Galaxy Note 4 bend test disputes Samsung's claims

You may have thought it was all over, but apparently it isn't. Perhaps as long as there are new phones coming out, there will be bend tests to be done. At least until people tire of hearing the same things over and over again. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 isn't immune to such a trend and even Samsung itself succumbed to the fad. However, Unbox Therapy, who could be credited or blamed for spreading the #bendgate further, might have something to say about it.

Samsung just couldn't resist making an indirect jab at its biggest rival. The iPhone 6 Plus has been subjected to many actual and PR tortures and Samsung wanted everyone to know how much more durable its Galaxy Note 4 is in comparison. It recently released a video detailing the rigorous testing they put the smartphone through, including having it sat on by a robutt (see what I did there?).

Some might call into question the impartiality of such claims, considering it is unabashedly a marketing material coming from the device's manufacturer. It definitely needs the confirmation, or refutation, of a third party. That third party, in this case, is Unbox Therapy, who has bent the iPhone 6 Plus and a few more smartphones from different brands, for the sake of science. And maybe a few YouTube likes. It's only fair that he subject the Galaxy Note 4 to the same unscientific but totally real world torture that he gave the iPhone 6 Plus, and here's that video for you to cringe over or enjoy.

As noted, the Galaxy Note 4 isn't totally immune from #bendgate as Samsung seems to claim based on its automated testing. Either that or Unbox Therapy's Lewis Hilsenteger possess superhuman strength surpassing that of Samsung's machines. That said, the Galaxy Note 4's bending is less pronounced than that of Apple's phablet, and it was claimed to be repairable by trying to bend the device the other way. It is interesting to note that the bend happens in the same location, just below the volume rocker, pointing perhaps to the need for a different or better design. Presuming, of course, that OEMs are taking this seriously.

Then again, there is always the question of whether your hands or your posterior will ever exert that much force to bend those phones, whether instantly or over time. There's also the question of whether you'll believe a manufacturer's potentially biased by more "scientific" process over someone's less rigorous but live testing. Regardless of the answers to these questions, people are more likely to just stop stuffing their smartphones in their back pockets than they are to stop buying an iPhone or a Galaxy phone anyway.