iPhone XS Buying a XS Max. Worried about the PVD coating peeling off like on the iPhone X

[Nisaja]

Basically the title guys. I'm thinking of buying a gold XS Max, but I've heard too many horror stories about the black X's PVD coating peeling off/chipping. Did Apple fix this or is it still the same? My hands sweat a lot so I'm worried that it'll discolor or fade.

Thanks!

 

[Hal~9000]

Already a thread on this same topic with 23 relplies here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/scratches-on-iphone-xs-space-grey-pvd-coating.2167161/

 

[Nisaja]

Already a thread on this same topic with 23 relplies here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/scratches-on-iphone-xs-space-grey-pvd-coating.2167161/

I read that before posting. He's talking about scratches. I'm talking about how the color fades like on the X.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I read that before posting. He's talking about scratches. I'm talking about how the color fades like on the X.

What colour are you thinking of getting? I have the gold max, had it for 5 months and the colour hasn’t faded.

 

[Nisaja]

What colour are you thinking of getting? I have the gold max, had it for 5 months and the colour hasn’t faded.

That's great. I'm thinking of getting gold. Do you use your phone naked?

 

[Shanghaichica]

That's great. I'm thinking of getting gold. Do you use your phone naked?

No I use it in clear spigen case. It covers the back and sides, just leaving cutouts for the lightning port and the speaker grills.

 

[44267547]

Basically the title guys. I'm thinking of buying a gold XS Max, but I've heard too many horror stories about the black X's PVD coating peeling off/chipping. Did Apple fix this or is it still the same? My hands sweat a lot so I'm worried that it'll discolor or fade.

Thanks!

I have never read/heard too many issues with the PVD coating peeling/separating on the iPhone bands. Even if you encountered a defect where the coating would start to peel off the bands, you would be covered under warranty anyways from Apple. [Your sweat shouldn’t really cause that much of a reaction for the PVD coating to separate away from the bands, unless it’s corrosive, but that sounds to be an extreme case.]

 

[Nisaja]

I have never read/heard too many issues with the PVD coating peeling/separating on the iPhone bands. Even if you encountered ia defect where the coating would start to peel off the bands, you would be covered under warranty anyways from Apple. [Your sweat shouldn’t really cause that much of a reaction for the PVD coating to separate away from the bands, unless it’s corrosive, but that sounds to be an extreme case.]

That really made me feel good because I really want to get a gold XS. Thing is something similar happened to my Apple Watch Sport. The anodizing kept chipping. Probably due to sweat. I didn't come across a post about PVD coating on an XS fading, only iPhone X posts. Guess they sorted it out.

 

[44267547]

That really made me feel good because I really want to get a gold XS. Thing is something similar happened to my Apple Watch Sport. The anodizing kept chipping. Probably due to sweat. I didn't come across a post about PVD coating on an XS fading, only iPhone X posts. Guess they sorted it out.

The big difference being with the 7000 series aluminum, that’s anodized aluminum, that’s a totally different chemical process from using ‘Physical vapor deposition’ [PVD] on the iPhone stainless bands. Aluminum also can have a much stronger reaction with chemicals, and sweat being corrosive, is likely what you experienced with your Apple Watch. And I have read other cases where someone else mentioned their sweat was corrosive enough where they had a reaction with the aluminum on the Sport Apple Watch.

That would likely not be a situation you would encounter with the PVD coating on the stainless bands on the iPhone. I wouldn’t be concerned about it.

 

[Nisaja]

The big difference being with the 7000 series aluminum, that’s anodized aluminum, that’s a totally different chemical process from using ‘Physical vapor deposition’ [PVD] on the iPhone stainless bands. Aluminum also can have a much stronger reaction with chemicals, and sweat being corrosive, is likely what you experienced with your Apple Watch. And I have read other cases where someone else mentioned their sweat was corrosive enough where they had a reaction with the aluminum on the Sport Apple Watch.

That would likely not be a situation you would encounter with the PVD coating on the stainless bands on the iPhone. I wouldn’t be concerned about it.

Thanks! I really hope it holds up. I still feel like getting the silver version because it can be polished. I do that to my silver X. Even though I'll never get it scratched, I'm just worried that it'll discolor like some of the iPhone Xs I've seen.

 

[44267547]

Thanks! I really hope it holds up. I still feel like getting the silver version because it can be polished. I do that to my silver X. Even though I'll never get it scratched, I'm just worried that it'll discolor like some of the iPhone Xs I've seen.

The advantage to the silver iPhone X bands, it’s just ‘raw surgical stainless’, so any scuffs or light scratches will easily be able to removed with a polishing cloth from Cape Cod, [Which I highly recommend], the only concern with the gold bands, is if that scratches, you _cannot_ use a polishing cloth with PVD coatings, as that will cause a reaction and remove the coating itself.

If it was me, I would personally opt for the silver iPhone X with the stainless bands, and you can polish the bands whenever you feel it’s necessary. (And you won’t have any tarnishing with surgical stainless.)

 

[Nisaja]

The advantage to the silver iPhone X bands, it’s just ‘raw surgical stainless’, so any scuffs or light scratches will easily be able to removed with a polishing cloth from Cape Cod, [Which I highly recommend], the only concern with the gold bands, is if that scratches, you _cannot_ use a polishing cloth with PVD coatings, as that will cause a reaction and remove the coating itself.

If it was me, I would personally opt for the silver iPhone X with the stainless bands, and you can polish the bands whenever you feel it’s necessary. (And you won’t have any tarnishing with surgical stainless.)

Yeah im thinking of playing it safe and getting a silver XS. I love how I can polish it for 5 minutes and get it looking like new again. But the gold is so pretty! So tarnishing is real? Never thought about that on these phones.

 

[44267547]

Yeah im thinking of playing it safe and getting a silver XS. I love how I can polish it for 5 minutes and get it looking like new again. But the gold is so pretty! So tarnishing is real? Never thought about that on these phones.

Tarnishing is extremely rare on surgical stainless, you shouldn’t have any type of discoloration or fading with raw surgical stainless steel the Apple users on the silver bands. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but that would be a very strange (And rare) occurrence that would have to be caused by something more direct.