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Does your iPhone 4 have scratches? For how long have you been using it?

G

Gogasman

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 16, 2011
3
0
Hello everybody,

I know that there are a lot of iDevice scratch tests/threads out there but I coulnd't find one that told me about iPhones that have been in use for a couple of months. Most of the threads are from the time around the iPhone 4 launch last year. I would like to know whether there are people here which have there iPhone 4 since it got launched (that means for about 7 months now) and if they have scratches on it and whether they use a screen protector (if yes which one) or not. I would also like to know where you keep your iPhone (inside your pants pocket, a regular hand-bag, a pocket in your jacket, or in some sort of case). The reason why I would like to know is because I am using the ZAGG InvisibleShield. It sure protects my iPhone from all scratches but at the same time reduces the quality of the display noticeably (especially in comparison to other iPhone 4's without a screen protector). So if you have been using your iPhone for a couple of months and don't have scratches I would probably remove the InvisibleShield.

Thanks in advance!
 
I've had my iPhone 4 since day one. I"ve had a bumper on it, and then a normal case on the back. But even with just the bumper, I didn't have any scratches on it.
As for the front, its scratch free as well. I guess it mostly matters on how well you care for it. As the same with anything else. The better you take care of it, the longer it will last.
 
I've used mine without a screen protector since the iPhone 4 launch with no scratches. I use an Incase Snap and usually put the phone in my jeans pocket, inside my blazer pocket, or in a coat pocket just depending on where I am.
 
I've had mine since launch day. The back has hairline scratches that you can't see unless under direct light looking for them. Other than that, it's held up amazingly well. I've been debating taking off my front screen protector for a while as my current PS crystal one is getting harder and harder to clean after half year of use.
 
thanks for the quick replies!

if there are more people who have their iPhones since launch day and dont have scratches from carrying in normal jeans pockets I probably will take the front InvisibleShield off.
 
i've had mine since launch day, have used Apple's bumper until yesterday. I never dropped it, I had been taking off the bumper once in a while to clean everything and I noticed some small scratches on the antenna, the glass is ok.
I'm now using it with no protection but I'll probably get a sena case or a case-mate vroom, I'll definitely not put anything on the screen
 
I have had mine for 2-3 months, and there are just some tiny scratches on the back. No screen protectors or bumpers, as I like to hold her "naked". But I don't keep her in the same pocket with my keys, though (yes - her, not it).
 
I've had mine for 3 months and the back of the phone has scratches on but luckily it is on my case and not my phone. Which is why I always get a case for the back.
 
I had my first iPhone 4 since August and didn't have any scratches.

I have had my second iPhone 4 for about a month and there are no noticeable scratches on it. I mean, nothing jumps out at me. I don't really take the time to inspect every angle of my PHONE. I just use it the way it's meant to be used.
 
Owned mine since August. No scratches.
SGP Ultra on front, absolutely no degradation of Retina display quality. PhantomSkinz matte on back.
Only recently I've started to keep a case on it.. I swap between a Magpul case and a CAZE Thinedge bumper. Reason? I finally got a dockextender for the bulky ipod connector in my bmw. No longer do I have to remove the case to plug in my iPhone!

It goes wherever it fits: backpack pocket, lab coat pocket, jacket pocket, jeans back pocket, suit interior pocket, cupholder, etc.
 
Have had mine since launch, never had a screen proctector and there are no scratches on the front *knock on wood*
The back has two fine scratches that you can only see after cleaning and holding it at an angle.
Antenna band has a ton of scratches, mostly from using the bumper and some from using an incase slider.

I've use a couple different cases and also carry my phone naked from time to time. The bumper was the worst, it really scratched up my antenna and that's with me removing it every night and cleaning while I put my phone to charge on the dock. The slider case was nice, but since I would remove the bottom piece to put on the charging dock every night, I would get these fine scratches along the antena where the case would slide off. Used an incase reveal for a while and worked really well, no scratches on the antena from that, and right now I'm using an incipio double cover and that one works really well, provides good protection.

I try to take good care of my phones, but I have dropped it a couple of times, and once with out a case, and other than the antenna band it looks really good for an 8 month old phone, my 3G at this point was completely scratched up.
 
Too bad sapphire crystal glass is so damn expensive (they use it on some high-end watches). It's extremely hard to scratch (I think only diamonds and maybe one or two other things can scratch it) so you probably wouldn't need a screen protector. I believe it shatters easily though so dropping your phone would be a disaster.
 
I've had mine 5-6 months. I was running no screen protector, I have many hairline scratches on the front glass. They are only visible in direct sunlight at an angle, but they are there. Now I run screen protectors.
 
I've had my iPhone 4 since August, and the only scratch I have is a slight one underneath the Apple logo. I do keep my iPhone naked (it's been naked ever since I purchased it). When I'm not using it, it's either in my jeans or coat pocket with nothing else, so as to prevent it from being scratched.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_6 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E200 Safari/6533.18.5)

I purchased the Zagg invisible shields but only installed the back one. I can't take the front screen distortion. But from the sound of it the back is way more vulnerable. So now it has the thick zagg on it and a bumper. Front is naked.

Here's hoping I don't scratch it. I'm keeping it away from keys and the like. I have also stopped wearing earrings.
 
Wow, you sure want to know a lot! I’m currently on my 2nd 4, first (received day Zero) was stolen in late Oct. Usage applies to both - Naked, first used until Oct, second from early Nov until present. 99% of the time it’s in my back left pocket, sometimes with change, usually without. I have carried it in my pocket with keys and/or lighter, but usually take keys out if I realize they’re in there with the phone. Dropped a few times, wood floor, on the bus (metal flooring) and concrete, no problems. I have ¼” scratches on the front, and some light scratching on the back, but not that noticeable. You’ll enjoy the phone more if it’s naked, and having carried all 4 of my phones naked, you really don’t have a lot to worry about unless you’re incredibly clumsy.
 
thanks for all the replies. i removed the front invisible shield but left the back one. someone wrote about the hairline scratches only visible in direct sunlight: i think you can't prevent that, no matter what you do (without a screen protector). but i don't care about them because you can only see them at an angle and in direct sunlight.
 
I've had my 4 since day one. I have gone back and forth with the bumper. I like the naked look, but I like that the bumper allows me to place the phone on a surface without the camera contacting said surface.

Anyway, the bumper is the most protection my phone has seen. No screen protector or cases. And I can not find even a tiny scratch on it. I even dropped it twice (not serious drops, but still enough to elicit panic). It has held up like a champ.
 
Gogasman said:
thanks for the quick replies!

if there are more people who have their iPhones since launch day and dont have scratches from carrying in normal jeans pockets I probably will take the front InvisibleShield off.
Click to expand...

I really don't think it effects the display, but thats just me
 
tsolt said:
I really don't think it effects the display, but thats just me
Click to expand...

I agree. Unless there is something in your pocket that would scratch glass there really is nothing to worry about. Fabrics and denim are not exactly known for their glass scratching capabilities. Many years ago I took to the habit of regulating my left pocket for my phone only. This has always kept my displays looking good.
 
Got mine in August and managed (somehow) to get a minor scratch (enough to get the nail caught in) on the front. That was about 2-3 months in and before that I didn't have much. I hated the bumper after a couple of weeks, and I only used my free case for a few weeks before getting bored of it.

After I found the scratch I put on a basic front/back cover until this year when I got sick of how it degraded the look of the display. Now I'm just more careful about where I stick it.
 
I've had my 4 since abt two weeks after launch and am quite disappointed with the scratches I've got on mine. I have a one inch scratch on the front and quite a few half inch scratches on the back. They're not deep, nor do they affect the screen in any way, however the fact that this supposed 'hard to scratch' glass is so easy to scratch erks me.

This is my 3rd iPhone, i had the 2g for two years and didn't get as many scratches as this on the front glass and i had a 3GS for over a year and the glass was still perfect the day i got the 4. The backs of the last two phones were v.easy to scratch however.

I have always and will always use all my iPhones naked and always put them in my pocket away from change or keys and have treated all my iPhones in the same way. I've found that this iPhone 4 glass, even though it is supposed to be tougher than the others, is easier to scratch than the other iPhones I've had and this disappoints me as so far the 4 has been my favorite and most useful iPhone compared to the others, and i absolutely love everything else abt it compared to the others.
 
First iP4 I had, I somehow scratched the screen about a month after getting it. I suspect it came from my earrings (I wear earrings daily), but I'm not sure. I'm pretty careful with my stuff, and after reading everyone talking about never getting screen scratches and not using protectors, I decided to go naked. Needless to say I was pissed when I found the scratch.

A month or so after that, I got a replacement from Apple because my headphone jack stopped working. That time I decided to just use a protector, so I've had a PS anti-glare on this one from day one. Scratches on the screen just drive me nuts, so it was worth it.
 
Had mine since launch date, I use a case so no scratches to front or back, but the metal band is scratched where I plug in the charger which does bug the hell out of me.
 
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