History will decide if the bent iPhone 6 Plus scandal will be termed “Bendgate” or “Bendygate” or something else, but one thing’s for certain: Apple’s come up with a reply to it.
Per Macworld and The Verge, the company has stated that only nine users have complained to Apple regarding the iPhone 6 Plus bending in their pockets. The company has gone on to state that about 15,000 iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets were tested prior to shipping last week. While this is only a small fraction of the 10 million units sold so far, they do represent a decent sample group that endure day-to-day rigors throughout the testing process.
Recently, Apple has come forth and indicated that there are three kinds of sit-down tests in use to test the handsets. The tests replicate real-world situations: sitting on hard surfaces, then soft surfaces (like couches), then hard surfaces at an angle where the phone might bend inside a pocket.
A back pocket, even.
Then the devices are put through a bend test, in which a 25-kilogram weight presses down on the phone. It’s been noted that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets do bend under the weight, but quickly rebound to normal. The phones endure a 10-kilogram pressure test and a torsion test, where the devices are twisted to an unspecified degree, to cap off the process.
The Cupertino tests are just a sampling of what quality control processes Apple puts new products through before launching. Even more tests are conducted at production facilities in China. But the bending scandal, like the iPhone 4 Antennagate before it, is causing such controversy that Apple needed to prove it does have quality controls in place—and that bent phones are outliers, not the norm.
Despite all of those tests, some iPhones are bending. If you’re noticing curves on your new iPhone 6 Plus that shouldn’t be there—and you haven’t deliberately tried to damage the device—then head on down to your local Apple Store. Your warranty should cover a replacement.
And if you’ve had your snazzy new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus handset bend on you since you purchased it, please let us know in the comments.