The bigger screens but thinner bodies of Apple’s new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models have come at the cost of rigidity, according to owners who say they bent while being carried in trouser pockets. There are reports circulating online claiming that the new, larger iPhone bends when owners carried them in their pockets for long periods of time. Ironically, the reports came the same day that smartphone warranty provider SquareTrade called the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus the "most durable smartphones ever."
It's impossible to say whether reports of bending iPhone 6 Pluses are a sign of a systemic design flaw, a defect in a limited number of devices or even a hoax.
Unbox Therapy is one of the first to bend an iPhone 6 Plus with his bare hands to show just how malleable the aluminum device is under force:
As it would appear, a relatively large amount of force is required to cause the bend on the device. When in your pocket, the weight of your body pressing the device between your thigh and the fibers of your pants is more than enough to cause the reported damage.
Apple is not the first to have the problem of a large-screened metal-framed smartphone bending under use. Sony’s Xperia Z1, which had a 5in screen and a metal frame, saw users complaining that they bent in pockets, while Samsung Galaxy S4 users had similar complaints, as did BlackBerry Q10 users.
To prevent this from happening to you, using a rigid iPhone case of some kind, or using a holster or external carrying method is recommended.
