Apple has officially issued a statement regarding the iPhone 6 bending controversy saying the issue is rare during real world use and that it’s only received complaints from 9 customers (via CNBC). Apple adds, according to the reports, that the “new iPhones feature steel/titanium inserts to reinforce stress locations and use the strongest glass in the industry.” Apple also commented that bending is “extremely rare” during normal use and that it performs a number of strength and durability tests (as you’d expect) before it ships new devices (via WSJ):
Since going on sale Friday, Apple said only nine customers have contacted the company about a bent iPhone 6 Plus—the larger and more expensive of its two new iPhones. Apple said both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus passed a series of tests meant to check the products’ strength and durability to withstand every day, real-life use.
The controversy over whether or not the new iPhone 6 models are less durable than previous generations or other smartphones picked up mainstream media attention after videos of users bending the device appeared online. Other videos quickly appeared online showing the device compared to phones from competitors and previous generation iPhones. Competitors have also taken advantage of the situation this week with LG, BlackBerry, and others mocking the bending controversy while promoting their own devices.
In Wired’s iPhone 6 Plus review, Mat Honan described his 5.5-inch iPhone model as being bent:
Like a lot of people, I have a bent iPhone 6 Plus. It’s almost imperceptible, but it’s there: a slight warp right at the buttons on the side. Put the phone screen down on a table, and it wobbles. I haven’t purposefully bent it and I don’t recall sitting on it (but I probably have). So why is this one bending? I have a theory: It might have something to do with it being both very thin and very big and made of aluminum. The Samsung Galaxy Note3 is big, but it’s also 4 mm thicker than the iPhone 6 Plus and doesn’t have an aluminum back that, when bent, stays bent. You don’t hear about big Android phones bending because they are either too thick, or made out of plastic. That’s my theory, anyway.
Below is Apple’s full statement on the issue via Financial Times:
Our iPhones are designed, engineered and manufactured to be both beautiful and sturdy. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature a precision engineered unibody enclosure constructed from machining a custom grade of 6000 series anodized aluminum, which is tempered for extra strength. They also feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry. We chose these high-quality materials and construction very carefully for their strength and durability. We also perform rigorous tests throughout the entire development cycle including 3-point bending, pressure point cycling, sit, torsion, and user studies. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or exceed all of our high quality standards to endure everyday, real life use.
With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple.
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What did they mean by “New iPhones”? Does that include the already released iPhone 6+ ?
Good question. Off to check ifixit.com to check their teardown photos…
Just looked at the full-res images of the iPhone 6+ on iFixIt, and indeed, there does appear to be a metallic-looking rod behind the volume rocker buttons, clamped down with two screws into the main frame.
of course it does ;)
I can believe that, a lot of my friends don’t even know of the 1-year warranty. they choose to live with with hardware defects that can otherwise be resolved. after I mention it, they’re too lazy to go to an Apple Store.
“9 customers” does not qualify for the “gate” status. Some people!
It certainly doesn’t… but we all know it only takes one incident (complaint) for it go viral.
9 customers responding directly to Apple is not the same as 9 customers having the issue, I’m sure we can all grasp that concept. Believe it or not, most people google and take their issues to the internet first.
I wonder if Apple will update their official response if more people start reporting issues. Probably not. So pretty much we’ll never actually know.
Ah, that’s probably why there are only four different pictures about this on Twitter.
And yet there were NINE complaints to Apple? What’s your point? If you don’t post Twitter pics your issue doesn’t exist?
I’ve tested three iPhone 6 phones (none of them the plus model) with the table wobble test as described above (screen down). They’ve all wobbled. Meanwhile, my old 4s (never been in a case, dropped multiple times, and always in my pocket) still lays flat. They may not just be bending, the iPhone 6 may be coming deformed from the factory.
HAHAHHAHA.
Compare that to the infamous “Yellow screen” issue…..that actually did affect hundreds if not thousands in the first week of iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S.
“Issue.” Wasn’t that just glue drying because they were making them so fast? Hardly qualifies as an issue.
I remember that suggested as a possible reason, but I’ve seen a lot of 4/4S over time that vary between very cool and very warm color temp at the same brightness level. For whatever reason, not every screen was created equally.
Nine out of 10 million. That’s 0.00009%. That doesn’t even qualify as a rounding error.
I agree its small, but number of people lodging official complaints with Apple does not equal total number of people experiencing the problem.
Not saying this will happen to the iPhone, but many consumer products are recalled after only a few official complaints, when in fact the actual defect affected exponentially more units.
People need to call Apple Care and complain to them, not to Twitter or Facebook or making YouTube videos. I am sure Apple will replace these without ease. Same thing for the 5, 5S even some iPad Minis bent when put in pockets, but we replaced them without question (well, sometimes we asked how the living hell you bent an iPad mini lol)
The public is entitled to know on what they are buying and what are the feedbacks and complaints from customers who have already bought them. 9 complaints are still complaints and this is a quality issue. Will you buy something that you know will have a high risk of breaking on normal use placing it on your pocket?
9 complaints out of millions sold is not “HIGH risk of breaking” (emphasis added).
I won’t buy something that I know has a high risk of breaking. Fortunately, I’m not doing buying anything like that. I’m buying an iPhone 6+ with a defect rate of less than 0.00009% so far.
And I still want to know what scandal happened on Bend Gate Road in Henderson, Kentucky.
I have more than 4 friends who all have some sort of tiny bend already. This smell very fishy.
Apparently none of them told Apple 😄
You have “more than 4 friends”..? You mean 5? 9? Why not just state the obviously small number? It sounds like you are just trying to make this into a bigger deal than it is and you probably don’t know anybody with this issue.
For clarification… I mean ‘You have “more than 4 friends” with this issue..?’. This was not an immature cut at your number of friends.
Sure you do.
Ahahah
My Son is a manager of a major Mobile phone retailer in the UK,other makes of Phone have suffered the same demise, most others have has issues around the phones bending, 9 out of ten apple, in any test or exam I’ve ever done thats a good score
9 Dumb people who realized…men can’t wear women’s jeans and then try to sit down, if I try with all my might, the length of the phone gives me some leverage to purposely break it. Or your typical greedy no good person always looking for a lawsuit or a company to try and tarnish their reputation. Only thing that bothered me. Is that apple didn’t say anything to shit these people up sooner. I’m 6’1″ 295lbs. An iron worker by trade and love the gym. So not much I couldn’t crush with my hands. The iphone 6 plus does not bend hand because I use it as a device not stretch armstrong. It feels very strong! Also it doesn’t not bend in my pocket. I don’t wear it in my back pocket because I know I would at some point forget and sit down on my gorgeous device. Take a some responsibility and onwership of your possessions. Every single iPhone and others before apple have always been like new. No question of company or craftsmanship. It’s pride in what I own and taking care of it. Be smart…. Phones breaks when dropped in toilets and on concrete and if you try to snap them. It’s a sad day that this needs to be stated.
“9 Dumb people who realized…men can’t wear women’s jeans”
Skinny jeans aren’t women’s jeans. They’re skinny skinny jeans. Plenty of guys wear them too. Otherwise your comment is fine.
Haha thanks. Men don’t wear tight jeans. Those are women’s jeans. Ur package need some room and boys that wear them look funny and feminine.
When the 6 Plus was announced, the big question was “is the device pocketable?” the answer to which was a resounding “Yes”. Now we’re shaming all the people who were foolish enough to put their phones in their pocket. The guy from Unbox therapy who videoed bending the phone isn’t a “women’s jeans” type of guy, and yet his iphone 6 plus was bent even before the bend test. What’s your response to that?
Why some of you guys are so committed to defend Apple to the death completely blows my mind. I’m not saying that this issue affects all iphone 6+ owners, but IF it does, I’m not so inclined to let them get off so easy.
I agree with you in that I don’t know why it took so long to respond. Why wait until the news makes headlines worldwide and the bend test video hits 25 million views before responding?
I am not an Apple “defender” although I have both the 6 and 6plus. I have cases on both and take care of them well, because….they are $500 to $700 retail devices!!! Let’s be honest….would you shove an iPad or Macbook air in your pocket (okay the latter one would be damn hard!!) and sit on them…..probably not. I’m sure people have had problems, but also let’s face it: A lot of people are just plain dumb. These are expensive devices that need SOME care. Just ask yourself, if it’s not in warranty, do I want to fork over $700 for a new one? Then treat it accordingly.
Also, just to add…like the Original Poster, the reason I decided to get both phones, was that as much as I wanted the 6plus, I knew there was simply no way I could carry it day-to-day in my pocket. So I’m using it as a mini-ipad-mini.
My response to that delinquent-looking asshole in that video, is that he had and extremely suspicious, well produced YouTube video seemingly ready to go the moment two other people posted their so called “issue”.
Okay so Apple never makes mistakes and anyone who says otherwise is a liar with ulterior motives. Great response!
I work in a retail store where i cannot wear tight trousers even then my phone which to my eyes was immaculate has bent hence apple refused to change it since bending isn’t covered in warranty and this bending was approx 0.3/0.4 mm barely visible to the naked eye
Apparently you didn’t tell apple or you’re one of the amazing 9
Guys who wear skinny, skinny jeans are actually eunuchs. They don’t have to worry about it feeling uncomfortable there.
Well said!!!, once and for all to all the haters out there, triying to make a quid out of all the propaganda.
Apparently they didn’t test bending the crap out of it with so much force nearly any phone would snap. I guess if thats where the bar is set, all phones should be 3 lbs. and 40% thicker.
The truth is one thing, but jumping on the next -gate bandwagon is just dumb. Gather some facts first.
Other companies are looking even dumber for trying to take advantage of it.
“Other companies are looking even dumber for trying to take advantage of it.”
Yeah, but not any dumber than they usually look anyway.
That was blackberries dying blow… The Moment they compared that POS passport to the iPhone 6.
The other 999,991 customers can’t reach Apple customer support line because of the iOS 8.0.1 updategate.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=19905463&postcount=3
I had a feeling this was much ado about nothing. Day 6 and my iPhone 6 Plus still lays flat ;-)
9. … PANIC!!!!!!!!
There are that many Samsung employees allowed to own iPhones? Who’d have thought…
So Matt Honan says his iphone 6plus wobbles? OF COURSE IT WOBBLES, it’s got a big ass camera sticking out in the back, so of course it won’t lay flat on the table (duh).
Poor Matt Honan…has the worst luck ever.
Except he said “Put the phone screen down on a table…” Keywords SCREEN DOWN.
I’ve noticed that in particular regard to this bending issue, that there’s been a significant lack of reading comprehension among 9to5Mac commenters.
Seriously, apple fanatics are in full damage mode, shutting their ears and screaming “OF COURSE IT BENDS IN YOUR BACK POCKET!” to which sane people reply, “lots of these cases are from the front pocket.” They reply with a snarky “LOL! MEN SHOULDN’T WEAR WOMEN’S JEANS!” Now, they’re saying “LOL ONLY 9 PEOPLE HAVE THIS ISSUE,” instead of understanding the difference between the amount of people that have contacted Apple directly and the people that actually are having issues. There is a serious lack of comprehension, whether intentional or not, going on here.
They are making people who actually enjoy Apple products look bad.
Yep, I’m a huge Apple fan, but if you think through the way the phone is designed, with aluminum, thinness, poor support around the edges, and the weak point created by the lock button at the same “latitude” on the side as the volume button, its pretty clear the 6/plus has a design flaw that Jony Ive probably didn’t think about.
Nine people. A whole new level of pathetic right here.
I dislike odd numbers. Would someone with a 6+ please bend their phone and call Apple?
heres an idea, don’t sit on your phone, and don’t squeeze a big phone into a small/tight pocket…duh
Its just as possible to bend a fragile aluminum phone in a front pocket. Everyone is so quick to assume this is a back-pocket issue, but if you have a relatively shallow pocket and a huge phone (like the plus), it can be subjected to stress in a front pocket when you sit down.
Think of it this way: Put a long pen or pencil in your pocket and sit down. It might poke into your waist. That’s what happening with the Plus.
There is a weak point in the aluminum casing at the area where the volume / silent switches and the newly-moved lock button are. This is toward the “top” of the phone. There, the aluminum sides (which are curved like a “C”, making them weaker anyway that a flat edge) have holes punched in them for the switches. That means there is very little structural support at that point when exposed to flexing stress.
MOST people aren’t having a problem because they put the phone in their pocket “upside down” with the headphone jack facing “up” and out of the pocket. This is a natural way to stuff it in a front pocket if you go from holding it in a hand to pocket. It also means the weak point is deep in the pocket and not subjected to stress from the bending of your hip.
But if you take the 6 plus and put it in ports-DOWN (as you might if taking it off a table upside-down, or taking it back from handing it to someone), then the weak point is near the top of the pocket, subjected to stress from the hip flexing, and also pressure from the hem of a pocket, and can easily bend at the weak point.
So it is a design problem, but its only so-far affecting people with shallower pockets, who happen to put their phone in ports-down.
One of the reasons the iPhone 6 might bend more easily is because the aluminum sides are rounded and don’t provide much physical support when put under shear stress, when compared to phones with more angular shapes, which have a much stiffer structure.
Think about a support beam like an I-beam – the middle part of the “I” adds thickness to the support without adding much mass. The iPhone 5 and 5S have flat aluminum around the sides that is very strong against shear and bending stress parallel to direction of the “beam”. The flat sides span almost the entire thickness of the phone, meaning its nearly as stiff as a solid 7mm piece of aluminum.
The iPhone 6/plus doesn’t have much if any aluminum structure that is “parallel” to the direction of the bending stress. There is of course a point – right in the center – on the curved edge where it is parallel, but that part is much, much narrower than the solid side of an iPhone 5 or 5S (far less than just the ratio of thickness between the 5 and 6). So when it gets put under stress, there isn’t much in the structure of the 6 that can resist the stress, so the aluminum bends much more easily.
I’m not a physical engineer at all, but it only took a lecture or two in college physics to understand how structural stiffness works.
Thank you for clearing that up for us Reed.
My point is that it has very less to do with the thinness of the phone, or whether other phones bend, but rather that the actual design of the phone is much weaker structurally, as an object, than a phone with squared off edges of aluminum that provide that kind of “i-beam” support under stress.
It is a design issue, and Apple shouldn’t use the rounded edges like this in their next aluminum phone, unless they put solid (not curved) aluminum or steel beams inside the curved edges of the phone. Basically, imagine if you stuck rounded edges on top of the straight edges of the iPhone 5 – that would be fine structurally (stronger even), but not if you hollowed out the rounded edges, as I suspect the iPhone 6 has.
The “C-shaped” beam that the side of the 6 has bends much more easily.
Again, this is just my amateur theory, so if there’s a structural engineer around here who wants to point out what I’m misunderstanding, please do.
But I suspect the bend test was not actually carried out on these phones, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if not-an-engineer-Ive didn’t think about structural integrity when designing the phone with curved edges.
Apple has shown they do plenty of stress tests on the screen itself, but I’ve never actually seen one on the aluminum body.
Finally, its NOT skinny jeans that are the problem. Its that pockets aren’t deep enough. A deep pocket means your phone will sit flat against your thigh, regardless of pant tightness. A shallower pocket (as some of my pants have), means the phone sits closer or on the “hinge point” of your hip. And if the 6 plus actually sticks out of the pants pockets (as we’ve seen in some pictures), then it definitely would be subject to contact with your hip bone, especially when leaning forward in a chair or something.
Freudian.. “my 6 inch bent [or curved] device, Im so angry about it. I can see a tiny bend; I can see a tiny dent; I can see a small curve;”
yada yada…
its okay guys, they all lean a little to the left. Stop inspecting it and looking for flaws. You got what only a few Apple Store Campers could get!! a giant phone to shove in your loose or tight pants to fill the void of the 6.5 inches god stole from you!
I also have a 6 plus:) I wave it around like a big d**k and ask my wife how beautiful it is and if she likes it and wants to play with it and if it feels good in her hand, despite the length and width. All Freudian. All Phalic. All men. All the time. We love compensating. Penis envy bleeds into even our Apple purchases lol
Speak for yourself knob slob
U know something’s wrong when a phone convo makes you talk about dick! Lmfao wtf!
The escalade, the hummer, the iPhone 6 plus, the iPad (never a mini), The big house for one guy, 17inch laptop, the 70inch tv, are all to compensate for… What? A big d**k ! lol then again, maybe not. But it is interesting to note the racial stereotypes and which demographic preferred the 6 plus! Even willing to pay double for it! Obviously it’s a terrible stereotype and I’m Middle East asian, but a comedian would point out, it’s Asian males who prefer the bigger phone.
I think that a lot of people are saying iPhone users are crazy and stupid. However, I have an iPhone 6 (not the plus) that is ever so slight bent. I didn’t sit on it and I have had it in a case since about 30 minutes after buying it. It is bent just in one corner where the camera is. I’m not crazy. 3 other people have looked at it and it is definitely ever so slightly bent. Is it a big deal? Not really. Does it bother me? Yes, I just bought this phone and I will be using it for the next 2 years, so I’d rather it not be bent even ever so slightly.
“Bendgate.” An original thought, please.
The Potomac River is navigable up to Georgetown in northwest DC. Near the Lincoln Memorial, there are broad steps leading up from the river, wide enough for a crowd to climb fifty or so abreast. They were built for nineteenth-century foreign dignitaries who were most likely to arrive in Washington by boat. It is the water gate to Washington. In the twentieth and twenty-first century, dignitaries arrive by plane at Dulles in Virginia, not by boat at the water gate. Few people today know what it is, where it is, why it is called that, and what it was for. Now you know.
In the twentieth century, someone built a condominium apartment complex a short distance west of the water gate, and imaginatively named it the Watergate. Also during that century, there was a scandalous burglary in that building. Many, if not most, of the people reading this were not even born when it happened.
Even a half-century later, after the founding of Apple, after the invention of LED light bulbs, cell phones, laser printers, MRIs, and plastic grocery bags, journalists, who apparently have no imagination whatsoever, still use “gate” as a suffix to indicate any sort of scandal. That lack of creativity is a scandal in itself.
Journalists would probably call it Gategate.
That’s how words evolve, and how we communicate using sounds with meanings that we share an understanding of. A catch 22 is a situation like a situation in a book called “Catch 22”. ‘Gay’ was once a word used for “Happy” these days it often means “Lame” where it meant something else entirely before that. “Gategate” is a good term for what you have described, well done.
Since the original Watergate scandal was named after the location of the event that gave rise to the scandal, and the scandal was not about water,
“Bendgate” would therefore be a scandal precipitated by an event on Bend Gate Road in Henderson, KY (perhaps at Bend Gate Elementary School) and it has absolutely nothing to do with bending.
This is a conspiracy against Apple, just competition cant stand Apple success, sorry that didnt work out for you Scamsung, iPhone will continue its success and will be the most sold iPhone yet!!
Wow, have you seen the AAPL stock today? The stock lost more than 3.5% today because of this! Over react much, Wallstreet? http://www.bidnessetc.com/26271-apple-inc-stock-falls-below-100-heres-why/
The MOST and Highly protective iPhone 6 case, you no longer have to worry about bending your new device any more.
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Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.
This is how I think Apple may fix this #bendgate http://www.giorgiopagliara.com/index.php/2014/09/26/how-apple-may-fix-bendgate/
Great idea! I just posted the link to Apple.com/feedback. Everyone should!
That is ridiculous.Have you guys noticed that since the day iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is launched, all the android lovers are going out of their way to pull down Apple.I mean c’mon bending seriously? I am using 6 plus for the last 8.9 days and i keep it in my pocket for long but still nothing happens to it.It is just not possible unless and until you start doing purposely.These YouTube bloggers are paid by different companies to pull down Apple brand and promote the other brand better than them,take it for example Samsung.A case was against Samsung that they are paying the writers to promote great stuffs about their new phone.I have worked with Samsung for the last 7 years so i know what happens inside.Guys please don’t hear this BS and do what you like.There was an article i read in viralexpose.com about how Samsung actually pays the bloggers to good about their phones and nasty about others and specially Apple because they can never ever come close to the iPhone sales or any apple product!
People want light thin phones, well they got them. If they put them in there back pocket and sit down or even lean against something they will bend, it’s a fact.
My iPad would bend if I sat on it , but I wont, cus im not stupid.
I guess the Gold iPhone 6 Plus I broke with my skinny bare hands makes 10. http://youtu.be/-58g-sMrkys
Apple said they got nine complaints. They can’t know about gumby phones that no one complains about. You have to make a complaint before they can say there are ten.
Holy mother of God!! Since this hit the media I tried to bend my iPhone 5 with some reasonable pressure and it wouldn’t budge. That sucker bent easier than a candy bar…
I guess everyone with the bend issued should go to the apple stores and bend all the display devices.
Seriously…. How long are we going to wait for a recognition of the problem and an apology (ala antenna gate)?
You said, “everyone with the bend issued should go to the apple stores and bend all the display devices.” That would be vandalism.
Apple already said they would replace iPhone 6 Pluses that bent in ordinary use. Deliberate damage is not covered under any circumstance.
This appears to be a controversy only on blogs that make up scandals and call them gates.
And by doing that what is your freaking point?,, I can do the same thing with any phone or any tablet, with bare hands.
At least the iphone 6+ lived up to its expectation… 6+ people have already complained in just a few days!
Your telling me that I’ll have to bend it back every time. I did that today my iPhone 6 + curved up by the volume button. And it bends on normal use Apple “rare” is not a correct explanation. It happens more then you think. People don’t notice the slight bent that I notice today when I put it against an iMac to see if it was straight. Was bent up towards the screen. Not down like the previous people shown. What’s this I hear about free watch on recall? I didn’t buy a iPhone to bend! If you have one take a look at it. By the volume bottons, it may not look straight. Put it on a flat surface that you can see if it’s bent. I didn’t think my was, but it was. Just being in your pocket is a enough to bend or reshape the edge of the iPhone… More people need to tell Apple that it’s not acceptable.
That’s what apple.com/feedback is for. There are many tougher materials Apple can be using for its cases. There’s G10 and glass reinforced polymers that are used in knife handles that take decades of abuse without a problem and have the added benefit of being transparent to radio waves and can be dyed any color or imaginable. Plus there’s carbon fiber and even stronger aluminum alloys than the aircraft grade 6000 they’ve been using if they want to stick to metal.
Personally, I’d rather see a thicker phone with a higher capacity battery, no camera hump and the same camera in both phones. The phones have been thin enough since the 4/4s. Imagine the battery life of a 6+ with the thickness of a 4s.
Apple’s obsession with skinny phones has gone on long enough. It’s time to make use of apple.com/feedback. If you agree Post your comments there where they might do some good. Posting them here doesn’t tell Apple how you feel.