New iPhones can get bent #bendgate

"OH MY GOD" and "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?" are two of the main reactions to news that Apple's latest must-have iPhones can be damagingly bent.

Slimness and a lightweight aluminum shell make the iPhone 6 and especially the larger iPhone 6 Plus susceptible to deforming under the pressure of being in a pants pocket, consumers and testers are reporting.

(Otherwise, they've been called the most durable iPhones ever, though that means a "medium" breakability score, according to SquareTrade.)

A YouTube video by Unbox Therapy documents the weakness, as a reviewer bends the phone with his bare hands.

Not shown in the video is how the screen cracked when Lewis Hilsenteger tried to straighten the phone out. Here's the evidence on Instagram:

Reinforcing the phone with a protective case is a low-tech solution, of course.

But it's such a simple test, one wonders why Apple failed to discover the problem before shipping out millions of the phones, which hit stores Friday.

The same reviewer tested the Samsung Note 3 "as hard as I can push" and found only some slight warping.

In turn, the faithful (and the smug) are blaming the victims.

Wired calls it "a pocket-sized controversy," calling the discovery "a bit of a well, duh."

Hunting for flaws in new Apple products is a familiar game, and bending was even reporting with iPhone 5s, according to TechCrunch..

"There is no evidence of a coverup on Apple's part, so there is no actual 'gate,' " writes Forbes.

Then there's this bit of fun:

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com. Follow @petemucha on Twitter.