YouTuber brutally bends iPhone Air in viral video but it shows no sign of stress

iPhone Air

Apple’s newest iPhone Air, the company’s slimmest model yet at just 5.6mm, faced one of its toughest tests this week at the hands of Zack Nelson, the YouTuber behind JerryRigEverything. Known for pushing phones to their limits, Nelson wanted to see if the iPhone Air would fall victim to another “Bendgate.”

The test started with scratches. Apple’s new Ceramic Shield 2 held up impressively, resisting marks even at level 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. That’s a step ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, which showed scratches at level 6 earlier this year. Nelson joked, “Apple ruined my line,” poking fun at his long-running gag about predictable scratch results. On glare, though, the iPhone Air didn’t perform quite as well. Under bright light, it reflected more than expected, and in side-by-side tests, Samsung’s older Galaxy S24 Ultra handled glare better.

Next came the bending test. Apple uses a grade 5 titanium frame for the iPhone Air, which is stronger and more flexible than aluminum. Nelson pushed on the phone from the back — it barely budged. From the front, it curved slightly but snapped back straight. “It looked as straight as it was coming out of the box,” he said, impressed by its elasticity.

Not satisfied, Nelson tested extreme force using a crane scale. He applied pressure directly on the center of the phone. The iPhone Air finally gave in at 216 pounds (about 98kg). The front glass cracked, and the frame flexed, but the back glass stayed intact, and the phone kept working.

For everyday users, this is reassuring. Sitting on the phone or keeping it in a tight pocket isn’t likely to cause any damage. Nelson even joked that your pants might give out before the iPhone Air does.

The verdict? While it can bend under extreme pressure, Apple’s thinnest phone so far is tough where it counts. No Bendgate this time — just a slim, surprisingly resilient device.