Apple’s new iPhone Air is the thinnest smartphone the company has ever produced, but thinness usually raises one big concern: durability. Bend resistance has been a sore point in Apple’s past, most notably with the iPhone 6 “bendgate” incident. This time, Apple claims the iPhone Air is its most durable iPhone yet. Independent durability tests now suggest that claim holds weight.
Bend Resistance Test
Popular durability tester JerryRigEverything conducted his signature bend test on the iPhone Air, and the results were clear. Despite applying significant force with both hands, the phone refused to permanently bend. The titanium frame flexed under strain but snapped back to its original shape each time. This elasticity is a key reason the phone avoided the kind of structural failures that plagued older iPhones.
After manual attempts failed, JerryRigEverything moved to a mechanical setup to find the exact breaking point. Supported across two bars and pressed at the center, the iPhone Air withstood more than 215 pounds of concentrated force before snapping. Even then, the back glass remained intact and the phone’s touch digitizer continued to function.
Scratch Resistance Improvements
Durability extends beyond frame strength, and Apple has also upgraded screen protection. The iPhone Air features Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says offers three times better scratch resistance. In practical testing, JerryRigEverything reported that the display resisted scratches at level 6 and only showed faint marks at level 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. That marks a significant improvement over previous iPhones, which typically scratched at level 6.
For everyday use, this means the iPhone Air is less likely to pick up visible screen damage from keys, coins, or other objects in a pocket or bag. While glass is never completely scratch-proof, the results back Apple’s claims of tougher display protection this generation.
A Step Forward in Durability
Taken together, the bend resistance and scratch performance make the iPhone Air Apple’s most durable iPhone to date. The thin titanium frame manages to balance lightness with resilience, while the new Ceramic Shield improves real-world screen protection.
Bend resistance has been one of the biggest questions surrounding the iPhone Air given its slim profile. JerryRigEverything’s testing, however, provides a reassuring answer: the phone lives up to Apple’s durability claims.
The scratch resistance results place the Ceramic Shield 2 display closer to sapphire-level hardness than in past years. This improvement should give users more confidence in the phone’s longevity without a case or screen protector.
Apple has been pushing thinness for years, and the iPhone Air shows it can do so without sacrificing strength. The days of “bendgate” appear to be firmly in the past.
