A handful of reports accusing the newly-released Apple iPhone 6 of being easily bent quickly blew up onto a controversy that’s being called “Bendgate.” To add some scientific data to the debate, Consumer Reports compared the rigidity of this new smartphone to other flagships and found little evidence to back up the claims.
The product-testing service examined the rigidity of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, LG G3, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and HTC One (M8), as well as the iPhone 5. It used a “three-point flexural test,” in which the device is supported at two points on either end and an opposite force is applied in the middle. This third force was applied with an Instron compression test machine.
In the tests, the iPhone 6 tied with the HTC One (M8): Both were able to survive increasing amounts of force until they bent at 70 lbs. The iPhone 6 Plus didn’t bend until it reached 90 lbs of pressure.
Consumer Reports found that the LG G3 and iPhone 5 bent at 130 lbs. The most inflexible device in its tests was the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which survived until 150 lbs of force had been applied.
“While nothing is (evidently) indestructible, we expect that any of these phones should stand up to typical use,” Consumer Reports concluded.
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