iPhone 11 screen scratches

Nothing is going to help anyone here. We are all users, and no matter how many post their phone is scratched, it's clear Apple isn't going to replace them for scratches, especially since none of the phones had a screen protector installed. Apple doesn't replace phones for cosmetic reasons. If someone is within their 14 day return window, they can return the phone for full refund. If they choose to re-buy the phone, they should put a screen protector on it and stop worrying as a screen protector will fully protect the screen. If they don't, they may well get scratches on their replacement phone.

The only advice which will help anyone is to recommend putting a screen protector on their phone to stop further scratches from happening. Perhaps not the advice you or anyone else with this are looking for, but the only advice that can help anyone.

Your pockets are filled with micro-sand particles. Keys likely won't scratch your phone. But sand surely will. There are many articles about this. When your pants are washed, the lint and dust bond with laundry soap, then get dried to from micro-sand particles. You can't see or feel them. But your iPhone screen can be scratched by them.

I NEVER would consider putting my very expensive iPhone in a pocket without a screen protector on it. I actually wouldn't put my phone in a pocket even WITH a screen protector.

Here's one article --> https://lifehacker.com/your-keys-arent-scratching-your-smartphone-its-the-san-5937324

No. It's been explained over and over and over and over and over in this thread, the new Corning Gorilla Glass 6 is indeed harder (as in harder to break in a fall), but clearly easier to scratch as evidenced by this thread and thread on Samsung forums, because Samsung who manufactures the screens for Apple is using the same Corning glass on their screens. Comparing an older iPhone which is more susceptible to screen breaks to this years model is comparing apples to peaches. They are not using the same glass. And this year's phone would benefit greatly from putting an inexpensive screen protector on it to avoid getting any more scratches.

According to the article, that's where things are headed. This year's iPhone does have Corning's Gorilla Glass 6. If you go to Youtube and watch drop tests of the new iPhone's, they are remaining crack free with drops far better than years past. But that in NO WAY means the screens can't be scratched. As has been posted over and over in this thread, there is a trade-off. To make the glass less prone to cracking, seems to make them easier to scratch as evidenced by the experience of many users in this thread. Samsung, who makes the displays for Apple uses the same glass on their phones this year. They are shipping them with a very cheap film screen protector, which scratches even easier, but does protect the glass itself from scratching.

Apple didn't put a cheap film on the new iPhone's. But a good screen protector seems to be highly recommended to protect these new screens this year.

From your pictures, it looks like you have a good case to protect the sides, but unfortunately there was an object that was hard and sharp enough to puncture the screen - hence the "bullet hole" near the bottom left.

I know this because I've dropped my phone more times than I can count on ten (or more) hands. While I now use a glass screen protector and case, the first time it dropped in a parking lot with small rocks that was exactly how it looked except the whole screen was full of those, not just the one that you have.

And like you, I felt absolutely frustrated - but once you get it fixed, it is absolutely necessary to get a screen protector for anything this expensive. Specifically, pick the tempered glass ones which has saved me from expensive repairs multiple times.

And yes, marketing is funny that way... the video shows the phone falling into a purse and of course they leave it up to us to decide what sort of soft or hard things are in that purse...

I had a little scratch on my iPhone 11 Pro Max as well after just 1 week of use taking extremely care of it, never used a case with any of my iPhones and never had so significant scratches, brought it with me to the Genius Bar and the guy decided to replace it as he wasn’t sure if it happened in the factory or as an accident. It’s worth trying bringing it to the Genius Bar as I didn’t have Apple Care at all and they replaced it.

I guess it’s at genius discretion though..

Update from my issue: I went into the Apple store with a genius appointment this week and they said they would offer a screen replacement as a one time courtesy. I came back an hour later and they ended up giving me a replacement phone. I saw my original and it looked like they had issues putting it back together, there was some type of glue or adhesive seeping out from the top.

i looked at the other 11 pro max display models in the store and all were badly scratched with the similar issue to mine.

I could see rubbing past a jeans rivet doing that. (I mean, if the screen doesn’t scratch until Mohs level 6, maybe it shouldn’t do that, but I would always have expected that result. I don’t know how hard jeans rivets are.)

As for the speculation about who supplies what that the forum admins took issue with, it’s irrelevant who supplies the displays anyway, because the cover glass is separate. There is plenty of public disclosure that Corning supplies the cover glass (a formulation unique to Apple,* so not necessarily the same as GG 6, as people keep mentioning), so who makes the OLED underneath is irrelevant.

To tell you the truth, after I got a tiny little blemish on my iPhone X screen from (I assume) rubbing against something in a pocket, I became much more obsessed with how I carry my phone around. I don’t like screen protectors, and during the week when I’m in business attire in my office, I don’t usually use a case either. What I do instead is make sure that the phone never rests on or brushes up against anything other than clean cotton. I keep a clean white cotton handkerchief in my pocket that the screen goes against, and if I’m going to put it in a bag or something, then it goes into a case against a hanky or a screen-cleaning cloth, or into one of those hotel shoe-shine clothes turned inside out (so the softest stuff is against the phone). When I’m at my desk it sits on a cotton hanky. My family thinks I’m a bit nuts, but I like to keep this gorgeous thing new-looking and I’ve kept my XS perfect this way for nearly a year.

*Sources: https://www.cnet.com/news/iphone-11-has-a-few-more-features-than-we-first-thought-u1/, https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-invests-250-million-in-corning-for-future-iphone-glass-research/

I think the common denominator is don't put the phone in your pocket without a screen protector. Period.

Small scratchy particles accumulate in pocket lint, and those will scratch any phone.

You can make glass more scratch resistant and then you get users who are upset because their screen shattered when they dropped it.

The video posted earlier shows how scratch resistant the glass truly is, the problem is that most people have detritus in their pockets that is more scratch-inducing than people expect.

Believe what you want to believe. It's NOT simple pocket lint scratching your phone. There are small particles of sand likely there, which is VERY common (for example, detergent, when dried, can turn to sand) and that CAN scratch your screen.

Putting a screen protector on your expensive phone, whether anyone agrees or not is just smart.

Hello everyone, I was at the apple store today about this talking to managers etc. I got nothing, no gesture for a long-standing client, nothing!

The only thing we can do AND WHAT EVERYONE HERE SHOULD DO TO HELP THIS BECOME TOP OF MIND FOR APPLE is file an official complaint via this form https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

As you know apple does not read this discussion thread BUT they do read the complaints submissions from the form. If they receive enough complaints they can make a case out of it and we will have the chance to claim a new screen. For that though we must stick together and make a big deal out of it (in a polite fashion).

I strongly urge everyone in here to fill in the form (not too long cause limited characters), but mainly saying the quality of the iphone 11 screen is not acceptable and that this whole situation is also unacceptable.

There are enough of us here to make a difference so please go and do that now. THANK YOU!

https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

I believe you're asking - would you pick a screen that is:

1. hard to scratch but breaks more easily when (not if) you drop it and pay $300 to get it fixed

*or*

2. more durable against falls, but scratches easily (where a $10 glass protector could help)

Unfortunately, the common misconception is that a higher priced product should be able to bend the laws of physics...

I am using the Belkin anti glare screen protector that is sold in the Apple online store. It’s fairly cheap and works really well. I actually like the experience and look of the screen better with it on.

when i got my xr i walked out of tmobile with a case and screen protector that phone is flawless till this day but it’s something about this 11 that just seems so fragile For the first couple days i had no case i was waiting on it from amazon and i babied the thing but I noticed how different it feels not having a screen protector on in my opinion a screen protector is a must if you want to keep your phone in its original condition ive already noticed fine scratches just around the bezel from putting it in my pocket and i knew better to put it in my pockets with no screen protector or case lol but i also had nowhere else to put it i cant hold it cuz its a chance you’ll drop it i did put it in a xr case but i took it out bc it looked stupid i now have a case for her just waiting on the screen protector. SO TO YOU READING THIS GET YOURSELF A SCREEN PROTECTOR FOR ANY PHONE YOU BUY ASAP.

All it takes is a grain of sand, something smaller than your eye may be able to see, to scratch ANY phone screen.

See this article in particular about the new glass on the iPhone 11 series --> https://www.idownloadblog.com/2019/11/04/iphone-11-scratches/

Bottom line. Put a decent screen protector on your phone to stop further scratches and to most likely hide any you already have.