iPhone 13 Pro Max micro scratch on screen

Apply a good screen protector now to prevent any more scratches.

You can try. But Apple typically won't let you exercise an AppleCare+ plan screen replacement for a minor screen scratch. If the screen was cracked, yes, you can use AppleCare+. But for a minor hairline scratch, don't be surprised if they don't let you. Said another way. AppleCare+ typically excludes cosmetic reasons for using the plan.

lobsterghost1 wrote:

Apple even sells and installs them. They wouldn't do so if the glass was impossible to scratch. No one has yet invented glass which can't be scratched.

Depends. Synthetic sapphire generally can't be scratched except by sapphire or diamond. I've had sapphire watch crystals that had zero scratches, even when the watch itself was scuffed up. And at one time there was talk about perhaps using sapphire (perhaps just a thin layer fused to glass) as a portable electronics display material because of its scratch resistance. Apple even uses sapphire crystal as camera glass and on fingerprint sensors. The fingerprint sensor on my nearly 5 year old iPhone 7 and 4+ year old iPad Mini 4 have a pristine fingerprint sensors even if the rest of those devices might have nicks and scratches.

y_p_w wrote:

The only thing that would likely provide what you're looking for is sapphire overlaid on tough glass, and preferably replaceable since sapphire is rather brittle. But I'm not sure who is willing to pay for it.

Precisely - you can have scratchproof and brittle or more accommodating to being dropped and slightly more scratch-prone.

You can stop scratches with a $30 screen protector; nothing you can affordably apply can protect from shattering.

lobsterghost1 wrote:

Really? There has been a thread every single year when the newest iPhone is released of people complaining they never had scratches on their phone until they bought (insert whichever model) their newest iPhone. EVERY SINGLE YEAR from as far back as I can remember. Glass is glass. And there is NO Glass which cannot be scratched. This is why Apple Sells Screen protectors in just about every Apple Store. Best Buy does big business selling screen protectors. Amazon offers literally hundreds and hundred of screen protector options. It you want to avoid getting scratches on an expensive all glass device, protect it out of the box, like most of us do.

Sapphire. They're used in industrial applications where a scratch is unacceptable for optics, like sight windows. I have yet to see a sapphire watch crystal with a scratch, and Apple specifically uses sapphire in strategic places. It's going to be kind of expensive though for anything as large as an iPhone 13 Pro Max.

You're welcome. You may be surprised that your scratch may not be visible under most conditions under a good quality screen protector.

iPAnother question. Do you not have this ALL glass, front and back very expensive iPhone, in a protective case? One drop could could cause the back glass to crack if not protected. And the back glass cannot be repaired or replaced. The entire phone would have to be replaced. But that would be worthy of an AppleCare+ use.

I've had my new 13 for 5 days, waiting for the screen protector I ordered to arrive, and I just discovered a micro scratch on it. haven't left the house with it, so I can only guess it was caused by a ring I was wearing brushing against it. Very frustrating. Still under warranty, so I could see if they'll replace the glass, but it's probably not bad enough for them to do that. And until I have the protector, it could easily happen again. It's only visible at a certain angle, but I know it's there.

I have owned several iPhones since the iPhone 2. This is the only version that these scratches appear on. The new "surgical grade" screens, while supposedly tougher (I haven't put that to the test yet), scratch much more easily. If the screens are so flawed that they need a protector, it should come with one, rather than asking customers who have paid £1,000 for a phone to stump up an additional £50 to avoid something that shouldn't happen in the first place.

Any time you use your phone without a screen protector you risk scratching it, which is why most apply one immediately before using their phone at all.

It's a risk Apple allows users to decide to take.

I have the same issue. I had the phone in my pocket for 1 day and its all scratched. Nothing else in my pocket. The next day we put a screen protector on it. We went to the Apple store and they told us not their fault. I said it was poor quality and and defective workmanship. Basically told me they didnt care. I purchased six of these Ipphone 13's for my family. This is the last time I buy Apple products! I will be looking at Android next time.

Feel free, note Android vendors' glass is just about same strength or less. It's an industry-wide phenomenon.

Do an Internet search for glass scratching with Galaxy or Pixel phones and you will see what I mean.

The only difference is some vendors, like Samsung, make you pay for a screen protector installed at the factory.

Gman135 wrote:

I have the same issue. I had the phone in my pocket for 1 day and its all scratched. Nothing else in my pocket. The next day we put a screen protector on it. We went to the Apple store and they told us not their fault. I said it was poor quality and and defective workmanship. Basically told me they didnt care. I purchased six of these Ipphone 13's for my family. This is the last time I buy Apple products! I will be looking at Android next time.

The industry is filled with design tradeoffs between toughness and resistance to scratching. If you really think that somehow other device manufacturers have figured out something that Apple hasn't when it comes to material selection (at a reasonable price) then by all means.

The only thing that would likely provide what you're looking for is sapphire overlaid on tough glass, and preferably replaceable since sapphire is rather brittle. But I'm not sure who is willing to pay for it.

Dogcow-Moof wrote:

y_p_w wrote:

The only thing that would likely provide what you're looking for is sapphire overlaid on tough glass, and preferably replaceable since sapphire is rather brittle. But I'm not sure who is willing to pay for it.

Precisely - you can have scratchproof and brittle or more accommodating to being dropped and slightly more scratch-prone.

You can stop scratches with a $30 screen protector; nothing you can affordably apply can protect from shattering.

Maybe a case, but that creates other issues like weight, bulk, etc.

lobsterghost1 wrote:

Sure. But using Sapphire glass on an iPhone would be a disaster. Sapphire in small sizes, such as watch crystals is a great application. Using Sapphire in a large panel on an iPhone would not be a great application. Sapphire is harder to scratch for sure. But it is brittle and can you imagine the thousands and thousands and thousands of gruntled users whose Sapphire clad iPhone screens shattered? Can you also imagine the added cost of Sapphire to begin with, not to mention the replacement costs.

I'll happily pay a few dollars for a high quality screen protector for my iPhones. I don't want to pay a lot more money for an iPhone with a Sapphire screen, nor do I want to even think about how much money it would cost to replace when it shatters.

Everything is about tradeoffs, so obviously there are going to be people complaining regardless. I'm just hoping maybe in the future there might be thin sapphire overlaid on another substance (maybe plastic), similar to how TouchID sensors are made.