Android manufacturers because maybe, just maybe they got the large thin phone design right, and Apple just got it wrong. Apple will still sell a gazillion of these phones because it is all some people will consider.
Yes and no. To date the large android phones have been plastic, which can bend and retain the original shape. I think even the note 4 has a plastic back with metal frame.
Am I saying it is the consumer's fault, hell no. I think Apple should have made the phone a little chunkier, and thereby gotten rid of the protruding camera lens, in order to make it stronger. I in no way wear skinny jeans, only the most relaxed of relax fit for me, but at times when bending or squatting down to look at something, I have had enough pressure that Siri goes off in my pocket, though that might be related somehow to the lifeproof case I have on it.
You have the Best post in here!
Sent from the iMore App
Aluminum bends. Shocker!
Didn't hear about this on the HTC One.
Also aluminum.
Just saying.
Posted via iMore App
There are bent HTC Ones out there. Google it. No idea how common it is as I sit on my M8 in my back pocket sometimes with no issues.
Hmm, googled it. All I see are pictures of bent iPhones.
There aren't any
Not hard to find. The first hit in Google was this:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one-m8/381873-bent-m8.html
10 million people didn't or probably haven't purchased the HTC One M8 either. Even if a phone is made of steel and not aluminum, it will bend of you apply enough pressure. This will blow over soon, just like every year.
Sent from the iMore App
still so much better than having the risk of exploding ....
http://www.ibtimes.com/samsung-galaxy-explosion-5-times-galaxy-devices-h...
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/04/16/exploding-cell-phone-battery-injure...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/samsung-galaxy-s2-explodes-girls...
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4532397,00.html
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2285688/samsung-galaxy-s4-repor...
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/samsung-galaxy-s4-explosion-burns-down-apartmen...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331945/Owner-claims-Samsung-Gal...
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/26113370/texas-girls-samsung-phone-ex........
Battery's explode; it can happen to any phone.
Yeah because this never happens to iphones does it!?!?! this silly site is blocking my links but google "iphone catches fire"
While you pointing that HTC don't make sales as much as an iPhone, at the M8 don't bend in your pockets. Metal bends, what a shocker! But with the so called premium iDevice, one would expect more.
I'm going straight to the insult! You are fkn stupid! Expect more from what? Physics? My phone dropped and that nice screen made out of glass broke....I expected more for this premium device. I don't care that it's glass, apple should have gone into quantum physics and created a glass that doesn't break when it hits the metal floor! I don't care that the goal was to make it light, they should have made if heavier and out of adamantium like Wolverines claws so that it wouldn't bend because I don't want physics to apply to me. As for the HTC, it's aluminum...and much fkn thicker idiots! The dumbing down of america, here you are, at it's best.
That's why my Q10 has a stainless steel frame and a carbon fibre / glass weave back.
The new BlackBerry Passport: also stainless steel frame.
(yeah, I know, it's got no apps apparently... :-) )
Durability over a few grammes saved...
CrackBerry??, NO!!!!!
Sent from the iMore App
I heard that women actually prefer the slight bend!
http://goo.gl/E0VBN1
It has everything to do with geometry.
((Edit: Material choice matters, always. But material has to work together with the geometry it's been shaped into. The choice of aluminum here isn't the limiting factor. The geometric design of the aluminum chassis is.))
Nobody uses pure aluminum for general purpose manufacturing. They use aluminum alloys instead. And the alloys themselves are incredibly diverse.
You can get extremely rigid alloys that will be incredibly difficult to bend even in thin structures prone to bending (such as 7075), but the disadvantage of that is difficulty of machining (and often welding too). This type is dominantly used in transportation industry (automotive, marine, aircraft, etc). Manufacturers take the additional manufacturing costs in order to reap the great strength-to-density ratio.
And then there are buttery soft alloys that are extremely easy to machine (3031 for instance), even manually, but they're also way too deformable to be useful for any load bearing purposes. I don't have too much experience with these, but they're cheap, and generally a good choice for decorative uses.
Apple uses anodized 6000 series aluminum (most likely 6061, possibly a tempered variant like -T4 edit: apparently it's 6003, which is similar to 6061 in properties). This is a good compromise between the extremes, and is the most ubiquitous aluminum alloy out there. It's got good mechanical properties, easy to machine, easy to weld. Their choice of material was correct in this case.
The problem with the iPhone 6 chassis comes from something we call "stress concentration" in engineering and this phenomenon is related to the geometry of an object. More specifically, it has to do with the cross section profile that is being bent.
If you watch the bending test video, you'll notice that iPhone 6 bent exactly at the root of the volume buttons. And if you look even more closely, you'll notice that the bending is actually on just one side -- the side of the volume buttons. The opposite side is actually mostly unscathed.
This is because the cross section area of the bending profile decreases dramatically right at that point. They have cut out a hole to accommodate the volume buttons, and when under loading, the internal stresses of the structure are being concentrated at the base of this cutout. So when the structure fails, it fails at that point. The lower cross section area decreases the resistance to bending, and makes it possible to bend the chassis at a lower applied force than what it would take otherwise, had the volume buttons not been there (but of course they have to be there).
The result here wouldn't have changed if Apple had used plastic in place of aluminum. In fact, it probably would have been worse. Typically phone manufacturers use brittle plastic in their devices (ductile plastic is the kind that feels really cheap and terrible), so the chassis would have broken entirely at the same point. They could have avoided the issue, maybe, if they opted for steel or a tougher aluminum alloy but then you run into other problems and have to retool essentially your entire product line.
The reason why Galaxy Note 3 passes the bending test doesn't have anything to do with the material it's made out of. It has everything to do with the internal geometry of the chassis. The internal magnesium alloy chassis (which isn't any better than aluminum as a material) has an I-beam cross section that is great against bending, and it's further sandwiched between two shells, which are in this case plastic. It's reinforced very thoroughly, to the point where human-applied forces cannot bend the device beyond its "elastic range" (this is the deformation range within which the device can recover to its original state when loads are removed).
Apple could have designed the aluminum chassis in a way that would accomplish the exact same thing, and if they had, people wouldn't be mistakenly criticizing the aluminum here. They would just be talking about how nice the material feels to the touch (because it does, and yes, it is "premium" much more so than plastic). Unfortunately, they fucked it up. Again, it's all in the geometry.
Edit: Some more detail because people are pointing out the magnesium alloy internal chassis in Note 3, even though the material is not what makes the difference.
I didn't write this but wanted to share.