Even though the “iPhone 6s” hasn’t been officially announced, we’ve seen a steady stream of information about the upcoming handset. Much of the info so far has concerned the rear casing of the device, which is allegedly made of a more durable grade of aluminum than the current iPhone 6 lineup, which should help it avoid any “Bendgate” fiascos.
In the video below, Lou of Unbox Therapy subjects what he says is the back case of an iPhone 6s – allegedly made of 7000 Series aluminum, with increased dimensions, presumably to reinforce it – to a bending test alongside the shell of a current iPhone 6.
First, he conducted a metal analysis on both cases, using an XRF analyzer. The results show the iPhone 6 casing is made of a material consisting of around 98% 6000 series aluminum, while the “iPhone 6s” case is made of material constructed of material containing around 92.8% of what is believed to be 7000 series aluminum.
As seen in the video, pressure is applied to just the iPhone casings, with the iPhone 6 shell buckling right around 30 pounds of pressure, while the alleged iPhone 6S shell stayed strong until around 80 pounds of pressure was applied. (More pressure than it took to bend an entire iPhone 6 device.) This shows the new shell can stand up to over twice the pressure of the iPhone 6 rear casing.
As 9to5Mac notes, while the more durable 7000 series aluminum – the same material used in some models of the Apple Watch – is more expensive, and not as readily available as 600 series material, Apple likely sees the investment as a good step toward avoiding any more “Bendgate” controversies, overblown as they may have been.
