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iPhone 4 Scratches - Word Of Advice!

I

iPhone3gPSU

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 12, 2009
56
0
Hey all!

Just a word of caution. I wanted to share a quick personal story. I've had an iPhone ever since the first generation. Way back when I bought iPhone 1 I tried one of the screen protectors. I hated it! I felt like it made it difficult to type and had air bubbles all over, making the phone look horrible. I decided I was going to try things without a screen protector. Since then I have been lucky. I've had the iPhone 3G, 3GS and now iPhone 4 - never a scratch! Well luck ran short a couple of weeks ago. I picked up my iPhone 4 and to my horror realized I had multiple scratches on the front of the screen. Two of them were deep enough to see the "rainbow effect" when viewing the screen. Let me mention that I NEVER put my phone in my pocket with my keys. I always try to take very good care and like I have mentioned I was successful for 3 years. The other week when I got the scratches on my phone I was horrified. I know it sounds silly, but you all know you would be the same way ;)

My point is this. The new screen protectors are much better than before. The one I purchased (after being lucky enough to have an Apple Genius replace the phone) is an anti-glare shield. To my surprise, the shield not only looks great, but it does a great job at reducing the glare in the bright sun!

Just a suggestion for those of you like I was an convinced the screen cannot get scratched with great care...
 
This advice has been given time and time again and there are still "Einstein's" that come here crying how to repair or replace their scratched screens. I been on this forum since the first iPhone and things never change as far as this goes. You might as well be giving this advice to your dog or cat because they might listen better.
 
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i always like to keep my stuff in good condition, i always get protectors haha, even for my DSi
 
On this replacement phone I am on now (#3), I've had a cheapo Incipio screen protector (came free w/ an iPhone 3G case, works fine) on it since day 1. It's far older than the phone itself, and nary a problem. Every other screen protector of any brand I've ever used before has sucked and been hell to install, but the cheap one works.
 
I've been looking for a 32Gb iP4 in sealed box or unused (plastic still on both sides) for a decent price, but most sellers are around $25-50 over what I'm willing to pay. The occasional one that goes for my liking is immediately snatched up before I can get a crack at it.

Basically, I will never buy a used iP4 because every single "mint," "10/10," "like new" condition one that I've seen invariably has very fine (sometimes very noticeable) scratches on the screen AND the back. Even if the phone has been touched for merely 1 hour, I no longer trust the seller.

The iP4, in my experience, is the easiest thing to scratch next to chrome. I'm not referring to deep marks that can be felt, but very thin and hairline scratches that can be seen under florescent or sunlight.
 
In my opinion, it much easier to have a mint iPhone 4 than a mint 3GS. I only had small scratches on the back on my 3G/3GS, but on the 4, it is still in mint condition, not a single scratch. By this time last year, my 3GS already had its fair share of scratching.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4 (32GB, JB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

mikelegacy said:
I dont use a screen protector, nor would i complain if I got scratches. I would just get a new phone. simple fix :)
Click to expand...

Yup. Either that, or just live with it. It's just a phone, after all.
 
I don't use a screen protector. Theres no way I could use one. The screen is too nice to have one. If I get a scratch so what. I'll live with it.
 
mpossoff said:
That's why when I got my iPhone at att store it went into an Otterbox defender before I left the store.
Click to expand...

I keep my pristine iP4 in its original sealed packaging in a fire-proof safe deposit box under triple lock with biometric scanner and have an offsite backup just in case :)

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Actually, I've always used a screen protector on my iPhones, but when I upgraded to the iP4, I just didn't like the difference in screen clarity with the protector on. So, I only use the bumper and am seriously thinking about taking that off too.
 
Almost 5 months now with no screen protector, no case, no bumper, and no scratches front or back! It's all about how well you take care of your phone. I avoid laying the phone on hard surfaces and I do not put the phone in my pocket.
 
seajay96 said:
I keep my pristine iP4 in its original sealed packaging in a fire-proof safe deposit box under triple lock with biometric scanner and have an offsite backup just in case :)

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Actually, I've always used a screen protector on my iPhones, but when I upgraded to the iP4, I just didn't like the difference in screen clarity with the protector on. So, I only use the bumper and am seriously thinking about taking that off too.
Click to expand...

I have always used a defender because of my job.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

This is exactly the reason why I have always kept an antiglare screen protector on my iPhones from day one.
 
I rather have an unnoticeable scratch or two than have a dead pixel. I returned so many HTC phones cause of dead pixels. My luck with the iPhone has been pretty good, never returned or needed to fix one yet, and I use it way more than any previous phone.

The only thing with the previous iPhones I had was the Apple logo on the back would get scratched too easy, but I didn't care about that and it didn't hurt resale value.

When I don't have the Otterbox case on, I never place my phone screen downwards on anything. I make sure the screen protector on the case is clear of any small debris before I put it back on. Also lint in your pockets can cause minor scratches.
 
mpossoff said:
I have always used a defender because of my job.
Click to expand...

Just trying to be funny :). Anytime I think of Otterbox, I think of the ruggedized PDA armor case.

I'm sure if I worked in a rugged environment, I would be using a serious case too.
 
I can't tell there is a screen protector on mine....because i don't buy crappy screen protectors.
 
iPhone3gPSU said:
I picked up my iPhone 4 and to my horror realized I had multiple scratches on the front of the screen. Two of them were deep enough to see the "rainbow effect" when viewing the screen. Let me mention that I NEVER put my phone in my pocket with my keys. I always try to take very good care and like I have mentioned I was successful for 3 years. The other week when I got the scratches on my phone I was horrified. I know it sounds silly, but you all know you would be the same way ;)

Just a suggestion for those of you like I was an convinced the screen cannot get scratched with great care...
Click to expand...

The screen doesn't get scratched "with great care." Apparently you either you had a lapse, or someone else damaged your phone.
 
iHeartapple2 said:
Almost 5 months now with no screen protector, no case, no bumper, and no scratches front or back! It's all about how well you take care of your phone. I avoid laying the phone on hard surfaces and I do not put the phone in my pocket.
Click to expand...

To this guy I ask where do you keep your phone and what do you carry it in? You don't lay it down and you don't put it in a pocket. Is there a force field? All-in-All I don't use a case either anymore. I used a bumper for a couple months but when it got cold and I started wearing jeans I found it hard to get in and out of the pocket because of the rubber part. I do use SGP screen shields on both sides of the phone though. They are crystal clear and unnoticeable. I'm careful about not dropping it, but I use normally and keep on a hard table no problem.
 
I found that even if you put on a screen protector after it gets scratched the sticky stuff fills in the scratch if it isn't too big and can cover them up / hide them rather well.

The used 3gs I got has a couple of gouges in the digitizer and they all but went away with the protector on. So not the end of the world even if it does get scratched.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I had the sgp steinheil ultra crystal screen protector along with a speck pixelskin hd case, and while the combo worked great for my iPhone 4 it's still so much nicer working with a naked iP4.

I've had it naked now for about 10 days, zero scratches but it takes a fair bit of babying. I figure it must come in contact with something harder than glass to scratch. And this thing is meant to be enjoyed first and foremost so the hell with all screen protectors and cases.
 
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