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Will it bend? iPhone 6 takes a turn for the worse

The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus may be thinner and larger, but reports are emerging that the aluminium construction has left some users bent out of shape.

Claire Reilly Former Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she's covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She's been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she's a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
Expertise Space, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech Culture Credentials
  • Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
Claire Reilly

bentiphone6.jpg
The bent aluminium body of the iPhone 6. Screenshot by Claire Reilly/CNET

It's been on shelves for a matter of days, but some iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users are complaining of a major design flaw that sees the smartphone body bend under pressure.

Photos have begun appearing online showing distinctly bent aluminium devices, with complaints that the new iterations of the iPhone, which feature a thinner and larger aluminium body, are unable to stand up to the wear and tear of staying in a pocket.

Apple users have taken to the MacRumors forum to complain about the design flaw, which seems to affect the device at the top end near the volume buttons. One user, hanzoh, posted an image of a bent iPhone 6 Plus, complaining that the device warped after roughly 18 hours in his pocket.

This post was followed by similar images from other forum users complaining of the same problem, and Twitter has since lit up with talk of "bend-gate" and pictures of unintentionally curved iPhones. One dedicated iPhone 6 Plus owner even posted a video showing how quickly the device could be bent when pressure was applied.

Cult of Mac reports the issue is not a new one, saying that similar problems emerged after the launches of the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S. The site has also posted images of bent chassis from Samsung, Sony, HTC, BlackBerry and Oppo.

Update at 12:30 p.m. AEST: Apple has declined to comment.