#bentgate: Apple iPhone 6 Plus owners complain that their handsets are 'bending'

[Joanne]

the moral of the story is never buy a new phone on the week of release.

 

True dis. I got my HTC One M8 on release week and there is a teeny issue with the camera, something about a coating on the lens goes weird making pictures all mental if there is a window in the background. Still... at least it doesn't bend

 

Edited September 25, 2014 by Joanne

[davethetekkie]

The sad fact is that if you want a better PHONE with everything else as an afterthought you're still better with an old Nokia. I had an E50 and an E61 and they both blew any edition of the iPhone away in terms of call quality and battery life... Shame only an archaeologist would have possession of one of those these days...

[Joanne]

My favourite Nokia was my 5510. Fekkin awesome.

[foofighterjim]

This was my favourite phone, O2 XDA Mini s:

 

[abillybob]

Pfft got nothing on this beast, this was my first ever phone back in year 5 a Nokia 3310

 

[Joanne]

This was my favourite phone, O2 XDA Mini s:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26576[/ATTACH]

 

Made by HTC yo!

[Tesla]

This was my first.

 

Colour Screen AND Polyphonic Ringtones.

[6Foot2]

KitKat tweet Re: #Bendgate:

 

http://i.snag.gy/1DWfU.jpg

[Sephiroth]

Pfft got nothing on this beast, this was my first ever phone back in year 5 a Nokia 3310

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26577[/ATTACH]

 

My Mother still has one of those. It's lasted through 4 phone changes that I've made (~9 years) and still has better battery life and signal that my current one!

[abillybob]

My Mother still has one of those. It's lasted through 4 phone changes that I've made (~9 years) and still has better battery life and signal that my current one!

 

I used to love Snake on it, what ever happened to that game!

[hardtailstar]

Pfft got nothing on this beast, this was my first ever phone back in year 5 a Nokia 3310

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26577[/ATTACH]

 

was my first phone too but I was in year 11 when it was released....

[SYNACK]

was my first phone too but I was in year 11 when it was released....

 

Grrr, damn kids, get off my lawn...

 

This was my first phone but it was second hand and I was in year 10 at the time.

 

Ericsson GA 318 - Full phone specifications

 

Edit: the Nokia 3315 was my fourth phone after an random brand one and a Sony Ericson that lasted a whole week (still have never trusted another Sony phone).

Edited September 25, 2014 by SYNACK

[Joanne]

My first phone was one of these bad boys when I was 13...

 

WOW. Had my number for 15 years... mental.

[pooley]

My first mobile was a Nokia 2140 on Orange. 1995 ish

[Arthur]

Apple support says bent iPhones must pass a visual inspection to qualify for warranty replacement « The Next Web

 

Apple’s support team also said that it is "looking into this with an insane amount of detail". The staffer offered to escalate the issue to a call with a senior support advisor. We declined, but it’s good to know that Apple is taking the issue seriously.

[abillybob]

Apple support says bent iPhones must pass a visual inspection to qualify for warranty replacement « The Next Web

 

Too little too late. You'd of thought with a reputable company such as Apple they would have nailed this on the head straight away and sorted out a re-call on all those devices and evaluated the situation to send out new one's.

 

I think this whole experience will leave a bad taste in Apple's customer's mouth especially when they're kind of dodging the subject saying "It's up to the Genius" well no it's not because one he ain't no genius I've met more knowledgable people at PC World. Two if one "Genius" say no and another says yes we'll replace it that contradicts what the other person has said, what we do want to know is what Apple the company are going to do. And three the main reason people buy Apple products it's hardware durability and quality, it's stable software that runs well, it's there good reputation when it come to support. That's why they can justify the premium price tag.

 

So far with their newest revisions of the iPhone all I've heard are bad things and people will loose trust and faith in the company. Apple best get there act together.

[mac_shinobi]

Too little too late. You'd of thought with a reputable company such as Apple they would have nailed this on the head straight away and sorted out a re-call on all those devices and evaluated the situation to send out new one's.

 

I think this whole experience will leave a bad taste in Apple's customer's mouth especially when they're kind of dodging the subject saying "It's up to the Genius" well no it's not because one he ain't no genius I've met more knowledgable people at PC World. Two if one "Genius" say no and another says yes we'll replace it that contradicts what the other person has said, what we do want to know is what Apple the company are going to do. And three the main reason people buy Apple products it's hardware durability and quality, it's stable software that runs well, it's there good reputation when it come to support. That's why they can justify the premium price tag.

 

So far with their newest revisions of the iPhone all I've heard are bad things and people will loose trust and faith in the company. Apple best get there act together.

 

I don't understand why apple feel the need to try and make them as thin as possible and all that. I'm after a phone that is rigid and is good quality and will last, not thin , light and will bend or break etc. I mean ok I get making it out of aluminium but aluminium isn't exactly very strong especially when you make it thin etc

 

Should have just wrapped it in tin foil with a screen , a raspberry pi and a memory stick

Edited September 25, 2014 by mac_shinobi

[flyinghaggis]

Too little too late. You'd of thought with a reputable company such as Apple they would have nailed this on the head straight away and sorted out a re-call on all those devices and evaluated the situation to send out new one's.

 

Given that all Apple gave customers last time there was an issue with their phone was a free case I didn't really expect them to even acknowledge it to be honest.

[Arthur]

Too little too late. You'd of thought with a reputable company such as Apple they would have nailed this on the head straight away and sorted out a re-call on all those devices and evaluated the situation to send out new one's.

Apparently only nine people have complained to Apple about their bent iPhones, so it seems unlikely Apple will recall all > 10 million iPhone 6/6+'s.

 

Is the issue being blown out of all proportion?

 

Apple responds to bent iPhone 6 complaints, all nine of them « Engadget

 

By now, you've likely heard a thing or two about the new iPhones' flexibility, and Apple has offered a word on the matter. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Cupertino-based outfit only received nine complaints of bent devices and that the damage occurring due to regular use is "extremely rare." It also maintains that both the new iPhone 6 and its larger sibling went through durability testing to ensure they'd stand up to daily use. Of course, the interwebs have been littered with videos of folks purposely trying to flex their mobile wares in far from "normal" conditions. Unfortunately, there's no word on if tight trousers are in fact to blame.

[Arthur]

but aluminium isn't exactly very strong especially when you make it thin

Apple strengthen the aluminium with steel and titanium inserts...

 

Inside the building where Apple tortures the iPhone 6 « The Verge

 

Apple's answer today, both in a statement and now in these testing facilities, is that the iPhone 6 is tough. It's made with steel / titanium inserts designed to reinforce potential stress points, a special blend of aluminum Apple formulated itself, and ion-strengthened glass. But more important, Apple says, is that the iPhone 6 has been put through hundreds of tests, as well as tested in the pockets of thousands of Apple employees before consumers ever get their hands on it.

 

What's the exact number of devices Apple went through before it was done? About 15,000 for each the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, according to the company. "The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are the most tested," Dan Riccio, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, told us today. "As we add more and more features, we have to find out a way to break them before customers do."

 

Some of the testing I saw today was what can be considered torture tests, but it also puts the phones through the regular stresses that they might undergo in the wild. That includes being sat on in pockets — and being bent. The idea is to give the phones a lifetime of testing, but without spending a lifetime doing it. The machines that do this methodically set various pads and pressures on the phones over and over again with only a small hiss of air and a dull "thunk" noise.

 

"The bottom line is that if you use enough force to bend an iPhone, or any phone, it's going to deform," Riccio says.

 

Along with that three-point test, there's what's known as a "sit test," which simulates the stresses iPhones undergo while in pockets. And not just any pockets, either. There's a test for when people sit on a soft surface, as well as what Apple considers the "worst-case scenario," which is when it goes into the rear pocket of skinny jeans and sits on a hard surface — at an angle.

 

No free cases this time!

 

This time around, there are no free cases for people, or even a press conference. Apple's just telling people with a phone that's bent to take it into one of its stores to have it looked at.

 

"As we expected, it’s extremely rare to happen in real world use," Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller told us. "In this case, as in many things, we tell customers that if you think something's occurred that shouldn't have with your device, go to AppleCare, go to The Genius Bar, and let them take a look at it. And we'll see if your product is having an experience it shouldn't have, and is covered under warranty."

Edited September 25, 2014 by Arthur

[SYNACK]

Apparently only nine people have complained to Apple about their bent iPhones, so it seems unlikely Apple will recall all > 10 million iPhone 6/6+'s.

 

Is the issue being blown out of all proportion?

 

Apple responds to bent iPhone 6 complaints, all nine of them « Engadget

Probably but it has only been a few days, I expect there to be more but probably not enough to issue a recall. Given the videos though it does show a staggering lack of build quality in comparison to the 'cheap' alternatives. The RDF will be working overtime to portray several centuries of pockets as a bad idea from the start.

[mac_shinobi]

Probably but it has only been a few days, I expect there to be more but probably not enough to issue a recall. Given the videos though it does show a staggering lack of build quality in comparison to the 'cheap' alternatives. The RDF will be working overtime to portray several centuries of pockets as a bad idea from the start.

 

If all they care about is making the phone thinner etc then think I may have to look at the Nexus from google and get music else where ie spotify etc

[abillybob]

I dislike a thin phone anyway, I want it to be ergonomic and feel nice in the hands - that's all I care about, round the phones back so you have a good grip on the palm of your hand. Make edges curved so that the phones corners doesn't dig into you, think about button placement on large phones so I don't have to do hand acrobatics to edit the volume, give the phone a nice rear texture so it's grip able but also feels nice, don't make it too thin it won't feel comfortable, make it slightly fatter, give some more weight to it etc...

 

That's why I keep comparing this to my OnePlus One because my phone has all that in place and it just right imo, and guess what it hasn't bent.

[mac_shinobi]

I dislike a thin phone anyway, I want it to be ergonomic and feel nice in the hands - that's all I care about, round the phones back so you have a good grip on the palm of your hand. Make edges curved so that the phones corners doesn't dig into you, think about button placement on large phones so I don't have to do hand acrobatics to edit the volume, give the phone a nice rear texture so it's grip able but also feels nice, don't make it too thin it won't feel comfortable, make it slightly fatter, give some more weight to it etc...

 

That's why I keep comparing this to my OnePlus One because my phone has all that in place and it just right imo, and guess what it hasn't bent.

 

Don't have £300 or how much ever much to get the one plus one and you have to be apart of that invite train or whatever

 

If google could do what they do in the USA regards to warranty and swap the handset straight away and if apple don't start making better quality phones then I may just jump ship to google aka Nexus

[featured_spectre]

The trouble is, it only takes 1 person to spot the fault, then everyone who has even a minor defect will want to get it checked because of that one person. I asked the Apple store near me what the procedure is to get it replaced, it must be bent to a certain degree (he wouldn't say what) and it is discretionary if they even replace it. Basically, if your phone bent and it doesn't meet the criteria, they wont replace it, and to cap it off, they put the phones IMEI on a database to say if it has had an inspection or not, and its limited to 1 inspection (according to the chap), so good luck if you fall into that category.

 

As for the software, QA should have checked here. It is mainly the 4S through 5C/5S which are having problems with the iOS 8.01 update. My brother stuck it on his iPhone and now it is essentially a posh paperweight for him as he can't make calls or texts and doesn't play games. So he is stuck with a phone he can't use until another update comes out which fixes it.

 

In all, Apple QA failed badly here, and its going to hit them hard. They had this with the iPhone 4 with the antenna problem, and its happened now..leaves a LOT to be desired sadly.