Reports of 6+ bending from being kept in people's pockets

[fleurya]

iPhone 6 Plus Bending Limits Tested in New Video - Mac Rumors

So the same story I keep seeing passed around is a guy at a wedding that asserts the phone was always in his front pocket, and somehow bent his phone. There is also a YouTube video of a guy putting extreme pressure on a very specific point of the phone to bend it and prove the story.

Personally, I I just don't see how it could bend the way it shows from normal, comfortable pressure in your front pocket. It seems to be the wrong angle of the bend for your front pocket, and I can't imagine putting that much force on your phone without being really uncomfortable doing so.

The first that came to mind for me when I saw the and before hearing the story was that the idiot was sitting on it, which I still believe to be true. But one would be hard-pressed to get a replacement on their $700 investment if they admitted to sitting on it, so I'm guessing the guy is indulging the facts to get a replacement.

But I'm keeping an open mind and would like to hear from folks on MF that own the 6+.

 

[vansmith]

I think this might possibly be an issue for any device that small and made largely of malleable materials. So, in other words, any mobile phone. I think the odd issue here is the notion that this happens with a phone in the front pocket of one's pants. I suppose my question is "how are you sitting?" Perhaps the 6+ is large enough that leaning forward stresses the phone?

 

[dtravis7]

Saw a video of a person bending it in their hands and it was a permanent bend. The same person tried bending a Samsung Note 3 and while it flexed it came back to normal after letting it go with no damage. After 2 bends the Iphone 6 Plus had a bend that would not come back right where the volume buttons were on the side.

That seems to be where the weak point is. Left side just below the buttons.

 

[chas_m]

In the words of the great Groucho Marx: then don't try so hard to bend it!

 

[dtravis7]

I can hear people now, Bend Differently! Your holding it wrong, You are bending it wrong, your pocket is defective!

Oh and remember the nut with the blentech blender? will it Blend? He will ask, Will it BEND!

 

[Exodist]

This may not be the phone for those who like to stick them in their tight jeans.. I mean seriously, common sense here, people want thinner and wider, at some point this was bound to start happening..

My iPod touch5 is super thin and I have not had any issues with it.

 

[fleurya]

I supppose if it was caught between your hip and bottom of your pocket while bending over it could, but still you would have to be putting a LOT of force into it to make it bend from that type of pressure as opposed to the direct and focused pressure the guy in the test video is applying.

I can hear people now, Bend Differently! Your holding it wrong, You are bending it wrong, your pocket is defective!

Oh and remember the nut with the blentech blender? will it Blend? He will ask, Will it BEND!

I've already seen all of those employed. It's a FanDroid's dream come true. Which makes it all the more suspicious.

 

[MBP17•David]

Wasn't a curved phone supposed to be the latest and greatest? ;P

 

[RustProofCorn]

Maybe we should ask a expert on do's and don'ts regarding the 6+

"Hey! Do I preach to you when you're a lyin' stone in the gutter?? No.... So beat it!!"

Well Received..

 

[midway40]

LOL, gotta love Bender...

 

[GregR]

I mean seriously, common sense here, people want thinner and wider, at some point this was bound to start happening..

One of the best things I've read on this forum.

 

[docx]

BBC News - Is the iPhone 6 prone to bending?

 

[vansmith]

Maybe we should ask a expert on do's and don'ts regarding the 6+

"Hey! Do I preach to you when you're a lyin' stone in the gutter?? No.... So beat it!!"

Well Received..

My avatar has never been more apt than it is right now...

Initial reports that I've read have suggested that Apple will replace the phone if it can be "proven" that the warping was caused through regular use. Apparently, Apple Store employees (Geniuses specifically) have been told how to test for this.

 

[RustProofCorn]

My avatar has never been more apt than it is right now...

Initial reports that I've read have suggested that Apple will replace the phone if it can be "proven" that the warping was caused through regular use. Apparently, Apple Store employees (Geniuses specifically) have been told how to test for this.

Wonder how?

 

[fleurya]

I think this issue falls in a somewhat grey area. Clearly the 6+ is not as durable as most other phones of its size. But does that mean it’s flawed? Not necessarily! It just means it’s not as durable and can’t take as much stress under certain conditions. It still functions just as it should and people can use the phone indefinitely without issue.

If you look you can probably find examples of this in most other products. I think phones,, Apple phones especially, get an extra degree of scrutiny and a higher-than-reasonable level of expectation of durability from things like these so-called “drop tests”. I mean honestly, is it reasonable to expect your sophisticated electronic device to completely withstand a hard hit on a hard surface due to your own clumsiness? No. But people are thinking it should more and more.

This just seems like another step toward people taking less and less personal responsibility and shifting it onto others or businesses. Yes, the product is not as durable. But no, that is not a major flaw worthy of recall. Apple, with their great customer service, will probably be happy to replace them or refund; just like the iPhone 4. And that should be the end of it.

 

[midway40]

When I bought my first iPhone--a 5s--a couple of months ago, the first thing I did was purchase an OtterBox for it. I kind of hated to since the phone looked so nice and didn't want to cover it up but I knew from what I do daily the 5s needed some protection. I have dropped it on concrete three times (once though was because I missed the belt clip) and it is still fine.

It doesn't take a genius to know that if a person sat down with something thin in their back pocket that something is going to give. Especially if the person has a ....uh.... ample rump.

 

[fleurya]

Apple released an official statement only 9 reported cass on bent phones!

http://gizmodo.com/apple-iphone-6-plus-wont-bend-under-normal-use-only-9-1639173696#

While there may be a few more unreported cases (not many if they have access to the Internet... Which they do) probably not enough to shut down assembly lines out of maybe 5 million sold.

It sounds like what I suspected all along: a handful of morons who sat on their phones and are now falsifying facts to get a free replacement to avoid a $700+ loss in a matter of days.

 

[cowbrain]

..snip...

It sounds like what I suspected all along: a handful of morons who sat on their phones and are now falsifying facts to get a free replacement to avoid a $700+ loss in a matter of days.

Probably so.

But, I can't see how they bend at all.
Isn't the front a piece of glass?
I'd have thought that would break/crack/snap before it bent?

Just wondering.

 

[GregR]

Probably so.



But, I can't see how they bend at all.

Isn't the front a piece of glass?

I'd have thought that would break/crack/snap before it bent?



Just wondering.

The glass is very flexible and scratch-resistant to protect against chipping and shattering, so this special glass is one of the factors that adds to the high cost of the iPhone, and many other smart phones.

There's basic physics at work here - the thinner something becomes, the more prone it will be to bending and breaking outright - and also warping if left near a heat source. This makes a practical design limitation. The only way to overcome such a limitation would be to design something flexible.

 

[pigoo3]

But, I can't see how they bend at all.
Isn't the front a piece of glass?
I'd have thought that would break/crack/snap before it bent?

Just wondering.

iPhones & iPads use Gorilla Glass. A somewhat flexible, bendable, impact resistant glass.

The kind of glass you're thinking of is sapphire glass. And one of it's big advantages over Gorilla Glass is scratch resistance. But it is more brittle & non-flexible.

These two types of glass are a hotly debated topic for use in portable devices.

- Nick