
Just days after their launch, a handful of somewhat worrying images appeared online showing iPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones which had bent, apparently after having been kept in their owners’ pockets while sitting. Both Apple and independent reports have suggested that cases of bending are extremely rare, but even so, “bendgate” continues to play on consumers’ minds, no doubt in part due to Apple’s competitors playing it to their advantage and a few overly zealous Android fanboys sharing images of bent iPhones with such frequency that you’d swear they were on Samsung or HTC’s payroll.
Japanese designer and photographer Tatsuya Tanaka, however, is so confident that his iPhone 6 won’t bend that he enlisted the help of 100 tiny friends to put it to the test. As it happens, Apple’s newest smartphone can even take the weight of a zebra, giraffe, polar bear and elephant before it comes anywhere near to getting a case of the bends…
Tatsuya Tanaka is well-known for his love of small things. Earlier this year, we introduced you to his incredible Miniature Calendar, which features Borrower-sized figures going about their day, sawing through snacks as if they were giant logs, sheltering beneath sprigs of broccoli, and getting lost in toilet paper snowdrifts.
Yesterday morning, however, Tanaka took to his Twitter account to share a photo of his new iPhone 6 Plus lying face-down on a couple of wooden blocks. Judging from the weight he put the phone under, these things are clearly made of tougher stuff than we’re giving them credit for.
▼ “October 2, Tue. There has been a lot of talk lately about the iPhone 6 ‘bending’, but it’s clear that even with 100 people on it, it’s perfectly fine. *Photo is an iPhone 6 Plus”
[tweet https://twitter.com/tanaka_tatsuya/status/517452526170304512 align=center]There you have it, folks: an iPhone 6 may bend if you keep it in the back pocket of your skinny jeans, but if you ever find yourself in a room with an elephant, giraffe, or even a grazing cow, you’ll probably be fine.
Source/photo: Twitter – Tatsuya Tanaka

Here’s an easy way to check if the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will fit in your pocket
The giant iPhone 6 Plus is most popular in Asia
Can you unlock your new iPhone 6 Plus with your nipple? We can! 【Video】
We road test the new Digital Image Stabilization on the iPhone 6 Plus – with a vibrator
People are getting into fights outside Apple stores because no one in China can buy an iPhone 6
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Pokémon comes to McDonald’s Japan for new Happy Meals toys, brings every generation’s starters
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport airlines announce stricter luggage check-in deadline for domestic flights
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Is covering your entire upper body with cooling strips enough to fend off Japan’s summer heat?
Coco’s Japan is very confident in their chilled ramen, but should they be? [Taste test]
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store sandwiches with a wild new choc-mint variety
Studio Ghibli’s No Face twirls to sound of Spirited Away’s theme song in beautiful accessory box
Toyota Museum’s international retro vehicle parade returns to Aichi this autumn
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever gacha capsule toys, featuring iconic menu items as plush coffee charms
7-Eleven Japan adds new chocolate fruit gummies to its sweets range, but are they worth the hype?
Kyoto receives more foreign tourists than ever before, but fewer visitors say they’ll return
7-Eleven Japan now offering baked-in-store pizza by the slice with two very different topping sets
Starbucks Japan opens new store inside historic seaside quarantine station near Tokyo
Foreign tourists in Japan eat far more rice than previously thought, according to new data
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Uniqlo looks back to the very start of Pokémon with new black-and-white pixel art T-shirts[Pics]
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The morning after: The trash-ridden aftermath of the iPhone 6 release in Hong Kong
Small hands? Japanese Twitterer gets creative and makes handy case for the wider iPhone 6
Mr. Sato shows up in costume, is the first to purchase an iPhone 6 Plus, meets Ken Watanabe AGAIN
iPhone iOS6 Map Takes Our Reporter on a Quest for the Pachinko Gundam Train Station
iPhone 6 launch keeps Chinese customs officials busy as they seize hundreds of smuggled units
It’s a boogie wonderland as Japanese cell phone provider desperately advertises iPhone 6
7 Reasons the iPhone 6 is a piece of junk (according to Japanese otaku)
COZENI turns your iPhone or iPad’s home button into a shiny, tiny Japanese coin
Just bought an iPhone 6? Keep it safe and stylish with a Sailor Moon case
Chinese man locked out of his iPhone for 45 years
Why is the iPhone the smartphone of choice for young Japanese women?
Your iPhone is embarrassingly bad at simple math
Japan belongs to Apple: iPhone claims top 10 spots in total smartphone sales in November
Pokemon smartphones: Why Apple created the colorful iPhone 5c
New iPhone XS commercial features a tricked-out “dekotora” truck with a tear-jerking story
Edible iPhone 5 Case Made From Rice Cracker Protects Your Life but not Your iPhone
Preorders begin for Attack on Titan iPhones cases