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sfgiants320

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2008
35
0
I'm planning on buying an iPhone 6 as soon as it comes out, and based on all the leaks, it seems like the back will be almost entirely anodized aluminum (save for the narrow plastic strips and the camera lens, which I'm assuming will be covered in sapphire glass.) How scratch-prone do you think the aluminum back will be, let's say if I were to keep the phone in my pocket along with my keys? Would using a case essentially be necessary if I don't want the aluminum to get scratched, or will the aluminum somehow be able to withstand a little abuse without showing it?
 

BeeJee

macrumors 6502
Nov 27, 2011
369
2
Long Island/North Jersey
Keys have sharp edges. Sharp edges against a soft metal like aluminum is never a good thing. Even if the anodization doesn't come off, there would be a good chance of having marks in the metal itself.
 

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,253
Jacksonville, Florida
I'm planning on buying an iPhone 6 as soon as it comes out, and based on all the leaks, it seems like the back will be almost entirely anodized aluminum (save for the narrow plastic strips and the camera lens, which I'm assuming will be covered in sapphire glass.) How scratch-prone do you think the aluminum back will be, let's say if I were to keep the phone in my pocket along with my keys? Would using a case essentially be necessary if I don't want the aluminum to get scratched, or will the aluminum somehow be able to withstand a little abuse without showing it?

It will scratch. How well the scratches show will depend on if it is anodized. Darker colors will show scratches the worst. Just aluminum with no ano would show less but would still scratch.

Your keys will eat it up!
 

scaredpoet

macrumors 604
Apr 6, 2007
6,627
342
How scratch-prone do you think the aluminum back will be, let's say if I were to keep the phone in my pocket along with my keys? Would using a case essentially be necessary if I don't want the aluminum to get scratched, or will the aluminum somehow be able to withstand a little abuse without showing it?

Not even Apple can alter the lays of physics. Keys against aluminum will scratch. So with most other materials, actually, except maybe sapphire and diamond. There's not much of a way around that, except to not keep your keys and phone in the same pocket.

There's a long history of alumnimum products getting scratches over time, when rubbed against other metals and sharp or hard surfaces. That won't change. Eventually your phone will look like this:

iphone_wear.jpg
 

screensaver400

macrumors 6502a
Jan 28, 2005
858
46
Is it hypothetically possible to use an extremely thin coating of sapphire or glass on aluminum, for the scratch-resistance properties?
 

marvz

macrumors 65816
Aug 27, 2012
1,001
443
Berlin
Do not keep your phone in the same pocket as your keys.
I never used a case on my iPhones and they are looking like new phones. I just keep my iPhone in a pocket without any other things and that's it.
 
Last edited:

sfgiants320

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2008
35
0
Do not keep your phone in the same pocket as your keys.
I never used a case on my iPhones and they are looking like new phones. I just keep my iPhone in a pocket without any other things and that's it.

Alright, so if I were to keep the new iPhone in my pocket without anything else inside (like keys), do you think it wouldn't attract any scratches from the fabric or whatever? What about in daily usage, like if I placed it on tables and occasionally dropped it accidentally once in a while?
 

Gincoma

macrumors 6502
Sep 10, 2013
286
0
I'm planning on buying an iPhone 6 as soon as it comes out, and based on all the leaks, it seems like the back will be almost entirely anodized aluminum (save for the narrow plastic strips and the camera lens, which I'm assuming will be covered in sapphire glass.) How scratch-prone do you think the aluminum back will be, let's say if I were to keep the phone in my pocket along with my keys? Would using a case essentially be necessary if I don't want the aluminum to get scratched, or will the aluminum somehow be able to withstand a little abuse without showing it?

How is anyone possibly going to know this???
 

sfgiants320

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2008
35
0
How is anyone possibly going to know this???

Haha I suppose based on peoples' experience with the 5 or 5s, whose backs are mostly made of aluminum? I'm still on a poor old 4 so I've never used a 5 or 5s as my daily driver :(
 

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
Not even Apple can alter the lays of physics. Keys against aluminum will scratch. So with most other materials, actually, except maybe sapphire and diamond. There's not much of a way around that, except to not keep your keys and phone in the same pocket.

There's a long history of alumnimum products getting scratches over time, when rubbed against other metals and sharp or hard surfaces. That won't change. Eventually your phone will look like this:

Image

And that actually looks pretty badass.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Not even Apple can alter the lays of physics. Keys against aluminum will scratch. So with most other materials, actually, except maybe sapphire and diamond. There's not much of a way around that, except to not keep your keys and phone in the same pocket.

There's a long history of alumnimum products getting scratches over time, when rubbed against other metals and sharp or hard surfaces. That won't change. Eventually your phone will look like this:

Image

I'll probably catch some flack for this but for some reason I like the look of that phone. A few scratches look bad, but when it looks like that it adds a bit of character imo. lol.
 

AFDoc

Suspended
Jun 29, 2012
2,864
629
Colorado Springs USA for now
I'm planning on buying an iPhone 6 as soon as it comes out, and based on all the leaks, it seems like the back will be almost entirely anodized aluminum (save for the narrow plastic strips and the camera lens, which I'm assuming will be covered in sapphire glass.) How scratch-prone do you think the aluminum back will be, let's say if I were to keep the phone in my pocket along with my keys? Would using a case essentially be necessary if I don't want the aluminum to get scratched, or will the aluminum somehow be able to withstand a little abuse without showing it?

Always love these types of posts... How the heck does anyone here know how well the finish of the i6 will hold up? FFS you're working on the same info every one here is working with.
 

ZombiePete

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2008
2,319
1,064
San Antonio, TX
Alright, so if I were to keep the new iPhone in my pocket without anything else inside (like keys), do you think it wouldn't attract any scratches from the fabric or whatever? What about in daily usage, like if I placed it on tables and occasionally dropped it accidentally once in a while?

What if two scorpions happen to run into each other on the back of my phone and have an insect fight club to the death? How about if a friend wants to taste my phone and it accidentally grazes his teeth? What if a vortex opens up and sucks my phone into an alternate dimension where dinosaurs never went extinct and have evolved into vaguely humanoid-type creatures with advanced intelligence and a technology level roughly equivalent to ours with similar devices such as the iPhone, and a T-Rex like dinosaur man finds my iPhone 6 in his living room after it was deposited there by the vortex and, thinking it is his phone, picks it up in his hand, the fingers of which still have claws that are reminiscent of its ancestors and those claws run along the aluminum on the back of my phone?
 

sfgiants320

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2008
35
0
What if two scorpions happen to run into each other on the back of my phone and have an insect fight club to the death? How about if a friend wants to taste my phone and it accidentally grazes his teeth? What if a vortex opens up and sucks my phone into an alternate dimension where dinosaurs never went extinct and have evolved into vaguely humanoid-type creatures with advanced intelligence and a technology level roughly equivalent to ours with similar devices such as the iPhone, and a T-Rex like dinosaur man finds my iPhone 6 in his living room after it was deposited there by the vortex and, thinking it is his phone, picks it up in his hand, the fingers of which still have claws that are reminiscent of its ancestors and those claws run along the aluminum on the back of my phone?

Point taken. That was hilarious :D
 

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,253
Jacksonville, Florida
Alright, so if I were to keep the new iPhone in my pocket without anything else inside (like keys), do you think it wouldn't attract any scratches from the fabric or whatever? What about in daily usage, like if I placed it on tables and occasionally dropped it accidentally once in a while?

Even with nothing in your pocket the anodized coating will wear on the edges so get the aluminum flavor to show less wear. Tossing it on a table and an occasional drop will damage the phone, period.

You need to get you a nice plastic phone if you are going to use the phone as you suggest. A trip to church every Sunday would also not hurt!
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,448
43,368
Scratch prone, or scratch resistent, it does not matter,I put a case on my phone as soon as I get it. To that end, they're generally in pristine condition when I sell them :)
 

deuxani

macrumors 6502a
Sep 2, 2010
697
717
If it's the same material as the back of the iPad or original iPhone, it will definitely NOT scratch easily. I have literally 0 scratches on them (only small ones on the Apple logo, but that's a different material). The reason the iPhone 5/5S scratches easily is only due to the chamfered edges in combination with the anodizing.
 

thesimplelogic

macrumors regular
Jun 27, 2014
125
6
It probably will scratch quite a bit. From what I've seen, it seems to look like the backing of the 5G iPod touch and iPads.
However, like most people have said, it could be easily avoided by not having keys in the same pockets. :)
 

JoJoCal19

macrumors 65816
Jun 25, 2007
1,078
55
Jacksonville, FL
Since the original iPhone came out, my left pocket has become a phone only pocket. Occasionally a pack of gum will find it's way in, but never keys, coins, knives, or anything else.
 

Powrie

macrumors 6502
Sep 14, 2012
271
1
IMO you just use the tech knowing that it will be replaced in a year or two.

Ignore the scratches and live with it. It makes the day you get a fresh Device like Christmas morning :)
 

fuchsdh

macrumors 68020
Jun 19, 2014
2,017
1,813
I keep my phone in one pocket, my keys in another, and my wallet in my back pocket. No key scratching here (although it'd still have to get through the Otterbox... :p)

If you're going caseless accept that any phone you use (whether plastic, metal or whatever) is going to scratch to some degree. Personally I think there's a certain enjoyable aesthetic to how Apple's metal stuff scratches over time, but if it bothers you slap a case on it.

What if two scorpions happen to run into each other on the back of my phone and have an insect fight club to the death? How about if a friend wants to taste my phone and it accidentally grazes his teeth? What if a vortex opens up and sucks my phone into an alternate dimension where dinosaurs never went extinct and have evolved into vaguely humanoid-type creatures with advanced intelligence and a technology level roughly equivalent to ours with similar devices such as the iPhone, and a T-Rex like dinosaur man finds my iPhone 6 in his living room after it was deposited there by the vortex and, thinking it is his phone, picks it up in his hand, the fingers of which still have claws that are reminiscent of its ancestors and those claws run along the aluminum on the back of my phone?

I lol'd.
 
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