iPhone 6 Plus hit by bendability problem
25 Sep 2014
Two new Apple products ran into problems yesterday; iPhone 6 Plus buyers discovered their phones could bend when placed in hip pockets, and the company withdrew its latest mobile operating system after reports of service droppages.
''Bendgate'' as social media sites have dubbed it, comes following a reminder of 2010's "antennagate," when iPhone 4 users reported a design flaw that caused dropped calls.
Though the iPhone maker had no comment on the bending-phone, it announced that it was investigating reports of an issue with an update of its iOS 8 operating system and, till then, had pulled the version designated 8.0.1.
The bendable-phone problem would pose considerable problems for those who wear skinny jeans, according to reports on Facebook and Twitter. The phrase "Your pants are too tight for your phone" is already a part of common usage.
According to some, the device which comes in a lightweight aluminum shell, turned out to be more malleable than expected, however, that might not amount to a design flaw, according to analysts.
According to a spokesman at SquareTrade, a ''bendability test'' had not been part of its breakability testing to date up as there had not yet been a phone thin enough to make this a potential issue.
SquareTrade, which provides warranties to iPhone users, said more tests were planned later.
The problem was first reported on Unbox Therapy, a gadget-review show on YouTube.
Meanwhile, a day after "Bendgate" took over the internet, Unbox Therapy was back with an extensive "bend test" for the iPhone's biggest competitors.
A whole range of phones had been tested by Unbox Therapy including iPhone 6, HTC One M8, Motorola's Moto X, as also a Nokia Lumia phone to round out the group.
Unbox first put the iPhone 6 to test, which bent a little, but not nearly as much as the iPhone 6 Plus did.
Then it was the HTC One's turn, which did not bend either but the screen popped out a little.
The Moto X passed the bend test with flying colours, without budging the least bit and though the Nokia Lumia 1020 seemed to crack a bit, but it also held up without bending.
For users who value durability, the Moto X would be the best choice.
But people who had bought an iPhone 6, could be hit by buyer remorse, as the phone would not bend under normal use.
