The trend to rush any new flagship smartphone that has just hit the market into an array of tests to check how easy it is to bend, destroy or damage, is not going away anytime soon. When Apple launched the iPhone 5, there was uproar relating to how easy it was to cause damage and scratch the anodized finish of the handset. There was also a scandal surrounding Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus when it became apparent that it was relatively easy to bend. Now, it appears to be time to move away from Apple and focus on Google/Huawei’s new Nexus 6P, which seems to inherit problems from both of those Apple smartphone introductions.
No smartphone is ever going to be indestructible and able to withstand heavy impacts or blunt force trauma. As companies attempt to progress their technology and make devices thinner and lighter, there will inevitably be trade-off in structural stability. If you’re in the market for a new Android smartphone, and the recent introduction of the Huawei Nexus 6P has caught your eye, then you’re probably going to want to watch this new video which shows just how easy it is to bend and scratch the new hardware. However, we do have some reservations with the methodology and will explain why.
Apple may have had a lot of negative press after the “scratchgate” and “bendgate” scandals that befell the iPhone 5 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, but the Cupertino-based company has corrected its mistakes with the latest iPhone 6s. But you’d also think that other competing companies would take heed and be keen not to repeat the mistakes that have already been made by the likes of Apple. This video however, seems to suggest that the Nexus 6P suffers from the issues that affected both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 Plus.
The video itself takes the new Huawei device on a journey of self-discovery to see just how well it can withstand overheating, bending, and scratching. After all, with smartphones placed in our pockets amongst coins, keys and other sharp objects, these are the main problems that can occur. Unfortunately for Huawei and Google, and possibly more so for those planning on purchasing the device, the hardware didn’t do too well on all three counts. This display appeared easy to scratch with an object measuring higher than 6 on Mohs scale of hardness. It was also extremely easy to introduce a huge crack in the display after those scratches appeared. The screen also developed a white spot pretty quickly when put to the flame test.
As for the bend test, the relative ease at which the device actually bends as shown in the video is a little misleading. The display had already been scratched and cracked, which in turn causes a huge vulnerability in the structure of the device, making it a lot easier to bend. In our opinion, the only concrete discovery here is the relatively ease with which the anodized chassis can be scratched.
We aren’t exactly sure that Huawei will be too happy with the video, but what about you? Does it put you off moving across to the Nexus 6P? Check out the video below and let us know in the comments section below.
(Source: JerryRigEverything [YouTube])
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