With the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus release date almost 100% confirmed the trickle of
It comes from Unbox Therapy, originators of the iPhone 6 ‘Bendgate’ stories, and founder Lewis Hilsenteger has managed to attain an iPhone 6S chassis from famed Apple leaker Sonny Dickson. What has Hilsenteger learnt? The new iPhones will be very strong and potentially very expensive.
In a two stage test, Hilsenteger has worked with Elemental Controls to identify the material of the new iPhone chassis and with phone skin maker dbrand to scientifically stress test them. I had been speaking extensively with Hilsenteger and Dickson prior to the video’s release and here’s what we learn...
First the good news:
Build And Strength
As predicted, the new iPhone 6S chassis switches from a 6000 Series aluminium construction to 7000 Series aluminium. The shorthand is 7000 series is blended with zinc which makes it much stronger. Much, much stronger.
Under pressure testing the new iPhone 6S chassis didn’t start to bend until it was exposed to forces of 80lbs. By contrast the iPhone 6 bends at just 30lbs. To extrapolate this further: the complete iPhone 6 phone bends under 70lbs of pressure which should mean the iPhone 6S will not do the same until exposed to over 180lbs.
That’s huge because it lifts the iPhone 6S above everyday forces that could accidentally be applied, such as bending over with the phone in a pocket. Consequently Bendgate should be no more.
But it comes at a price, literally...
Huge Cost Increase
While 6000 Series aluminium is incredibly common (it represents over 75% of all aluminium use), 7000 Series is far more rare and specialised. In fact its most common use is in aerospace.
As such Unbox Therapy reports 7000 Series aluminium costs up to 5x more than 6000 Series aluminium. It is also more susceptible to rust which means it requires a thicker anodisation process (how colours are applied) which adds greater labour.
Now Apple’s legendary supply chain and economies of scale may be able to reduce this substantially, but this still leads to one of two scenarios:
- Apple will have to slightly increase the cost of the new iPhones, or
- Apple will have to reduce its profit margins to swallow the extra expense
That said, investment now on Apple’s behalf seems wise looking at the future…
What 7000 Series aluminium provides is giving Apple to opportunity to make more radical alterations with the iPhone 7 - a number switch which always results in a new design.
This could be thinner bezels, an even slimmer phone or a reduced quantity of aluminium to save on cost and weight.
But Apple Isn’t Alone
Of course the first reaction of many to all this will be to praise Apple’s innovation. That said, it won’t be the first to put a Series 7000 aluminium phone on sale.
Luxury phone makers have been doing it for years (along with sapphire displays) while Samsung has given its Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ Series 7000 aluminium chassis, a step up from 6000 Series used in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
All of which suggests Bendgate - despite being widely panned - has actually had a substantial effect on phone makers and represents a substantial win for Unbox Therapy in bringing the issue to light.
That is unless it all ends up hitting us hard in the pocket…
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