Scuffs/Scratches On New iPhone 5 Right Out Of The Box

I totally agree with you on the scuffs that is bound to happen, my wifes 32 gb was perfect no dings. My first phone 5 had a ratle that was so bad when i picked up my phone to answer its sounded like i was picking up one of my 2 yr old's toy.

Second one was ok but it had one big ding close to the power button, seemed like the phone was slammed against an edge of a table ( pointed this out to the manager when i received it at the store). The other phones they said were refurb were worse.

if i buy a new car i expect it not to have any blemishes or scratches and more importantly any dings.

The phone is great, i can probably live with tiny scratches(white model) but actual dings, that to me is not acceptable.

I returned it and went back to my iphone 4, i was already feeling like i needed something different because interface wise the phone hasnt changed (ive had an iphone since the 2g) so even though its much faster than my 4 i think my money is going some where else this time. All of this made it easier.

My white iPhone came with a small scratch on the back near bezel... Its not a big scratch but you can clearly see it. I refuse to keep it. i have to wait for the to receive my replacement before i can re order it again and repay for it. Very disapointing 😟.

Anyone who says "It's just a small scratch, no big deal, just keep it and move on" clearly got a scuff-free iPhone 5 and are telling everyone else that has been less fortunate to suck it up and quit whining. Not me. If my phone comes damaged someone will be replacing it with a flawless model. Either Apple or Verizon. I have no preference. End of story.

Exactly my thoughts, I never drop my phones and i always keep them in cases. But i still want a mint iPhone since they are "Brand New" Why settle for something thats damaged out of box? For those that get mint iPhone's good for you but for us that dont we expect nothing less than perfection.

It's not about expecting perfection it's about getting an iPhone 5 as it should be. We all paid for a new iphone 5 and new means "with no signs of wear or use", and I'm sorry but a scratch, chip, dent of scuff means the iphone 5 is not in "new" condition and is showing signs of use.

It not about perfection it's about getting one in "new condition" that's what we pay for that's what we are entitled to.

Here in the UK there is no stock anywhere (of 16gb's) and we all have to wait for new replacement (from 3rd party retailers and carriers) till the middle of November which is annoying but I've decided I'm not going to wade through apples service stock as what I'll be getting is probably an iPhone 5 that someone has returned for the scratch/chip issue as I was told by the apple rep that service stock can show signs of use.

If one my iPhone 5 is replaced with one that's damaged out of the box I will request a different handset altogether as I can't see a 3rd party retailer going through boxes of new iPhones until I get one with no scratches when stock levels are tight. One thing I am going to do is open it in the store and give it a inspection before accepting it taking it from the store.

After 3 black ones with scuffs...

My photos: http://ronrichardsonwebdesign.com/iphone-5-scratches-chips-defects.php

I went with a white one and a case that fully covered the top bezel edge. After about a week I took off the case and noticed some very slight nicks arouind the top and bottom bezel edges. And noticed what looked like dust particles around the inside edges of the case.

So even with a case it appears that dust can get between the edge of the case and the beveled edge of the phone and cause scuffs. That is simply unacceptable. I can't imagine what it would like like after a year or so without a case.

Ive been using my current white iPhone 5 with a cheap TPU case for about 5 days and i havent seen any nicks or scuffs with the case at all (other than the scratch it came with out of the box) I just bought a Speck Candyshell case and im using it today for the first time. Ive taken it off and on several times and no more further nicks or scuffs. Unless you were using a hard plastic case or something rough then thats prob the problem.

I've bought a TPU bumper (all rubber no plastic insert) to go on my new one when it arrives providing its scratch/chip free.

I like the bumper but am wondering if I should go with a full TPU case to keep marks away. The only problem is with the full case dust can get behind it and cause more damage to the handset rather than with just a bumper style where the dust only gets around the bezel.

Either way its all a what it at the moment as getting a blemish free iPhone 5 is almost impossible here in the UK.

My third black Iphone arrived surprisingly perfect in the UK

I've opted for front and back protectors along with a full soft gel case. This way no scratches and the protectors protect from dust etc

So far so good

I've been wondering about that too, as I'd like to upgrade to the iPhone 5 from my iPhone 4, but have been holding off until this set of issues has been resolved. I keep reading about everything from nicks, scratches, scuffs, dust under glass, dust in the camera lens, ... wow, the list goes on and on. I know it sounds petty considering how many much bigger issues we face in the world today, but I'm in the camp with those who aren't willing to accept "damaged goods" when I purchase a new high-end device.

So I continue to watch to see if these issues will persist with the iPhone 5 or if they'll be resolved. The one thing that I wonder about is this: there have been millions and millions of the devices sold. Some who post here say they've gone thru as many as 5 or 6 exchanges & they've all been bad - but the numbers here are minute compared to the millions of devices in the field. What about them? Are they all damaged too, and people just didn't post here, or maybe they just accepted the defects? or maybe it's actually a relatively small percentage of units that come thru with defects (and typical of online forums, its mostly those who have issues that post 😮)...

I'd really like to upgrade if I can get a good one - it seems like a nice upgrade from the "4". But there's still a 3-4 week wait anyway...

I bet there is a lot of the sales figures that contain people that had defects and just decided to live with it. I know my mate ordered a black and white 16gb and they both have defects (the black bad 2 chips on the front chamfer and the white a scratch on the back chamfer) but he said he was happy to live with it

A lot of people who buy iPhones are too busy to deal with having to replace handsets so they seem happy to live with it as its too much of an inconvenience to get to replaced. The others are just happy to have the device in their hands that they won't part with it until the next iphone comes around no matter how many defects it has.

True. I can live with tiny scratches. And I did overlook the tiny scratches. I had a case on my iphone 5 anyway. What I couldn't deal with was the glaring damage that I kept getting. Chipped screen, chipped home button, etc. I imagine most people's iPhones do come with minuscule damage but a percentage of us also got glaring physical damage.

I always keep my iPhone 4 in a case (a silicon case that covers the back & edges) so I wouldn't see the scratches anyway. But one of the benefits of an iDevice is that they tend to hold their resale value. When evaluating resale value, scratches & other cosmetic damage is a factor. So even if for this reason alone I'd want a new device to arrive defect-free. I go out of my way to protect it myself, but if it starts off damaged then it's all for naught.

I totally get the "too busy to deal with exchanges" thing. In fact that's why I'm reluctant to take the chance by ordering one if I'm likely to have to do that.

I'm hopeful that this will get worked out...

I understand people not being too bothered a about minuscule scratches and chips but at what amount does having minuscule chips become an unacceptable issue.

I have counted 9 minuscule chips all down the back of the slate aluminium back on the right edge parallel to the chamfer. It looks like a machining fault and was there out of the box along with 2 bigger obvious chips on the front and another chip where the slate back and glass join under the camera. Mine is pretty bad and the retailer said its one of the worst be has seen but its not as bad as some on this thread.

I was really dissapointed when opening my iphone and finding these issues and am pretty annoyed that the retailer I purchased from cannot seem to get hold of any stock until the middle of November at the earliest here in the UK. I could get a replacent from apple but its a service part replacement and can shows sighs of use including marks and scratches so I'm unwilling to do that as the retailer (local three shop) has promised an new retail handset as soon as stock arrives.

Nine chips in a supposidly brand-new device is clearly unacceptable any way you choose to look at it. I refuse to accept any refurbished device, also. When my phone arrives if there is an issue I will simply call Verizon within the 14 day window I have to exchange/replace the device, and request another phone. I won't be waiting another month, either. If they don't have one to send me I'm going to consider that their problem, as I've already waited about 4 weeks. I will give Apple another shot and order another iPhone 5, same color, same GB. If that one shows up with defects, I'm done. Two strikes and you're out. I'll call Verizon and order either a Razr Maxx HD or a Samsung Galaxy S3 in black, even though I already owned the GS3 and wasn't super excited about it. It sure beats dealing with chips, scratches, and nicks right out of the box over and over again.