It should have been a perfect launch. With positive press and genuine customer excitement, it came to no surprise iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sales reached a 10 million record just 3 days after the 19 September launch. However the mood surrounding the new iDevices soured, with news that the oversized iPhone 6 Plus suffers from easily bendable construction.
Reports of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus getting bent started emerging just a few days after the launch. Dubbed "Bendgate" by social media and the press, the issue involves the larger-than-usual (for an iPhone) display, super-slim profile and aluminium construction. The combination might sound desirable, but also leads phones bending-- and staying bent-- when put through the rigours of staying in users' pockets.
A video by Unbox Therapy showing a reporter bending an iPhone 6 Plus with his bare hands quickly became viral (views clock at over 45 million at time of writing), while similar complaints come from the likes of Wired, among others.
"[A]fter 4 days, I have a slightly bent, slightly scratched phone," Wired's otherwise glowing iPhone 6 Plus review reads. "Which means that, while this is the best hardware I’ve ever used—from the processor to the camera to the display-- I’m worried about durability."
A more scientific approach to the complaints comes from Consumer Reports. The site performed a "three-point flexural test" to push not only the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but also the HTC One, LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to the limit. The result? The iPhone 6 Plus starts to deform when hit by 40kg of force, making it actually stronger (by a hair) than the similarly aluminium-built HTC One. Meanwhile plastic construction allows the G3 and Galaxy Note 3 recover from more force, but both devices crack under around 65kg of force.
"While nothing is (evidently) indestructible, we expect that any of these phones should stand up to typical use," Consumer Reports concludes.
In turn, Apple simply states only 9 customers complained directly about an bent iPhone 6 Plus, and in any case the phone features not only custom-grade anodised aluminium, but also stainless steel and titanium inserts in high-stress locations.
However Bendgate was arguably the lesser of Apple's recent worries. The first iOS 8 update, 8.0.1 was flawed-- so much so the company pulled it just hours following release. The update was supposed to fix a number of HealthKit, Keyboards and Photo Library bugs, but instead it managed to kill the TouchID fingerprint reader and cellular connectivity.
Apple apologised for the "great inconvenience" before releasing iOS 8.0.2 for required bug fixes.
The iPhone is no stranger to post-launch issues and complaints. Most recently, 2010 saw the iPhone 4 involved in the "Antennagate" flawed antenna issue. Back then a typically hardheaded Steve Jobs accused moaners of simply holding the device wrong (“just avoid holding it that way,” he famously said), but class action lawsuits forced the company to offer free bumpers for all and, to some lucky customers, a settlement check worth all of $15. Nice!
Go iPhone 6
Watch iPhone 6 Plus Bend Test
Go iPhone 6 Plus Review (Wired)
