At its iPhone 17 launch event, Apple talked a lot about the durability of its new iPhone Air handset, and to be fair, the device received a plethora of attention since. In a new interview with Tom’s Guide, Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak handed the iPhone Air to reporter Mark Spoonauer and challenged him to try bending it. Spoonauer said he used “all my strength” and while the ultra-thin iPhone Air did bow a little, it did not break in half like many had predicted. What’s surprising is that the device snapped back in place, which is exactly what the company intended.
Apple executives demonstrate iPhone Air’s resilience on camera, showing the ultra-thin 5.6mm handset can bend without breaking
The iPhone Air is marketed as the most durable model Apple has ever built, and at just 5.6mm, the device raises durability and bending concerns, especially after knowing what happened with the iPhone 6 series. The company did add a grade 5 titanium frame to the list of materials that hold the device together in one piece. Apple says that the device meets and exceeds its own “stringent bend test requirements.” This also makes the iPhone Air Apple’s only model to feature a titanium frame, while the rest of the lineup has already shifted back to aluminum.
According to hardware engineering chief John Ternus, achieving a thin and durable phone required several breakthroughs working together, including advanced materials, Ceramic Shield protection, a clever internal “plateau” structure, and efficient Apple silicon. The iPhone Air’s internal layout clusters much of its hardware in a plateau-like area near the top, which creates more space underneath. Ternus specifically mentioned that crafting the plateau inside the phone was a critical design step, which has ultimately allowed the rest of the device to maintain a slimmer form factor.
We have to take note that the company has been using the term plateau internally for a while, but this is the first time that it is being used to market the iPhone. It can be seen in the video embedded below that the interviewer tried really hard to bend the iPhone Air, and it even fell at one point after the executive tossed him the device. This gives us an early insight into how strong the device is, but we cannot conclude this topic yet.
The iPhone Air’s real-world scenario could be quite different, which would include the drop test, scratch, and burn test, alongside the bend test. We cannot wait for JerryRigEverything to get his hands on the device, so he can crack it open to see its internals. Do you think the iPhone Air will bend in real-world tests? Let us know in the comments.
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