What Causes iPads To Bend & Are There Cases To Help Prevent This From Happening?

In 2018, Apple issued a statement to The Verge confirming that some of the then-new iPad Pros were shipping with bent aluminum chassis. According to the company, the bend was due to steps in the manufacturing process and would have no lasting effect on the tablet's functionality. Fast forward six years to May 2024, and once again, outlets were left questioning the durability of the latest iPad Pro, especially when JerryRigsEverything put the 13-inch tablet through rigorous pacing and found that there still seemed to be the potential for the device to bend vertically.

If you spend a few minutes searching on Reddit, you'll find posts from iPad owners complaining that their tablets have bent. Some are years old, others less than a month, suggesting that maybe, despite Apple's insistence that it's an occasional manufacturing error, there's something fundamentally off about the design or thickness of the iPad. Of course, it could be user error and down to how people handle their iPads, but that still may leave you wondering what exactly causes an iPad to bend.

The short answer is that there doesn't seem to be one specific cause, though the root of the issue may be that the tablet has gone from 13mm thick with its first release to 5.1mm with the 2024 13-inch iPad Pro.

In August 2024, Reddit user u/logged_just2_upvote posed a question after seeing several posts showcasing

 bent iPads. Very simply, they asked: "How are they doing that?" The answers ranged from mockery to viable reasons, such as stacking them in backpacks with heavy textbooks without considering how those objects would weigh on the screen. One user, u/GreenTea169, chimed in with their personal experience, stating, "I accidentally sat on my iPad... it was hidden in my sheets."

Ultimately, bending an iPad all comes down to an uneven distribution of pressure. Think of a pencil. If you keep one half steady while trying to exert force on the other half, it will eventually break. With an iPad, just as Apple confirmed in 2018, the aluminum chassis is bendable, and if pressure is unevenly distributed, it will give under the force. Sitting on it could be enough to cause a bend.

However, not everything is user error. Battery swelling may also cause your iPad to bend or warp. Throughout a lithium-ion battery's lifespan, power generation becomes less efficient, leading to gasses that build up. Sometimes, the build-up can become so severe that they swell the battery and bend the iPad. While a sturdy case will take care of user error, the only real preventative measure for a swollen battery is to have it replaced when it stops charging properly.

Practical in many ways, Apple's Magic Keyboard is going to be one of the best ways to keep your iPad from bending. Though it's not a protective case in the traditional sense (where all four corners are padded for drop resistance), the rigidity of the aluminum keyboard adds a secondary layer of defense that will help prevent bending. In fact, the 2024 Magic Keyboard is just about the same thickness as the original iPad.

The Magic Keyboard also isn't the only case that will reduce the likelihood that your iPad will bend. When looking for a case, you'll want something that's stiff and made from a harder material rather than a soft cloth or a portfolio designed to hold accessories. Something like the Zugu Case and Protective Cover, which is available for most iPad models, offers that rigidity in the form of a durable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) backing. Though TPU offers some flexibility, that's to make device installation easier and doesn't hinder its durability.

If you don't want to risk the added flexibility of a TPU case, MoKo offers cases with a hard polycarbonate (PC) backing. In terms of sturdiness, PC is harder than TPU, and it does not add any heft to the case. Both Zugu and MoKo cases scored well with users, though they aren't very well-known names. If you want brand recognition, you can try the OtterBox Defender Series Case, though its reviews aren't as good.

The thing about a bent iPad is that it's more than likely not an issue that can be attributed to a technical failure of the device. Maybe the tablet overheated or the battery expanded. In that case a replacement will depend on the one-year limited warranty coverage, which you can find using Apple's Check Coverage tool. Or if you have the extended AppleCare+ plan, you'd pay a reduced fee based on the device.

If your iPad is bent due to negligence, regardless of whether it's within the warranty period or not, you'll have to cover approximately 60% of the original cost. Using the iPad Repair and Service tool, select "Other Damage" for the Service Type, then the appropriate iPad type and specific model, and press "Get estimate." The amount listed under "Your estimated cost" is the 60% fee you'd likely need to pay for a replacement, as Apple will not attempt to repair a bent device.