iPhone 6, 6 Plus owners complain of easily scratched screens
A growing number of iPhone 6 owners are complaining that their recently-purchased handsets are exhibiting slight surface scratching not seen with previous models, with some alleging flaws in material and design.
Surface scratches seen on iPhone 6.
Multiple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users have taken to Apple's Support Communities forum to report issues with the handset's display cover glass, which they claim is more prone to scratching than previous iPhone models.
The thread, now at over 103,000 views and 626 replies, started on Sep. 23 with user jake.underwood26 saying his iPhone 6 Plus exhibited visible scratching near the display's corners after "extremely" good care. Apple's latest iPhone generation went on sale four days earlier on Sep. 19.
Many other forum posters followed with similar responses, saying they too found scratches after less than one week of normal use. Some compared the iPhone 6 to past iPhone models, noting previous generations were not as prone to surface scratches even after years of use.
The exact material used to shield the iPhone 6 display has not been officially revealed, though some believe it to be Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 branded alkali-aluminosilicate glass. Instead, Apple touts the use of "strengthened Ion-X" glass, an ion-impregnated material purportedly harder than normal covers.
AppleInsider has seen the issue first hand from a user who carries their phone in a microfiber satchel. In this case, as seen in the photo above, it appears as though the glass was perhaps raked against a hard, flat surface or etched with small debris, perhaps during polishing. The miniature trenches are deep enough to be felt with a thumbnail and can be seen when the display is turned off.
There are any number of reasons as to why Apple's iPhone 6 is seemingly more prone to screen scratches. For one, the latest generation iPhone is the first to use a curved display glass with no bezel "lip" to protect against scrapes. Previous iPhones like the most recent iPhone 5s used flat pieces of glass surrounded by a thermoplastic peripheral material housed in a harder polymer wrap. This structure helped for shock protection, deflecting encounters with foreign objects and would keep the screen protected if laid down on its face.
For the iPhone 6, Apple carried over the shock resistant thermoplastic material, but now has it sandwiched between the display assembly and phone body. The hard plastic side wall was also deleted in favor of a cover that curves toward the rounded aluminum chassis. While great for finger feel and gesture control, a curved edge design necessarily leaves the cover glass exposed to contact with hard surfaces.
Apple has not officially responded to user reports, though some owners have found success in taking their scratched iPhone in to an Apple Store for replacement. There is apparently no repair protocol entered into Apple's system, however, as other forum members did not receive the same service.
AppleInsider has reached out to Apple regarding the issue and will update this story when a reply is received.
Surface scratches seen on iPhone 6.
Multiple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users have taken to Apple's Support Communities forum to report issues with the handset's display cover glass, which they claim is more prone to scratching than previous iPhone models.
The thread, now at over 103,000 views and 626 replies, started on Sep. 23 with user jake.underwood26 saying his iPhone 6 Plus exhibited visible scratching near the display's corners after "extremely" good care. Apple's latest iPhone generation went on sale four days earlier on Sep. 19.
Many other forum posters followed with similar responses, saying they too found scratches after less than one week of normal use. Some compared the iPhone 6 to past iPhone models, noting previous generations were not as prone to surface scratches even after years of use.
The exact material used to shield the iPhone 6 display has not been officially revealed, though some believe it to be Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 branded alkali-aluminosilicate glass. Instead, Apple touts the use of "strengthened Ion-X" glass, an ion-impregnated material purportedly harder than normal covers.
AppleInsider has seen the issue first hand from a user who carries their phone in a microfiber satchel. In this case, as seen in the photo above, it appears as though the glass was perhaps raked against a hard, flat surface or etched with small debris, perhaps during polishing. The miniature trenches are deep enough to be felt with a thumbnail and can be seen when the display is turned off.
There are any number of reasons as to why Apple's iPhone 6 is seemingly more prone to screen scratches. For one, the latest generation iPhone is the first to use a curved display glass with no bezel "lip" to protect against scrapes. Previous iPhones like the most recent iPhone 5s used flat pieces of glass surrounded by a thermoplastic peripheral material housed in a harder polymer wrap. This structure helped for shock protection, deflecting encounters with foreign objects and would keep the screen protected if laid down on its face.
For the iPhone 6, Apple carried over the shock resistant thermoplastic material, but now has it sandwiched between the display assembly and phone body. The hard plastic side wall was also deleted in favor of a cover that curves toward the rounded aluminum chassis. While great for finger feel and gesture control, a curved edge design necessarily leaves the cover glass exposed to contact with hard surfaces.
Apple has not officially responded to user reports, though some owners have found success in taking their scratched iPhone in to an Apple Store for replacement. There is apparently no repair protocol entered into Apple's system, however, as other forum members did not receive the same service.
AppleInsider has reached out to Apple regarding the issue and will update this story when a reply is received.
Comments
#scratchgate. :rolleyes:
The phone, or the scratches?
No scratches lol. Launch model. I hate screen protectors so while I have some, I won't apply them.
I do have a case though.
Strange. I had a lot of hairline scratches on my 5s but seems my 6+ surface is as pristine as when I bought it. No screen protector and taking care of it but not excessively. Wonder if there are bad batches of glass around.
Nope.
–Not sent from my iPhone 6, but that’s hardly relevant
In my case, I've had my 6 since the beginning of October and have no visible scratches on it, and I haven't even carried my phone in a "microfiber satchel"(really? REALLY?) like the anonymous reader mentioned in this article. I've even dropped it a couple of times(although not from high up) and had it scrape against materials that could easily have scratched a lot of phones. There's no "scratching problem" with iPhone 6s. It's as resistant or more resistant to scratches than other phones. If you scratch your phone then deal with it or just get a new screen if you care that much; don't complain to Apple that their glass isn't magical. This is even more ridiculous than the bending nonsense.
My 6 has a very slight scratch between the front facing camera and the ear mic... I'm not real careful with it, but haven't noticed any specific reason for that scratch. My old 4s and 3G had a few deep scratches and chips.
A competitor who spends millions, if not billions, to advertise their shit .....
How much would it cost them to pay a few thousands to post crap?!!
Samsung?
Now, that could be a thought; they're cranking out screens so fast that they're not being manufactured properly.
This report makes no sense to me unless there were different materials or processes used...
I am really happy with my iPhone 6 and not a single scratch yet.
I carry mine in my pants pocket, with coins and keys, just like my 4.
I didn't even get a bumper for it for over two weeks. I will say it feels more like plastic than glass, not sure why.
Nothing at all on it so far.
...oh wait - there's a scratch right on the bend! oh no!