US phone insurance brand SquareTrade used their “BendBot” robots to apply pressure to each phone. They posted the results in a video on YouTube so that everyone can see exactly how much pressure is required to break each handset.
The company says that BendBot “simulates the forces produced in the average person’s back pocket” and can apply up to 350 pounds of force to a phone.
The iPhone 6 Plus takes 110 pounds of pressure before it noticeably bends. At this point the phone is still functioning normally however. It experiences “catastrophic failure” at 179 pounds of force.
Samsung’s not-yet released Galaxy S6 Edge fares considerably worse. It also bent at 110 pounds but the display also cracked along the curved edge at this pressure. It completely failed at a lower pressure than the iPhone at 149 pounds when the entire display shattered.
HTC’s flagship, the One M9, didn’t bend at all until 120 pounds of pressure was applied. Unfortunately, it also became completely unusable at this pressure as the power button popped out of the phone’s metal case.
Since the initial reports of the iPhone 6 Plus and the resulting “bendgate” that ensued afterwards, all has been quiet from owners. Apple was quick to claim that there were only a few incidents involved and it would appear as though they may be correct.
With the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge bending at the same pressure, we will have to see whether any owners experience this once the device begins shipping. The issue could be more serious on this phone if it does occur on production handsets as the display cracked when the phone bent whereas the iPhone remained usable although somewhat damaged.
