The grapevine has been abuzz with rumors pertaining to the next-gen iPhone—plausibly the iPhone 6s—and now rumor has it that the successor of the iPhone 6 will tout a sturdy alloy frame.

Why? To make #Bendgate impossible. Remember the issue that plagued the iPhone 6 soon after its launch: the body of the iPhone 6 bent when the smartphone was kept in a pocket and faced minimal pressure for a considerable period.

To avoid Bendgate (and the ensuing jabs Apple faced due to the unwarranted incident), Apple is purportedly looking to fit the iPhone 6s with a sturdy frame that will not bend under minimal pressure.

The Taipei Times recently reported that Apple's metal case supplier Catcher Technologies revealed that it was anticipating higher revenue in the impending quarter owing to "smoother production" coupled with "strong orders for metal casings for new projects."

The "new projects" reference makes one wonder if the company's CEO Allen Horng was alluding to the upcoming Apple smartphone, which is poised for a September debut.

Horng has also divulged that the company is facing problems with a novel process it is using for one of its clients manufacturing smartphones. The process in question comprises a "surface treatment on a harder metallic material [that] is more difficult than traditional metal-casing processes, and would lower the yield rate at the beginning of the production cycle."

If we were to hazard a guess, could Horng be referring to the top-of-the-line 7000-series grade aluminum alloy that is used for making smartphone chassis?

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6's chassis are currently made of the grade 6013 aluminum alloy, whereas the iPhone 6 deploys a derivative of the 6063 grade, which is inferior by comparison. The highest grade alloy, however, is the 7075 one.

The 7075 aluminum alloy includes zinc, which is the primary element, and is deployed in climbing equipment, inline skating frames, and the M16 rifle, giving you an idea of its robustness. This alloy has a tensile strength equivalent to steel but is light and durable at the same time.

If this rumor has any grain of truth in it, then the iPhone 6s and plausibly the iPhone 6s Plus could well be the sturdiest smartphones around and boast a hard-wearing aluminum unibody that is not bendable.

Photo: Susanne Nilsson | Flickr