Apple announced its ninth-generation iPhones, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, at a media event in San Francisco, California on September 9, 2015. The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus can be summed up beautifully with a single quote from Apple CEO Tim Cook: “While they may look familiar, we have changed everything about these new iPhones.” One of the changes is the 7000 Series aluminum which should stop the Iphone from bending like the Iphone 6 did. But is this the right solution? Watch the bend test in the video for the answer, oh and don’t try this at home!
Like the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, the new iPhones come in two sizes: 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. While they continue to have the same physical design with prominent antenna bands, soft, rounded corners, and a curved glass screen that melds into the thin body of the device, they’re made from a stronger aluminum alloy.
Apple first introduced its 7000 Series aluminum alloy in the Apple Watch, and in 2015, the company brought the alloy to its iPhone lineup. Compared to the 6000 Series aluminum used in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the 7000 Series aluminum is stronger, more durable, and less malleable. It’s the strongest alloy Apple has used in an iPhone and is the same alloy used in the aerospace industry.
Externally, the iPhones are the same, but part leaks ahead of the launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus revealed some minor interior design tweaks to strengthen the areas around the volume buttons and the home button.
The switch to 7000 Series aluminum and the reinforcing were likely done in part to eliminate weak points in the construction of the iPhone that led to bending in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Some iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users saw their iPhones bend when placed in a pocket, an issue that should come up much more rarely with the reinforced body. In a preliminary bend test, the iPhone 6s Plus proved much harder to bend than the iPhone.