Summary
- Apple's marketing head Greg Joswiak and hardware engineering head John Ternus put the iPhone Air to durability test.
- The executives encouraged the interviewers to bend the new iPhone, but the device just didn't give in.
- Although there was some flex, the phone came back into shape after numerous attempts to bend it from both sides.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Air earlier this week as its thinnest phone yet, and that has sparked concerns on the internet for its durability. To answer these concerns, Apple's marketing head Greg Joswiak and Apple hardware engineering head John Ternus sat down for an interview with Tom's Guide and performed a bend test on the iPhone Air.
When talking about the durability of the iPhone Air during the interview, Joswiak tossed the phone to TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff, who was also present. In an effort to catch it, the iPhone immediately fell off Ulanoff's hand and hit the table beside him without any damage. Joswiak then encouraged Ulanoff to bend the Air, but to no avail as the iPhone didn't give in.
Soon, Tom's Guide's own Mark Spoonauer took a swing at the iPhone Air himself and jokingly questioned whether customers at the Apple Store could try the bend test. He said, "I'm trying both ways. And like it bows, but it comes right back into shape".
The reason for its rigidity is obviously the use of a grade 5 titanium chassis. During the test, Ternus and Joswiak did stress that one might "get it to flex a little bit" but "it comes right back. That's the idea". When questioned about the state of the lithium-ion battery inside the device, Ternus revealed that this unit is covered by a metal casing that makes it strong.
Ternus also suggested that in order to make the iPhone Air so thin, there were advancements in materials development like the Ceramic Shield on the back, Apple silicon and other components that reside at the top portion that they call the "plateau".
Based on this conversation and from their "Awe dropping" keynote, it's interesting to see Apple so confident about its newest ultra-slim phone. But for real-world testing, we think it's best if we wait for JerryRigEverything's durability tests and see how the iPhone Air survives in the hands of early owners.
With iPhone Air pre-orders starting today on September 12, 2025, it's just a matter of a week until we'll start seeing real-world feedback from users.
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