Shortly after Apple's introduction of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which arguably brought Apple’s biggest change to the iPhone’s design to date, an issue emerged that spawned weeks’ worth of worries, complaints, and spoof content surrounding the scandal, which has since been dubbed “#Bendgate”. As the name (sort of) suggests, the iPhone 6’s (Plus, specifically) thin metal design was supposedly vulnerable to bends through typical usage and storage (i.e. in the pocket) of the phone.
As a quick side note, the name “Bendgate” was started by a pop culture trend that likes to add the suffix “gate” to the end of anything that involves any type of scandal, which is a loose reference to the Watergate scandal – Watergate being the name of the office that the scandal took place in - that occurred in the United States during the 1970’s.
The excess amount of parody content that surfaced after the hashtag #Bendgate started trending might make one think that the issue was much larger than it actually was. However, according to a statement released by Apple following the trending topic, only 9 people reported a bent iPhone 6 Plus within the first 6 days of release. Even after the announcement, #Bendgate continued to be a hot commodity for quite a while, and has made a lasting impression.
Fast-forward to just a few of days ago and déjà vu ensues after this video by YouTuber JerryRigEverything surfaces showing just how easily the Huawei Nexus 6P bends when you forcefully apply pressure trying to bend the phone in half. The result makes it seem like the Nexus 6P is pretty much obliterated without too much effort exerted.
The resulting reaction is a large number of people who are greatly offended and questioned whether the test was valid, due to the fact that the phone was bent after it had been both scratched and burned, greatly compromising the structure of the device before the bend test was performed.
So, as a result, JerryRigEverything uploaded another video where a brand new Nexus 6P was unboxed and subsequently bent, producing the same, decimated outcome – this time without the scratches and burns. The reaction to this video was much more varied, with people wondering whether the phone is actually “weak” or if the reviewer is actually He-Man behind the camera. Several other reviewers came up with bend test videos as well for the Nexus 6P to see if they could produce the same results, none of which seemed to have the same drastic outcome as this one.
What exactly does this mean for potential buyers of the device? Nothing. These people are intentionally trying to break the device in half. The Nexus 6P, like most other flagships on the market at the moment, chose thinness and “beauty” over a thicker phone. So yeah, when you try hard enough to bend it in half it’s probably going to bend in half. Should that stop you from getting the phone? Only if you frequently try to bend your phone in half, in which case you can expect that the phone will react accordingly.
The bending issue with the iPhone 6 Plus was one that warranted an investigation on the issue, because that reviewer was supposedly just doing normal, real-world things with the device when he discovered the bend. It also became a big deal because, well, it’s the iPhone. The iPhone has been the subject of both massive praise and scrutiny for the past 8 years now, which is why it was able to garner so much attention (despite that it seemed to be an isolated incident – but as I mentioned, the anecdotes warranted investigations).
But the Nexus 6P issue? I’d take it with a grain of salt, and if you’ve had your eye on the device then don’t let a bunch of reviewers who are purposely trying to destroy the device let you think that it has the durability of a wet piece of paper. Like most phones, if you treat your phone well, don’t sit on it, and are fortunate enough to avoid any accidents, your phone will probably be just fine.