We all know about the trending issue about Apple’s new iPhones – at least we assume most of us know, those who have not lived under a rock these past few days. The short version of it is that some owners of the new iPhones have made very public statements about the strength of the frame of the phones, claiming that the devices could easily be bent under strong but usually normal pressure.
This is where Consumer Reports – the good guys who look after the concern of consumers – steps in and investigates the whole deal, especially after a video went viral of a person who easily bent an iPhone 6 Plus with his bare hands. Going the scientific testing path, Consumer Reports tested multiple phone models with what it called a “three-point flexular test” – where all phone models were tested with the same machine.
The phones tested were the new iPhones, an iPhone 5, an HTC One M8, an LG G3, and a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. They were subjected to flexular pressure more than the 55 pounds that Apple used to test its units with, seeing at what point the units broke. For references, 55 pounds is comparable to the force needed to break three pencils.
The results were conclusive enough – at least for the new iPhones – that you wouldn’t normally be able to just bend a unit with normal daily use as claimed by most of the negative viral content. Surprisingly, it was the HTC One M8 which capitulated with the least force applied (90 pounds), with the iPhone 6 next at 100 pounds of force. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, together with the iPhone 5, seemed to be the ones structurally strongest, only giving in after being subjected to 150 pounds of flex force.
There are two sides to this story, but the first one should be that the scientific test proves you won’t be able to bend these phones – yes, including the new iPhones – without subjecting them to abnormal amounts of flex force. That being said, and point number 2, these viral videos have come at a very awkward point in time for Apple, right after the phones’ launch. Cupertino will have to weave its magic better to survive and get up from this obvious setback.
SOURCE: Consumer Reports