iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus survive bend test that iPhone 15 Pro Max failed

Published On: September 28, 2023

Highlights

Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have been put through a bend test.
iPhone 15 Pro Max had failed a recent durability test.
iPhone 15 series is reportedly more scratch-resistant than Android phones.

Following the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s failure at a recent bend test, it was all over the news that the new titanium-made iPhones are not as strong as one would assume. The rear glass shattered and this was unprecedented for an iPhone durability test. So, now that the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus with aluminium frames have been put through the same test, let’s see how they fared.

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iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus pass the bend test

Zack from JerryRigEverything tried bending the two phones the same way he bent the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But they didn’t break. In the video, he started scratching the phones and remarked the Ceramic Shield on iPhones is better scratch-resistant than Gorilla Glass on Android phones. Well, they do scratch at level 6 and show deeper marks on level 7 of the Mohs Hardness Scale. But the scratches aren’t as visible as they are on the Android counterparts.

This was followed by the bend test and both vanilla iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus passed it without breaking a sweat.

Well, in his previous durability test video featuring the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the smaller-sized iPhone 15 Pro also hadn’t broken. So, what gives?

iPhone 15 Pro Max failed the bend test: Why?

In that video, the rear glass of the iPhone 15 Pro Max breaks surprisingly fast.

Apple in its product page claims “The Pro lineup is built to last, combining the strength of titanium with the toughest back glass in a smartphone”.

The frame is titanium bands encased in aluminium through an “industry-first” thermo-mechanical process. This is connected to the rear glass panel and there might be some structural tension between those joints. Or it could be because of the tensile strength difference (elasticity) between Titanium and Aluminum.

In any case, the glass (which is modular by the way) costs Rs 17,000 to be replaced by Apple. That must be a bit concerning for new iPhone 15 Pro Max buyers.

Having said that, this could also be a one-off case. So, we will be on alert to see if more such cases appear and especially looking forward to Zack’s iPhone 15 series teardown videos for more insight.