iPhone 17 Air finally snaps in bend test, but only after 215 lbs of force

The new iPhone 17 Air is by far the thinnest iPhone to date. At only 5.6mm, the durability was an obvious question mark. After all, it was “Bendgate” the last time an iPhone went nearly this thin (iPhone 6).

Titanium on the new Air helps it withstand high pressure (and maybe Bendgate 2.0)

As is the tradition, the clock was on for JerryRigEverything’s infamous durability test right after the phone was announced. Apple also said that the new iPhone 17 Air was its most “durable” iPhone ever, which, for a device this thin, can be hard to believe.

But surprisingly, that claim held up. Zack Nelson, from JerryRigEverything, put the phone through torture. He pulled the phone on both sides from the back with his thumbs to get it to bend. It didn’t bulge, and in fact, there were no signs of any deformation, either.

He tried on the front, and while the phone did bend under force, it came back to its original shape, and was “as good as it came out of the box.” Part of the reason why it survived was that it used Titanium as opposed to Aluminum on the Pros, which is twice as rigid and 60% more elastic.

When human force just wasn’t enough, Zack resorted to mechanical tools. He used the crane scale from his garage and was able to break the screen. But it took nearly 215 lbs. Even then, the display was still working, and the back glass remained intact. Suffice it to say, the new Air is indeed “durable.”