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iPhone 14 Pro Max Hollow tapping sound on iPhone 14 Pro Max

usmaak

usmaak

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 13, 2012
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I got my iPhone 14 Pro Max on Friday and got it up and running on Saturday. I've noticed that tapping on the screen sounds very hollow. I'm not used to that at all because I've never had a phone that sounded hollow. It almost sounds like tapping plastic, especially toward the center of the phone. I did some searching online and found this thread:


In the video it shows how Samsung puts a metal plate behind the screen to give it a more solid feel and how Apple doesn't.

It is referring to the iPhone 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 but I'd imagine the same thing applies here between the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Note 20 that I'm coming from. I have had a few Samsung phones and they have never sounded hollow.

So my question is NOT whether this is normal, because apparently it is. I am wondering how much less sturdy this makes the phone. Like if I were to squeeze it, would it cause the screen to break or cause damage to the internal components? Like can the glass flex enough to interfere with the components under it? Not that I'd do that, but I'm just wondering.

Funny thing is, I got a 16" MBP last year and the only thing that I don't like about it is that the track pad sounds very hollow. I know that something being hollow does not mean that it is cheap or cheaply built, just that the perception is there.
 
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usmaak said:
I got my iPhone 14 Pro Max on Friday and got it up and running on Saturday. I've noticed that tapping on the screen sounds very hollow. I'm not used to that at all because I've never had a phone that sounded hollow. It almost sounds like tapping plastic, especially toward the center of the phone. I did some searching online and found this thread:


In the video it shows how Samsung puts a metal plate behind the screen to give it a more solid feel and how Apple doesn't.

It is referring to the iPhone 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 but I'd imagine the same thing applies here between the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Note 20 that I'm coming from. I have had a few Samsung phones and they have never sounded hollow.

So my question is NOT whether this is normal, because apparently it is. I am wondering how much less sturdy this makes the phone. Like if I were to squeeze it, would it cause the screen to break or cause damage to the internal components? Like can the glass flex enough to interfere with the components under it? Not that I'd do that, but I'm just wondering.

Funny thing is, I got a 16" MBP last year and the only thing that I don't like about it is that the track pad sounds very hollow. I know that something being hollow does not mean that it is cheap or cheaply built, just that the perception is there.
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The 12 Pro Max with the introduction of ceramic shield withstood a pointed steel pressure plate quite favourably. Due to additions to the screen (probably promotion) it broke at a much lower figure for the 13 Pro Max. So your observations are probably correct. Adding a heavier backing plate would just make the phone heavier.
 
AppleB said:
Last year someone started a “There’s Something Wrong with my new IPhone thread.
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I am very impressed with the device. There are a few things that I have had to get used to but i adapted quickly. The entire system is so tight and I like how everything is designed to work with everything else. Android has come a long way in my years with it but this tight integration between its different aspects is something that it has never been able to accomplish. I have no regrets about moving on.
 
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Old joke: Guy goes to see a doctor, he says "Doctor, it hurts when I do this" and he lifts his arm at an awkward angle.

The doctor says, "Don't do that."

Same advice goes for people who ask about bending and squeezing their iPhones enough to worry they might crack the glass or damage the internals. Don't do that.
 
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usmaak said:
I am very impressed with the device. There are a few things that I have had to get used to but i adapted quickly. The entire system is so tight and I like how everything is designed to work with everything else. Android has come a long way in my years with it but this tight integration between its different aspects is something that it has never been able to accomplish. I have no regrets about moving on.
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‘Enjoy your new phone.
 
Threads like this make me wonder if these posts are genuinely for real or if it's all some kind of next-level spamming with subtleties that go way over my old head, in the same way my 70 y/o granddad could not grasp Monty Python's Flying Circus fifty years ago.
 
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Smoothie said:
I'd be more concerned if, when you tapped, something inside tapped back.
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giphy.gif




At that point, I'd set my phone on fire.
 
MajorFubar said:
Threads like this make me wonder if these posts are genuinely for real or if it's all some kind of next-level spamming with subtleties that go way over my old head, in the same way my 70 y/o granddad could not grasp Monty Python's Flying Circus fifty years ago.
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And posts like this make me wonder why I bother even asking questions in this group. As a newbie to iPhones, I had a legitimate question. Thanks to the people who answered me though. At least some have helpful comments.
 
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MajorFubar said:
No one should be afraid of asking questions on a public forum, and no one should live in fear of ridicule for asking something 'newby'.

But there have got to be limits.
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And my question somehow exceeded the limits and I get accused of being a spammer?? I assure you I'm just a new user who's trying to work out everything about their new device.
 
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usmaak said:
And my question somehow exceeded the limits and I get accused of being a spammer?? I assure you I'm just a new user who's trying to work out everything about their new device.
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Let's just say you have set a high bar for making the most 'free-thinking' observation.
It's going to take effort to beat you.
Though the guy complaining a few weeks ago that the lid of his new M2 MBA doesn't form a hermetic seal with the base when closed, is hot on your tail.
Right behind him is the guy who posted last week that the lid of his AirPod Pro 2's rocks slightly.
IMO you're still in the lead.
 
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MajorFubar said:
Threads like this make me wonder if these posts are genuinely for real or if it's all some kind of next-level spamming with subtleties that go way over my old head, in the same way my 70 y/o granddad could not grasp Monty Python's Flying Circus fifty years ago.
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Then why waste your time and energy chiming in? The person is here looking for answers, not complaints about the questions, like bully complaints
 
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usmaak said:
And posts like this make me wonder why I bother even asking questions in this group. As a newbie to iPhones, I had a legitimate question. Thanks to the people who answered me though. At least some have helpful comments.
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I remember you also used to be a handful on XDA forums ❤️😂
 
I notice there has been a number of threads here about the hollow sound of the iPhone screens. I personally don’t like it but have got used to it. Is there any reason though, that nobody here is talking about the redesigned iPhone 14 with the backplate behind the screen and with it, the elimination of the hollow sounding iPhones of the last three years?
 
I too have gotten used to it. I forgot I posted this. ;)
 
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