Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus stirred up a bendgate controversy after their recent launch, but a Consumer Reports test suggests the phones are not as fragile as many seem to think. Consumer Reports ran a stress on both versions of the iPhone 6 in its lab to find out the truth of the matter.
Apple too did the stress test
Reports about the iPhone 6 bending are doing the rounds since the phones were released at a grand event a couple of weeks ago, but nothing official has been released yet by the company denying the claims. However, Consumer Reports tested the phone along with other phones such as the HTC M8, LG G3, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and concluded that the iPhone 6 did not behave oddly compared to these phones under bending stresses.
A method popularly known as “three-point flexural test” was undertaken on the phones by supporting the phones on both the ends and then applying pressure at the third point on the top. Force was applied with an Instron compression test machine. The Apple iPhone 5 also went through this reality check.
For its part, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) invited journalists to witness the stress test of the iPhone in its own lab, and the published reports reveal that of tests done one was the three-point flexural test in a similar Instron machine. In its test in Cupertino, the company applied pressure of 25 kilograms (55 lbs) to the iPhone 6 Plus to test the flex. A weight of 55 pounds equals to the force required to break three pencils.
iPhone 6 outperformed
However, in its test, Consumer Reports applied more force to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus than the 55 pounds applied by the company. After applying the force of 10 pounds for 30 seconds, it was then released and then an additional 10 pounds of pressure was added until the phone started to deform and screen started bulging out.
When a pressure of 90 pounds was applied; iPhone 6 plus started to deform, and the device came apart at 110 pounds. The iPhone 6 Plus, however, performed marginally better than HTC One, which is considered a solid phone.
In the testing, both Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G3 bent when subjected to certain tests, but then returned to their old shape after the force was released. However, these phones also fractured after certain point.
