M4 iPad Pro bend tests: Durability equal to the M2 model despite the thinness

The first M4 iPad Pro bend tests have been conducted, and the initial consensus seems to be that Apple has managed to make its thinnest device ever just as durable as the previous generation M2 iPad Pro it replaces.

Two methods have been followed in bending tests by prominent tech YouTubers. JerryRigEverything For example, applying force by bending the new device with your hands, while… Mobile Phone ReviewsEh Take a different tack by placing your iPad under the dynamometer and applying gym weights on top to apply pressure within a limited contact area.

When bending the iPad Pro back into landscape mode, JerryRigEverything found that the device held up “surprisingly well,” as if “suspicious levels of black magic’s structural integrity” were going on.

When it was forcefully bent from behind, the glass screen eventually extended away from the frame, yet the screen and operating system continued to function normally. However, when it came to holding the device vertically, it was a different story, and the iPad Pro soon suffered a disastrous split in the middle, originating from the USB-C port.

JerryRigEverything then removed the screen to reveal and removed the internals, including the new metal cover that runs down the middle of the device. “If Apple had been able to add another, more vertical spine that ran crosswise near the charging port, this thing probably would have survived,” he added.

JerryRigEverything concluded that the new iPad Pro’s central spine “certainly provides enough structure for horizontal bends,” and should withstand daily use in a backpack or luggage. In his country AppleTrack Testing, Sam Cole agreed: “Will [its thinness] Durability risk? The answer is no. The spine that Apple put along the logic board is pretty good unless you bend the corners inward.”

After placing more than 70 pounds of weight on the middle of the iPad Pro’s screen until complete structural failure occurred, MobileReviewsEh concluded that the new iPad Pro is “just as sturdy if not a little stronger” than the device it replaces, despite being 18 years old . – 20% thinner than the M2 iPad Pro.

Overall, another “bent gate” seems unlikely. For those unfamiliar with the controversy, Apple admitted in 2019 that its then-new models shipped with “a very slight bend in the aluminum chassis,” which it blamed on “a side effect of the manufacturing process.”

Despite videos suggesting that the 2018 iPad Pro models bend more easily than other models, Apple said the bending has not worsened over time or negatively affected iPad performance, and that concerns about the device’s durability are unfounded. However, some iPad owners were understandably upset when they discovered flaws in devices costing hundreds of dollars.