Does the iPhone 4's antenna band scratch easily??

Id like to know this too.

yes it will scratch if you neglect it. the surface is definately treated you can scratch it.

I just put a little scratch on the edge of the bezel with my silver ring the other day. and judging from the complains about bumper scratching the bezel i say it its only slightly better than 3gs's chrome bezel

sadface 🙁 I guess ill have to get a set of LuckyLabs

http://www.theluckylabs.com/

I am extremely pleased in how it's holding up. I work hvac so I'm always using it in hazordous areas that would scratch the he'll out of it. I have dropped it about 5 times so far and all is good. The stainless band has not a scratch on it. I don't use a case either

I don't think so. It's made of stainless steel. Take a look at your average stainless steel items around the house like utensils. They take a lot of beating and after all the years of rough treatments, how do they look to you?

Granted there are different grades of stainless, but overall, they stand up to wear and tear pretty well. Even when scratched, they look pretty good. I think it's a shame to put a protective cover on such a beautiful thing, unless you don't like the look of stainless (antenna reception is another topic). The front and back glass would be more of my concern than the antenna scratching.

Speaking of which, I am on the fence about getting a case for this thing. I still have a pristine Palm Tungsten in a beautiful aluminum case. It's in perfect condition, and it's obsolete. In the end I traded several years of pleasure not using it without a case for a cosmetically perfect but obsolete device.

The one reason I am considering getting a case is that I think I would prefer a more rounded edges around the IP4 for holding comfort, and to keep the glass raised.

meistervu said:

I don't think so. It's made of stainless steel. Take a look at your average stainless steel items around the house like utensils. They take a lot of beating and after all the years of rough treatments, how do they look to you?

Granted there are different grades of stainless, but overall, they stand up to wear and tear pretty well. Even when scratched, they look pretty good. I think it's a shame to put a protective cover on such a beautiful thing, unless you don't like the look of stainless (antenna reception is another topic). The front and back glass would be more of my concern than the antenna scratching.

Speaking of which, I am on the fence about getting a case for this thing. I still have a pristine Palm Tungsten in a beautiful aluminum case. It's in perfect condition, and it's obsolete. In the end I traded several years of pleasure not using it without a case for a cosmetically perfect but obsolete device.

The one reason I am considering getting a case is that I think I would prefer a more rounded edges around the IP4 for holding comfort, and to keep the glass raised.

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From experience, I disagree. I just discovered last night that the iPhone bumper "scratched" my antenna band pretty noticeable. Not that I care, since I was simply replacing the bumper with my Incase Slider.

Also, I would say the word "scratch" is inaccurate. The band is like my wedding ring, it is brushed, which is a machining process. I have found that on my wedding ring this is extremely sensitive to rubbing off and showing a brighter shinier silver surface underneath. I have a feeling this is what happens with the antenna band, it isn't that the band is scratching, as much as it is that the brushing is getting removed.

The most annoying thing about scratches on the iPhone 4 is that you don't see them right away--and I'm talking the antenna AND the glass. I have a couple of scratches on the bottom of my antenna that I swear had to be on there when I got it, because I have the thing in an iFrogz case with a charge port cover. The scratches are right under where the port cover goes and you have to try really really hard to see them. They're only visible in certain kind of light. But it drives me nuts just to know they're present at all.

I also have a very miniscule scratch in the back glass right underneath the Apple logo. Again, it has always been covered by a case and the scratches are only visible in exactly the right lighting. But it's just another physical mar on the phone that drives me bonkers. I baby the hell out of my phone, so I know it's not anything I'm doing. But I have since added a back glass cover to go UNDER the iFrogz cover to prevent any more scratching.

This phone is so aesthetically pleasing that any mark on it almost ruins the experience for me. I know you have to look really hard to see the marks, but just the fact that they're there drives me insane.

The band doesn't scratch that easily, but it will in time just like almost any other material. It's not like you can see it unless you're looking for it under direct sunlight though. It's all mind tricks anyway. Once you take your attention away from the fact that the blemishes are even there, you won't even notice or look for them.