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Black iPhone 5 Anodized Aluminum Susceptible to Scratching?

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,534
30,842



After the original announcement of the iPhone 5, one early concern amongst readers was how well the anodized aluminum back and edges of the black iPhone 5 would hold up over time.

One lengthy thread on our forums has been actively discussing the potential issue and Pocket-Lint in their review did note some wear around the edges after some early usage.
Ditching the glass back and reducing the thickness of the glass panel on the front has affected the design of the metal band around the edge of the iPhone. It is now chamfered and while that looks pretty, we've already noticed that on the black model the edge has started to wear, revealing the shiny silver aluminium metal underneath the "slate" coloured coating and, indeed, we've witnessed it on two separate models, ruling out a fluke manufacturing error.
Click to expand...
One person on another forum got straight to the matter and took keys and a SIM card tray pin to the back and edges of an in-store iPhone 5 unit with these results.

1zoykg7.jpg



Of course, purposefully scratching a device is a bit extreme, but daily usage of any phone will generate some wear and tear. This may be a concern if you are particularly sensitive to the issue.

Article Link: Black iPhone 5 Anodized Aluminum Susceptible to Scratching?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/21/black-iphone-5-anodized-aluminum-susceptible-to-scratching/
GLS

GLS

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2010
561
600
Metal scratches, even anodized. Not sure why this is even worthy of mention.
 
Caliber26

Caliber26

macrumors 68020
Sep 25, 2009
2,325
3,637
Orlando, FL
Something had to replace the yellow screen drama.

First maps, now this. :rolleyes:

And the guy who scratched the in-store iPhone should be made to pay for it. He should've scratched his own phone.

EDIT: UPS just delivered my phone no more than two minutes ago and I can confirm that there are no scratches on mine out of the box (as others have reported to be the case with theirs).
 
Last edited:
S

satchow

macrumors 6502
Jul 11, 2011
467
186
WTF metal scratches if you take hard sharp objects to it? God forbid the glass screen cracks if you drop it too!
 
nfl46

nfl46

macrumors G3
Oct 5, 2008
8,349
8,704
A few people complained when they got their iPhone this morning. I'm assuming they read the forums and knew to examine their phone after they got it. Seriously Apple, some people are paying $600 plus for these people. We want HIGH quality devices. Get it together! It was scuffed up right out the box. It wasn't major but still...
 
dlewis23

dlewis23

macrumors 65816
Oct 23, 2007
1,149
1,827
What a surprise metal scratches. I think plastic, glass and just about every other material also scratches.
 
JonnyIreland

JonnyIreland

macrumors 6502a
Mar 10, 2010
873
228
Toronto, Canada
Nice way to condone the vandalism of someone else's property, wonder if that person will be conducting the same special 'tests' on their own $700 piece of equipment?
 
I

i5pro

macrumors regular
Jun 17, 2010
165
234
NNJ
That dude who scratched it in the store should be forced to pay full price for it.
 
mmberry1

mmberry1

macrumors member
Jun 9, 2012
61
7
Let me take a metal key to any other product scratch it and see what happens...really?
 
M

MGCP

macrumors member
Sep 21, 2012
45
3
So you're saying that if I buy one I won't be able to attack it with keys and expect to see no damage afterwards?

Thanks for the heads up.
 
B

bsimpsen

macrumors member
Sep 18, 2012
79
105
iPod Mini/Nano/Shuffle and all recent Macs have anodized aluminum shells. Other than being black, there's nothing new about this surface treatment. My 6 year old Motorola Razr has a black anodized aluminum case and it looks fine.
 
M

mcinally

macrumors newbie
Aug 30, 2012
14
0
Manchester, UK
I don't understand why this issue is such a surprise to people.. A classic example of anodisation are bicycle rims, with brake pads they'll always turn to the true colour.
 
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