If you’ve wondered whether Apple’s new ultra-thin iPhone Air might fold in half in your pocket, YouTuber JerryRigEverything has you covered. Known as the go-to guy for stress-testing new smartphones, his iPhone Air bend test has been one of the most highly anticipated reaction videos of the year.
Just a scratch
It’s not just the Air in the spotlight. This year all three models – iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and iPhone Air – share Apple’s new Ceramic Shield 2 front glass. Jerry’s hardness picks show the difference: previous iPhones would usually start to scratch at level 6, but this time around the glass shrugs off that test almost entirely. Even at level 7 the marks are much lighter than expected, meaning it’ll take something genuinely sharp to leave a scar.
No glass is completely scratch-proof, and a screen protector is still a wise idea, but Apple wasn’t exaggerating when it called this a big step forward. The fact that this ultra-durable glass is available on all three models is a big win for customers.
Under pressure
Of course, the real headline is how the 5.6 mm-thin iPhone Air handles bending. Nobody wants a repeat of the infamous iPhone 6 bendgate. Pushing hard with his thumbs, Jerry can get the Air to flex, but the combination of materials and clever internal design means it springs straight back into shape with no lasting damage. In his words, it passes with flying colours – another of Apple’s big durability claims verified.
Hand strength wasn’t enough to cause real damage, so Jerry wheeled out a rig to find the true breaking point. Focused squarely on the midpoint of the device, it took a whopping 216 pounds of pressure before the Air finally gave way. The front glass shattered and the body stayed bent, but even then the back glass somehow remained intact. It’s hard to imagine that kind of force occurring in the real word, making iPhone Air virtually indestructible in real-world situations.
The full ten-minute video is up now on JerryRigEverything’s YouTube channel, complete with flame exposure tests and wince-inducing titanium scratches. For iPhone fans, the takeaway is simple: the new Ceramic Shield 2 is tougher than ever across the entire range, and even the wafer-thin iPhone Air is built to withstand far more abuse than it’s likely to see in the wild.