You may remember the fuss that was made last year over the iPhone 6 Plus’ supposed propensity to bend in your pocket. Well, U.S. insurance firm SquareTrade has decided to wade back into the debate with a series of lab tests that show the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is just as bendable as Apple’s flagship smartphone.
Updated on 04-06-2015 by Williams Pelegrin: Samsung offered an official response to SquareTrade’s Galaxy S6 Edge bend test video. The company’s response can be found below.
Samsung, of course, takes issue with SquareTrade’s methods, and so it issued its own bend test video. The company also assured users that the Galaxy S6 Edge will not be harmed in most situations. In the two sections below, you’ll find both videos and explanations from the two companies.
Samsung’s test
Even though Samsung did not deny SquareTrade’s findings in its official response, the South Korean giant did say 110 pounds is well above the 66 pounds of force a back pocket would make the Galaxy S6 Edge endure. Samsung conducted its own three-point pressure test, which showed the Galaxy S6 Edge withstanding 82 pounds of force on its back without bending.
Finally, Samsung also notes that SquareTrade should redo its stress test by putting pressure on both the front and back of the Galaxy S6 and for the insurance firm to release its findings to the public.
SquareTrade’s test
SquareTrade used a brand-new “bendbot” robot to test phones from Apple, HTC, and Samsung to measure both the point at which each handset started to bend and the point of failure (where the phone no longer worked). It found 110 pounds of pressure was required to bend both the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy S6.
The iPhone 6 Plus reached its breaking point at 179 pounds, whereas the Galaxy S6 Edge could only manage 149 pounds of pressure before it wouldn’t work at all. What’s more, its glass screen began to shatter earlier than the one on Apple’s handset.
The HTC One M9 bent and broke at 120 pounds — as the power button is in the center, once it began to fold the SquareTrade testers could no longer turn the device on or off. Machines like the ones here can apply much more pressure than the average jeans pocket, but it’s worth bearing these figures in mind if you’re shopping for a device with the very best durability.
“Bendability may be good in the yoga studio, but it is not what you want in a mobile device,” SquareTrade’s Jessica Hoffman commented. “Last fall’s Bendgate caught many by surprise, but as manufacturers strive for larger screens on thinner devices, they can be more susceptible to bending or snapping. SquareTrade Labs’ tests reveal that while the iPhone 6 Plus bends, the Galaxy S6 Edge cracks under pressure.”
