iPhone 16 Pro Max Barely Budges An Inch When Bent In New Durability Test, Additional Insight Reveals Apple Is Using Impure Sapphire For The Camera Control Button

The iPhone 16 series was released worldwide on September 20, and even though Apple did not bring a radical design shift to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, it has incorporated various internal changes that have addressed the complaints present in last year’s models. One area where the company maintains a solid consistency is build quality, as you will find out soon in the latest durability test, where the top-end iPhone 16 Pro Max barely flexes an inch when stressed from both sides. It is definitely an improvement over the M4 iPad Pro lineup, with Apple’s 11-inch and 13-inch tablets snapping fairly easily.

The thicker logic board and new battery metal cover likely helped improve the rigidity of the iPhone 16 Pro Max

Shortly after the official launch of the new models, Zach, who runs the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, got his hands on Apple’s most premium offering for the year, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, in Desert Titanium. While he mocks the trillion-dollar firm for keeping things the same design-wise and slapping on a new model number, he does point out some key new features, starting with the Camera Control addition. This particular button shows visible marks when being scratched with a level 7 pick from the Mohs scale of hardware, indicating the use of sapphire.

Related Story First Look At The iPhone 16 Pro Max L-Shaped Battery Shows It Has A Steel Enclosure, Allowing For Improved Heat Transfer And Lowered Temperatures

However, the content creator points out that the button does not use pure sapphire, likely due to the imperfections caused when cutting out the shape. A dedicated tool is also used to determine if the sapphire used is pure, but the machine barely detects it. The remainder of the iPhone 16 Pro Max employs the use of titanium and glass, with the titanium part scratching just like anodized aluminum. While the scratch and burn tests can make for some exciting content, the majority of readers will likely skip to the bend test.

Sadly, those who