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iPhone 5 scratches: a 2 month update

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canyonblue737

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jan 10, 2005
2,144
2,608
I was a launch customer of the iPhone 5 in black. Like many it seemed to get the tiny, tiny scratches on the chamfered bezel that glinted sliver almost overnight. Within weeks it had dozens and it grew daily. I keep the phone naked and although I am careful with it (I don't keep anything else with it in my pocket etc.) I certainly set it down on tables and in cup holders etc. My phone is a tool and I accept scratches. I never considered returning the phone and the scratches were visible mostly to me if I cared to look, but there was no doubt the phone scratched way more than the glass on the iPhone 4. I just assumed that the easily scratched nature of the iPhone 5 was a design characteristic.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago... I had to have my phone replaced because 2 pieces of dust got inside the camera lens (that is a story for another thread and indeed you can find it :D ) and so i got a brand new, scratch free iPhone 5 in black. Here I am 3 weeks later and despite being harder than ever on my iPhone the darn thing doesn't have a mark. There is NO QUESTION now in my that my launch iPhone had a flawed coating. I never believed the rumors etc. but clearly my new phone is made of much tougher stuff, the difference is night and day. Will it scratch... I am sure at some point it will, but something was wrong with my launch iPhone.

So is there a point? I am not sure other than anytime Apple switches to a new form factor the folks at Foxconn need time to learn how to make it and so it seems the launch phones always suffer from some kind of build quality issue until the kinks are fixed. The iPhone 5 is much more scratch resistant than the launch batch would have you believe...
 
Dwalls90

Dwalls90

macrumors 603
Feb 5, 2009
5,427
4,399
Ok like myself, no one else is going to read this without pictures.

Not to mention everyone and there grandma has created a thread like this already.
 
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0087215

Cancelled
Sep 20, 2008
495
36
Thanks for sharing this with us! It is good to know that the latest batches of iPhone 5s are not affected by that nasty design flaw anymore.
 
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Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
Thanks for sharing your story. I think that all but confirms a manufacturing flaw did in fact happen.

----------
Dwalls90 said:
Ok like myself, no one else is going to read this without pictures.

Not to mention everyone and there grandma has created a thread like this already.
Click to expand...

durr, I need pictures cause I can't read 2.5 paragraphs without getting easily distracted.

If you READ the original post, you would KNOW that there is NO reason for pictures...
 
GeorgieAcevedo

GeorgieAcevedo

macrumors 6502a
Apr 12, 2012
740
1
New York City
outlawarth said:
Can I ask a question? What week was your replacement model made in?

You can check here: (in case you didn't know about this site) http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html
Click to expand...

I know you didn't ask me but I got a replacement 4 days ago for a brand new one out the box and 4 days later it's already scuffing easily.

Production year: 2012
Production week: 47 (November)
Name: iPhone 5 (GSM model: AT&T and Canada)
ModelCode: iphone_5
Model Number: MD634
Group1: iPhone
 
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II BISTRO II

macrumors member
Sep 25, 2012
88
0
Brb-using-imagination-Since-no-pics.jpg
 
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Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
LOL, I feel horrible for humanity that we really do need pictures to describe something.

OP's phone before:
359419-scratch.jpg

A3UguWGCEAIJpZU.jpg-large.jpg

iphone-5-scuffs-2.jpg


After replacement:
iphone_5_black_hero.jpg

iphone-5-black-apple-press-01.jpg


I hope this helps clear things up for the layperson.
 
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outlawarth

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2011
521
585
GeorgieAcevedo said:
I know you didn't ask me but I got a replacement 4 days ago for a brand new one out the box and 4 days later it's already scuffing easily.

Production year: 2012
Production week: 47 (November)
Name: iPhone 5 (GSM model: AT&T and Canada)
ModelCode: iphone_5
Model Number: MD634
Group1: iPhone
Click to expand...

Thanks. Mine is week 45 and flawless (white).
 
C

canyonblue737

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jan 10, 2005
2,144
2,608
Wow I didn't take pictures of my scratches because I didn't intend to return it for that like I said I replaced it due to dust in the camera. The pics posted kindly for me showing a black phone with the tiny nick like scratches is exactly what mine looked like after 5 weeks except I had even more. My current phone after 3 weeks looks brand new, feel free to see apple.com for that.

I will lookup my replacement units build info and post later today thanks.
 
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Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
canyonblue737 said:
Wow I didn't take pictures of my scratches because I didn't intend to return it for that like I said I replaced it due to dust in the camera. The pics posted kindly for me showing a black phone with the tiny nick like scratches is exactly what mine looked like after 5 weeks except I had even more. My current phone after 3 weeks looks brand new, feel free to see apple.com for that.

I will lookup my replacement units build info and post later today thanks.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of folks are missing the point of the thread. The intelligence level is...uh...leaves something to be desired so when people see "scratches" in the thread title, the thread automatically is about your phone having scratches and you're either:

a) complaining about them, b) accepting them or c) questioning them. In any event you MUST have pictures cause paragraphs are just too much to read...

If the threads aren't about battery life, scratches, bending, or just simply kissing :apple: 's butt then they're just unable to be comprehended by the macrumors population.

I fully understand the intent of your thread was to share the experience you had in getting a new device and the observation you made that the first device started flaking away immediately whereas the new one has held strong. This must mean that there was a difference (defect) with your initial phone proving that the scuffing thing is either a) legitimate b) a manufacturing defect c) been corrected by Apple or d) All of the above

For the record, I believe you (have no reason not to...) and I think it pretty much proves that there were some "growing pains" in regards to the production of the 5.
 
NM08SRT8

NM08SRT8

macrumors 6502a
Jan 18, 2010
968
314
Earf
There is a 4000+ post thread regarding this same issue. Your not any more special to post outside of it...
 
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Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
NM08SRT8 said:
There is a 4000+ post thread regarding this same issue. Your not any more special to post outside of it...
Click to expand...

There's a thread with 4000+ posts about someone having one of the defective phones then having it swapped out and noting that the swapped one is *not* defective therefore proving that there was in fact a manufacturing flaw or defect?

Hmm... I didn't see that one. The only one I saw was the one where everyone was b**ching about their phones scratching and flaking then other people saying:

"it's metal and it will scratch"
"you're carrying it wrong"
"It's not apple's fault"
"It's apple's fault"
"you should return it"
"you should live with it"
"I'm an annodizing expert and bla bla bla"
"I looked up annodizing on wikipedia and bla bla bla"

...but nobody had any definitive proof that there was a manufacturing problem OR evidence that it's been corrected. This thread provides both IMO (better than just a bunch of complaining)
 
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II BISTRO II

macrumors member
Sep 25, 2012
88
0
Leonard1818 said:
I think a lot of folks are missing the point of the thread. The intelligence level is...uh...leaves something to be desired so when people see "scratches" in the thread title, the thread automatically is about your phone having scratches and you're either:

a) complaining about them, b) accepting them or c) questioning them. In any event you MUST have pictures cause paragraphs are just too much to read...

If the threads aren't about battery life, scratches, bending, or just simply kissing :apple: 's butt then they're just unable to be comprehended by the macrumors population.

I fully understand the intent of your thread was to share the experience you had in getting a new device and the observation you made that the first device started flaking away immediately whereas the new one has held strong. This must mean that there was a difference (defect) with your initial phone proving that the scuffing thing is either a) legitimate b) a manufacturing defect c) been corrected by Apple or d) All of the above

For the record, I believe you (have no reason not to...) and I think it pretty much proves that there were some "growing pains" in regards to the production of the 5.
Click to expand...

8y82yo.gif
 
C

canyonblue737

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jan 10, 2005
2,144
2,608
Here is the replacement phone info:

Model introduced: 2012
Serial number:
Production year: 2012
Production week: 43 (October)
Name: iPhone 5
ModelCode: iphone_5
Model Number: MD660
Group1: iPhone
Group2:
Generation: 7
Machine Model: iPhone5,2
CPU speed: 1.3GHz
Family name: Become a pro user to see this information. (sorry)
Screen size: 4 inch
Screen resolution: 1136x640 pixels
Colour: Black
Capacity: 32GB
Factory: DN (China, Chengdu - Foxconn)

As an aside... I have been posting on Macrumors for years and years and years and never managed to stir the pot before. I am well aware of the multi-thousand post thread about scratched iPhones, I had read much of it when my phone became scratched out of the box very quickly after the launch timeframe. I didn't put much stock in a build issue (other than the design being easy to scratch) until with random chance I ended up with a replacement unit 2 months later. To me it unexpectedly proved there is an issue with the actual coating, not just the design that is causing the 5 to scratch and I thought it would be useful to post about my experience. I didn't think the the place was a post where thousands of posts had devolved into a mess of as Leonard said:

"it's metal and it will scratch"
"you're carrying it wrong"
"It's not apple's fault"
"It's apple's fault"
"you should return it"
"you should live with it"
"I'm an annodizing expert and bla bla bla"
"I looked up annodizing on wikipedia and bla bla bla"

For those I upset starting a new thread, I'm sorry. For those I upset not taking highres pictures I am sorry. To anyone who found it useful to have a data point showing that the problem may actually be a build issue, not a design issue... you are welcome.

i'm checking out now...
 
Last edited:
S

sectime

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2007
530
0
NM08SRT8 said:
Further more evidence of the type of person we are dealing with here.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
At least he isn't being a jerk, like some poster's here.
Glad your phone got replaced. I am on my third one just picked it up today, no flaws on first two, just had problems. I would much rather read positive topics than endless screen and Ipad Mini whining. Are you bitter because of your lame
SRT 8 ? :cool:
 
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