Consumer Reports Stress Tests Find iPhone 6 Not as Bendable as Believed

This was a bad week for Apple. The technology giant had to face massive social media bashing for news that their new iPhone 6 Plus has the tendency to bend in tight pockets. Apple’s biggest competitors like Samsung, LG and HTC got together with some brutal take downs of Apple’s latest flagship in an event dubbed “bendgate”. Adding to the woes was the faulty iOS 8.0.1 update which caused issues in the new iPhone and had to be withdrawn. But it seems like these dark clouds have a silver lining.
Consumer Reports (CR), an American magazine known for its scientific testing methods and unbiased reporting has put the iPhone 6 Plus to test. The magazine has an extensive testing facility where they test the products.
The magazine had previously tested the Apple iPhone 4 which also garnered negative reception because of its antennae issue. For the iPhone 6 test, CR brought the phone and its competitors for a comparative test. The results seems to be working in favor of Apple.
Through its torture testing CR found that iPhone 6 Plus was actually stronger than what was purported. Apple’s biggest phone yet took 90 pounds of pressure to bend while its smaller sibling, the iPhone 6 and HTC One (M8) gave up at 70 pounds.
Deformation | Case separation | |
HTC One (M8) | 70 pounds | 90 pounds |
Apple iPhone 6 | 70 pounds | 100 pounds |
Apple iPhone 6 Plus | 90 pounds | 110 pounds |
LG G3 | 130 pounds | 130 pounds |
Apple iPhone 5 | 130 pounds | 150 pounds |
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 150 pounds | 150 pounds |
The tests also found the toughest phone in the market and it turns out to be Samsung’s Note 3 which faced 150 pounds of pressure before giving up. CR also said that Apple uses the same techniques to test their phones but their machines only go up to 55 ponds.
Overall, the testing seems pretty genuine based on their testing process. This is a good news for Apple at the end of a terrible week. Though it is also good news for LG G3 which seems to be much stronger than the metallic bodied HTC One (M8.) Now it is up for the market to decide how it is going to approach the new iPhones.