Users report the iPhone 6 Plus is prone to bending.
Photo by Lewis Hilsenteger of UnboxTherapy
Update: Apple has responded and said that claims that the iPhone 6 Plus bend under normal pressure from users pockets are ‘extremely rare’ and that rigorous testing is done on every device prior to launch including a ‘sit test’ where they simulate sitting with a phone in the back pocket of tight jeans. Sounds awful specific, but whatever floats your boat. Basically, Apple says too bad, so sad.
Less than a week after the release of the long-awaited iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, reports are streaming in from all over the internet that the iPhone 6 Plus is
bending in users pockets, proving that thinner, lighter and bigger might not be a good combo.
When I saw the
headline on Yahoo this morning I only clicked on it out of curiosity. I mean, the iPhone 6 plus is a $700 – $1000 device (off contract). I admit, I’m not really much of an Apple fan, but I do think they make some pretty good devices. Excellent even. Surely it wouldn’t have that glaring of a design flaw. After seeing multiple photos, I still didn’t buy it. These people claimed that the phones were bending simply by being carried in a pocket (which is where I carry my less-than-$200 phone and have no problems). Nonsense! I said. Then I saw this video.
Guess they are bending. Kind of hard to argue with that. And it’s surprisingly painful to watch.
There doesn’t seem to be any sort of a response from Apple about these bending claims, but after a bit of research I found out something that Apple lovers probably already knew: the iPhone 5 and 5s had the same sort of problems upon first release. You’d think they would have fixed it this time around, knowing that a larger phone would be more susceptible to bending and such. Of course, with an aluminum frame, I can’t say I’m surprised as aluminum is known for its malleability (pointed out in the video).
On the other hand, that looks like an awful lot of pressure he’s exerting on the phone in that video. I don’t know how many phones could stand up to that kind of pressure
without bending. My pocket certainly doesn’t produce that kind of pressure (What kind of jeans are you wearing, anyway?!?). But I suppose it does lend a
tiny bit of credibility to the claims of phones bending.
Here are some ideas to help keep your iPhone 6 Plus straight as an arrow:
- Put a case on the phone to add stability and protection
- Don’t sit down. Ever.
- Wear loose jeans. Be gangster. We won’t judge! (Who are we kidding? We totally will)
- Don’t carry the phone in your pocket. If you don’t have a purse or backpack, use a holster on your belt. Bonus: add other holsters and you can pretend to be Batman. Or a businessman from the 90s.
- See the video above? Don’t do that.
Interestingly enough,
SquareTrade, a company that sells phone warranty plans, gave the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus a
pretty good rating on their breakability test (which you can
watch here). Curiouser and curiouser.
For the most part, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have not reached the prepaid market, although rumors circulate that Boost will be getting it soon. But these reports might make you think twice about getting the larger of the two. Or, at the least, to get a case to go along with them. With a phone that expensive, you should probably have a case anyway, though.]]>
