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iPhone 11 Pro Anyone think Stainless Steel is “meh”?

Kal-037

Kal-037

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 7, 2015
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Depends on the day, but usually I live all over.
It’s cool the iPhone Pros, X, and Xs’ were made from steel, but honestly they get the tiny micro scratches like crazy (too much for me to enjoy taking the phone out of its case, lol.)

I much prefer 6061 & 7075 Aluminum iPhones to Steel. I wonder if Apple did a brushed Steel for iPhone or iPad... if it would be better than what they have right now? lol.
Sure it’d be heavier, but I imagine it would be harder to scratch and still kind of look like Aluminum.
 
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Personally I like the steel for the exact same reasons Velin stated above. Even if iPhone were made of titanium scratches would still happen. You either live with the patina or you can buff it off with a Cap Cod cloth.

I would love to see a space black (DLC) stainless steel iPhone Pro 12 tho. And I don't mean that cheap space gray PVD stuff. The SB DLC is indestructible, my SBSS Apple Watch never heard about abrasion.
 
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I like the look of polished stainless steel, but I think that many people might like either a brushed finish or possibly even more interesting, a bead-blasted finish. The advantage of a brushed finish would be that you could touch up scratches yourself (if you care) with something like a ScotchBrite pad. The iPhone 4 had stainless bands. IIRC they were somewhere between polished and a real brushed finish. I never really liked the aluminum iPhones.
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The-Real-Deal82 said:
My phone goes in a case with the sides covered so it makes little difference what the chassis is made from. All iPhones feel premium to me too.
Click to expand...

And there's this ^^^, too.
 
Even without a case my phones have never scratched and I like to keep it that way. Every year when I upgrade the Apple employees get baffled by how spotless the device is. This year the lady actually called a couple of other colleagues to show my phone. although the year before last year it was the space gray iPhone 8+, last year it was the gold Xs Max and this year its the green 11 Pro. So I’ve always had the PVD coating on top of the stainless steel.
 
Personally, I like Stainless Steel myself, never had any issues with the Space Gray model that has the PVD coatings on them.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
My phone goes in a case with the sides covered so it makes little difference what the chassis is made from. All iPhones feel premium to me too.
Click to expand...
One of these years Apple is going to figure this out (most people use cases). Then they're going to deliberately use inferior products that 'feel' premium, charge the same price and pocket the difference between.

Because the phone goes in a case and it makes little difference what it's made of no one is going to know the difference or complain about it because the 'feel' will still be premium.

Apple is going to make a killing above what they already make. ;) :D
 
Kal-037 said:
It’s cool the iPhone Pros, X, and Xs’ were made from steel, but honestly they get the tiny micro scratches like crazy (too much for me to enjoy taking the phone out of its case, lol.)

I much prefer 6061 & 7075 Aluminum iPhones to Steel. I wonder if Apple did a brushed Steel for iPhone or iPad... if it would be better than what they have right now? lol.
Sure it’d be heavier, but I imagine it would be harder to scratch and still kind of look like Aluminum.
Click to expand...

I have absolutely zero micro scratches on my midnight green pro Max. I take it out of the case as soon as I get home, or on the weekends. It just doesn’t scratch!

I am blown away by how scratch resistant this phone is.

Aluminum devices can scuff and deform and dent like soft plastic.

my pro Max has even taken a few spills on hardwood flooring.
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Kal-037 said:
It’s cool the iPhone Pros, X, and Xs’ were made from steel, but honestly they get the tiny micro scratches like crazy (too much for me to enjoy taking the phone out of its case, lol.)

I much prefer 6061 & 7075 Aluminum iPhones to Steel. I wonder if Apple did a brushed Steel for iPhone or iPad... if it would be better than what they have right now? lol.
Sure it’d be heavier, but I imagine it would be harder to scratch and still kind of look like Aluminum.
Click to expand...

There is something up with your phone if it is scratching really bad. The stainless just doesnt scratch at all.

also if you drop a aluminum phone on the corner it is toast.
 
I don't like the way aluminum feels in the hand. It's fine on a MacBook or iPad, but it's super slippery and just not comfortable for me on an iPhone. I think the 6/7 series iPhones were the worst feeling and least ergonomic iPhones out of all iPhone models released. The X/XS/11 series feels so much better in the hand, and I think stainless steel + glass combo are because of that. My stainless steel also looks the same as it did when I got the device, whereas aluminum seems to be very soft and therefore, gets damaged easily. I will say that I miss the lightness in weight of aluminum vs stainless steel.
 
akash.nu said:
Even without a case my phones have never scratched and I like to keep it that way. Every year when I upgrade the Apple employees get baffled by how spotless the device is. This year the lady actually called a couple of other colleagues to show my phone. although the year before last year it was the space gray iPhone 8+, last year it was the gold Xs Max and this year its the green 11 Pro. So I’ve always had the PVD coating on top of the stainless steel.
Click to expand...
What's PVD coating?
 
Velin said:
Really prefer steel. iPhone 11 Pro feels solid and premium, looks awesome, good weight balance, no flex. Too many tradeoffs with aluminum, and some people think it looks inferior. You may be right about brushed steel, but it’s a minor detail given steel’s benefits.
Click to expand...
I agree completely...
 
I prefer stainless steel, it’s stronger and more premium. I like it more because it is polished, which is less slippery than matte aluminum.

Anything matte is slippery. It’ll be scary to use when trying to take a photo.
 
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I think aluminium is fine for the chassis of a phone. These companies have bred a snobbery into certain consumer segments I think and these people are suddenly bought in to paying more for what they perceive as ‘premium’ when aluminium is also a premium grade material in its own right. It’s often more expensive than stainless steel as a raw material which must create plenty of high fives within Apple procurement department lol.
 
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I’m a fan of the stainless steel. I was drawn to it immediately over the aluminum options. It’s probably my main reason for buying the 11 Pro Max (and the XS Max before it) next to size and certain features, like the camera.

The aluminum didn’t bother me when it was the only option, however, once SS was introduced, I felt it 1) had a better weight and feel in my hand over the aluminum, 2) gave a classier, more polished look over the aluminum, and 3) would be more durable than the aluminum.

I love the look and will go for SS over the aluminum versions going forward until something new comes along that causes me to choose differently.
 
steel > aluminium
however these phones are disposable items, not something you keep forever.
for a max 3 year lifespan, aluminium is totally fine.
 
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