New report casts more doubt on the integrity of the iPhone 6 Plus, as one user claims it happened out of the blue

Sep 29, 2014 08:38 GMT  ·  By

In the wake of the #bendgate fiasco, a rather extraordinary story has emerged, where one iPhone 6 Plus has warped for no apparent reason.

A software developer from Seattle claims his iPhone 6 Plus bent as a result of the device overheating while charging. Apple didn’t think much of his theory, but they swapped his phone for a new one anyway.

Propped the phone against the wall

Kav Latiolais recounts his story, saying he was actually very concerned that his 128GB iPhone 6 would bend if handled improperly. He says he was very careful not to use it in any way that may be considered inappropriate.

“I plugged the phone in to charge overnight, and nothing was amiss,” Latiolais says. “I’d been taking a lot of photos and was so paranoid about hurting my brand new phone that I kept it in my coat pocket or hand all night. When I got home, I propped the phone against the wall to charge overnight. When I pulled it off the charger in the morning, it was bent along the angle it leaned on the wall. It’s almost as if it sagged. In fact, looking closely at it … I can see it’s not so much bent as curved, rounded almost.”

“I’d guess [Apple’s] test lab isn’t doing flex testing while the battery is hot — nor I suspect did Consumer Reports,” he adds.

Could an iPhone 6 actually bend while charging?

We can’t know for sure if Kav’s iPhone indeed warped while charging, and his overheating sounds unrealistic. However, we do know that Apple reinforced the inside of the phone’s aluminum enclosure with parts made from different metals. Parts that may expand if heated up. But that’s far-fetched.

What’s even more far-fetched is to claim that it bent under its own weight, suggesting that the warmth coming from the battery caused the aluminum enclosure to soften up. But aluminum has a pretty high melting point, 660 degrees Celsius (1,220 Fahrenheit). You’d have to get at least halfway to that temperature to see some bending without any outside forces.

He's not sure either

“Whether it was my heat theory, manufacturing issue, or some kind of ninja attack while I was not looking — as the Apple Store folks seemed to imply — I guess we will only know as ‘bendgate’ either continues or disappears,” he says. “I love the look of an iPhone without a case, but if it’s even remotely possible that — even with all of my extremely delicate handling — I dented it than I see something hard and protective in my future.”

These days, anyone can get in the news with a bent iPhone 6. We’re not saying Kav is lying, but we’re not convinced by this story. What do you guys think?