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Is the iPhone5 as slippery as it was for me?

This is a strange question to ask I know, but bear with me please.


I had a go on the iPhone5 in an Apple store at the weekend. I was with someone who has the 4S, and she tried it too.


When we both held one of these lovely looking phones in our left hands, and reached our thumbs to the top left (which you do regularly to go back to mailboxes etc), it slid right through my hand. And to my amazement, it slid through her iphone-expert hand too!


I've read a vast amount of forums and reviews on the phone. Some talk about "scuff gate", some about is it too light and so on. A few say it is too light, and thus with the alu backing, it's too easy to slip out of your hand. One said "It's like wet soap in your hand".


I was using it with my little finger under the base of the phone, cradling it. As I do with my current handset. She did this too. And couldn't reach the top left. When we both did, we found our fingers letting to to reach for it and ....... yep, slipped right through!


I've watched the video promo for it, and the way the person holds the phone is not a natural way to hold it - is it?? When the hand reaches down to the bottom right corner, it looks like a "double jointed" move to me. Only to make the reach to the top left look easy.


Is it really that slippery, that yet again, you need to cover a beautiful design, with a black or pretty coloured rubber case?

You watch the video promos and they so often say how stunning the new design is. How they take photos to get the design looking slap-bang on. And they do - it does look geniusly brilliant.


And then the customer has to cover it up for all manner of reasons.


But that aside.... is it slippery?

Posted on Feb 6, 2013 11:59 AM

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12 replies

Feb 6, 2013 12:28 PM in response to simon_a6

simon_a6 wrote:


Ok thanks. You and a lot of other must have some amazing grip then.

And longer fingers.

I don't find it to be any more slippery than any other iOS device I have owned (or any other cell phone for that matter). Size and shape seems to be well suited for holding one handed, if one desires, and still use the buttons and screen. I currently have a case and screen protector (because I tend to be a little hard on phones, particularly when it comes to being scratched), but used it without one for a bit after buying it. If I thought I could get away with using sans case, I would. I love the size the feel.

Feb 6, 2013 12:32 PM in response to Kilgore-Trout

Thanks James. Well done.

I'm not an Apple user, but maybe one day. My current device has rubber/soft feel on the back, and it's nigh on impossible to slide out of the hand. So typing with one hand is easy.


I did the same with the '5', and it was very slippy. I hand my finger under the bottom of the phone, but to reach up, I had to "let go" of the base, and it slipped.


The only way was to grip it 'tight', which I have never had to do with a phone before.


Anyway, thanks.

Feb 6, 2013 12:36 PM in response to JimHdk

Thanks JimHdk. I must admit there are not a lot of threads about this particular subject, but of those I have read about it, they said it's really very difficult to type and go "back" to mailboxes or other back links (top left buttons) all with one hand.


One said on an O2 forum "It's a slippery little sucker".

Feb 6, 2013 12:40 PM in response to JimHdk

JimHdk wrote:


I've never had a problem holding on my iPhone 5 nor have I ever heard of such.

Neither have I. Frankly it caught me off guard just a bit. I know there were some negative comments about the wieght (or lack thereof) when it initially came out, but I chalked that up primarily to bloggers needing something to talk about. But "slippery" or "difficult to hold"? I don't see it. But ... different strokes and all that.

Apr 21, 2014 6:20 AM in response to simon_a6

Run your finger along the back of the iPhone 5s. When you are over the brushed metal, it glides very easily. When you are over the glass or the logo, there is much more resistance.


When I have the iPhone 5s in a pants pocket and sit down on a sofa, the phone often glides out of my pocket.


My workaround has been to put a strip of clear packing tape on the back of the phone, covering much of the brushed metal surface. Now the phone has as much resistance as the iPhone 4 did, and no longer slips out of my pocket often.


Brushed metal is not a good surface for a phone, unless you are in the business of selling more phone and figure that people will blame themselves, not Apple, for dropping or losing the phone.

Is the iPhone5 as slippery as it was for me?

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