iPhone 6 now seems to come with a pre-installed screen protector

I just received a brand new iPhone 6 in a sealed box. When I inspected the display up-close after unboxing the phone, it seems as if it came with a pre-installed screen protector. There is a clear, but hairline thin edge all along the display, very similar to what can be seen in this photo: http://static.proporta.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/small_image/1000x1000/9 df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p/r/prop…


Is this Apple's response to all the complaints regarding the glass quality of this model? Regardless, I am tempted to try to remove it, as the display is already covered with annoying finger marks. I never had an issue with this on the display of my 5s, which I have always used without any screen protection. If this is indeed a screen protection, has any of you tried to remove it, and in that case, what was your experience afterwards?


Thanks!

iPhone 6, iOS 9.2

Posted on Jan 6, 2016 2:14 AM

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5 replies

Jan 6, 2016 7:50 AM in response to -Torgrim-

-Torgrim- wrote:


I just received a brand new iPhone 6 in a sealed box. When I inspected the display up-close after unboxing the phone, it seems as if it came with a pre-installed screen protector. There is a clear, but hairline thin edge all along the display, very similar to what can be seen in this photo: http://static.proporta.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/small_image/1000x1000/9 df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p/r/prop…


If the phone you got has a screen protector it was not a new phone. Take it back.

Jan 6, 2016 11:33 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Thank you for your reply.


I know the most rational explanation is that I've gotten a used product, but this just does not add up. The phone came in an original box that was sealed with tight plastic film, just like all of my other iOS devices. Everything inside the box (phone, charger, manual pack and headset) was packed with Apple’s standard precision, just as if it was brand new. The phone was encased with a transparent sheet of plastic that stretched from the back to the front, and it didn't have a single fingermark or visible dust spec on it. With the exception of the screen protector, there isn't a single thing that suggests that it could be a used product. It was only after removing the plastic sheet from the phone that I discovered the underlying screen protector.


I got the phone from the IT department at work, and I’m not too keen about asking them for a replacement when there isn’t anything wrong with the phone as such. It just annoys me that I can’t figure out why the screen protector was in place.


Could it be that Apple installs screen protectors on refurbished units, and that I have gotten one of those?

Jan 6, 2016 11:44 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

I can buy a machine that will shrink wrap a package to make it look like new for under $100. So the fact that it was shrink-wrapped is no proof that it is new. Many businesses that sell electronics will take returns, repackage them, re shrink wrap them, and sell them as new. Your company probably bought the phones from a wholesaler rather than directly from Apple, and that's how you got a used phone that looks like new.

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iPhone 6 now seems to come with a pre-installed screen protector

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