iPhone 6 screen easily scratched?

mbenivegna wrote:

See rbrylawski, now that was helpful not posts about screen protectors and cases. Everyone here wants that to be their last option. We are all aware of the many different types of cases and screen protectors, we don't need to be reminded about them. These phones don't need either and have never needed them so why should we give in to something that is clearly a manufacturing issue.

It's not a manufacturing issue, and I personally use screen protectors or cases on my iOS devices. So, rbrylawski's suggestion, while not one that you appreciate, is one that others may appreciate. No one is forcing you to use a screen protector. But that's the wisest thing to do, regardless of the screen that's involved, especially if you're going to be touching it with something a lot.

There's room for multiple options here.

Didn't know about that. Thanks. I'll check my original box for the SN as I no longer have my original 6.

How do you know it's not a manufacturing issue (unless you know something we don't)? Even the Genius I spoke to said this wasn't normal. We've had no confirmation from Apple stating it wasn't one, nor one that states it's not.

Uhm, I see it the other way around. if Apple comes out and does a recall on certain devices due to "manufacturing issue", then I will believe it. Right now my brand new iphone6 scuffed up pathetically easily in less than 24 hours and I see a thread full of people saying the same thing. Even just statistically speaking its far more likely to be a design flaw at this point then some fluke in an isolated batch of phones. By the way, do you ever for one second believe Apple would come out and admit a design flaw? Guess again.

After doing some more research it has come to my attention that iphone4's were not made with gorilla glass, they were made with a different kind of glass that does not scuff nearly as easily but is perhaps inclined to shatter more than gorilla glass. So gorilla glass is stronger, but scuffs more easily. I'm not sure if the iphone6 has changed with this new ion whatever stuff they talked about. Maybe that made it even easier to scuff, I don't know. Maybe that was their attempt to make it scuff less then iphone5?

I can only say this iphone6 scuffed up pathetically easy in less then 24 hours and my iphone4 has been all over the world in all kinds of crazy situations for 4 years and not a single scuff on the glass.

I'm not sure whether iphone6 is worse then iphone5 in that regard. Did they add this ion coating or whatever it is? I never owned an iphone5 to compare it. But a lot of people are complaining also that its hard to be happy with the screen protectors for iphone6 because the edge of the screen is curved and so the screen protector doesn't go all the way to the edge. So for my part, I am returning the iphone6, I will wait until Apple finally releases complete saphire screens. Until then I will either just make do with my slow but scratch free iphone4 or I will consider a 5s since at least a screen protector can go all the way to the edge on that one.

You missed my point, I'm not going to say it is or isn't until we have enough proof. Your explanation takes quite a few hits against what science as a collective whole has found regarding screen hardness. Gorilla glass actually has a hardness of about 9, which means that it is extremely difficult to scratch (it's as scratch resistant as sapphire, just to put something into perspective). Normal glass, presumably what Apple used for the 4, has a hardness of around 7, about the same as quartz. Technically less scratch resistant. We don't have enough (or any) evidence to say it is a design flaw, we don't have enough to say it isn't.

What I'm pointing at is still the oleophobic coating that was used, the glass isn't what's scratching, it's probably the coating on the outside of the glass. You state that a thread full of people complaining is enough to call out a defect, I highly disagree. The thread, as a collection, is the minority of the population, a huge minority. If it was truly a design flaw (like with the iPhone 4's antenna issues), all phones would be eligible to be affected (reproducible on all phones). That certainly is not the case, there are lots of phones that don't seem to be scratching after a week. I'm keeping a close eye on my new 6 right now to see if it'll happen again. This is no more a design flaw as bendgate is (bendgate isn't a flaw).

You're also mistaken about the ion... It's not a coating, it's chemical treatment that makes the glass chemically harder (why it's a 9 instead of a 7). Due to the fact that it's chemically bonded/created, it will never wear off like the oleophobic coating on the glass. The Gorilla Glass used is as hard as sapphire. Sapphire still doesn't make sense as a glass substitute IMO, it offers no more scratch resistance than what is already offered (both 9's) and it's more prone to shattering (it's more brittle). The iPhone 5/5s weren't advertised to use the ion-sterngthed glass.

ok so maybe its the coating on gorilla glass causing the scuffing then?

Here's an interesting article for you:

http://www.cultofmac.com/265632/next-iphone-wont-need-case/

I don't really know or care. The iphone6 scuffs too easily. End of story. Mine's going back. I'd like to understand more about the scuffing in order to consider an iphone5, but right now I'm inclined to just make do with my iphone4 another year.

tinyman392 wrote:

How do you know it's not a manufacturing issue (unless you know something we don't)? Even the Genius I spoke to said this wasn't normal. We've had no confirmation from Apple stating it wasn't one, nor one that states it's not.

If it was a manufacturing issue, then all of the devices would be defective. Customer service reps are known for saying whatever it takes to placate a customer.

That's the thing, not all devices are affected. It could be a single batch that is bad, maybe multiple (but not all)... All the devices (or most) in that (or those) batch(es) are affected, nothing else is.

iPhone 5 had scuffs on the back due to manufacturing errors (rushed manufacturing). This was not a design error, or a problem with the materials used. The manufacturer simple wasn't careful enough while manufacturing the iPhone 5's aluminum. Note, the 5 did not have issues with the screen, rather it was the aluminum back that was the issue. The 6 has no such issue, we're having problems with the screen scratching, not the back.

Then that's a defect, not a manufacturing issue. Perhaps that's what you meant, and if so, I apologize. But 'manufacturing issue' suggests to me that the manufacturing process itself is flawed. Defect implies that it is limited to a small percentage.

My iPhone 6 Plus wasn't affected, nor have I seen any 'scuffing' in the multiple iPhone 6/6 Pluses that I service (at last count, that was about 45 IIRC).

We are on the same page then

well what you're saying is that the front glass of my iphone6 was scuffed up when I got it and I just didn't notice it in the light of my home until i got to the AT&T store and then suddenly I saw it. And same for all the other people on this thread. That's certainly possible, discouraging and I think unlikely, but possible.

Either way I'm sending it back, I'm not going to waste my time going back and forth to the genius bar to find out. I will wait and maybe I'll reconsider a phone upgrade in a few months after the smoke clears a bit on this one. I live an hour away from an Apple Store as well. ***** that AT&T will charge me $35 restocking fee, but so be it.

I find it difficult to believe apple would ship a phone with a scuffed up screen like that, that is much harder for me to believe then the story that the actual glass just scuffs easily now somehow., especially in light of all the people on this thread having nearly the same experience and reaction as me within a few days after getting it. You can quote specs all day long, but when there is smoke there is usually fire. If it is just a bad batch of phones scratched at the factory, then Apple needs to get better manufacturing huh?

By the way, here is the interesting bit from that article which caught my attention:

The iPhone 5 and 5s scratch easily, and simply look worse over time.

.

.

The iPhone 4 and 4s handsets had aluminosilicate glass (not Gorilla Glass) on both the front and the back. That’s why if you still own one of these devices, it’s either shattered or in great shape, except for micro scratches all over it. Even with scratches on the glass, a 3-year-old iPhone 4s probably looks better than a 3-month-old iPhone 5s not carried in a case.

Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/265632/next-iphone-wont-need-case/#KDGskqCbwSk3aRiv.99

Its not really clear that they are talking about the aluminum there, the article is about glass.

Same here, never had any scratches with 4s or even 5s I had, but the 6 plus got a scratch 3 days after right in the middle of the screen and I dont keep keys or rocks in my pockets.

So I bought a all body transparent cover and since then I have dropped it once in my garage, but fortunately the screen shield saved the sides from scratches. surprisingly I just pay $5 for the awesome all body protector and installed it all myself. It was from skiomi or something like that on Amazon.

NC

what is the all body protector you go exactly?

It can be a manufacturing issue. Apple gets parts from different suppliers, and the same products are produced in different factories. They have a staff that is tasked with examining defective products so that they can pinpoint where the problems are occurring - e.g., a specific factory, a particular assembly line within a factory, parts provided by one supplier vs. another. See this article for a description of the effort Apple puts in to identify and correct manufacturing problems -- http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-04/for-iphone-6-defects-apple-has-f ailure-analysis-team-ready. It could be that the coating was applied improperly on some screens. That is why it would be useful to have info on where/when the phones with scratches were produced. We could at least know if there are still problems with phones manufactured recently, and also if they are all from the same factory.