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iPhone 12 Ceramic Shield Still 'Scratches at Level 6 With Deeper Grooves at Level 7' in Mohs Hardness Test

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iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models feature a new Ceramic Shield front cover that is "tougher than any smartphone glass," according to Apple, but the displays on the devices still have similar scratch resistance as previous iPhones based on a new test.

Zack Nelson today shared his much-anticipated iPhone 12 Pro durability test on his YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, and based on the Mohs hardness scale, he found that the device's display is "still scratching at a level six, with deeper grooves at a level seven," in line with dozens of other smartphones he has tested over the years.


Nelson did find that the scratches with the level six Mohs pick appear to be slightly fainter compared to previous iPhones, but there is no dramatic improvement.

JerryRigEverything's results differ from a similar test by YouTube channel MobileReviewsEh, which found that the ‌iPhone 12‌ stood up to the six point and saw some faint scratches with the seven point on the Mohs hardness scale.


In fairness to Apple, it advertises the Ceramic Shield as providing 4x the drop performance, rather than improved scratch resistance. Earlier this week, insurance company Allstate conducted a series of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro drop tests and found that the devices are indeed more durable than the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro in similar tests.

Article Link: iPhone 12 Ceramic Shield Still 'Scratches at Level 6 With Deeper Grooves at Level 7' in Mohs Hardness Test
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/28/iphone-12-ceramic-shield-test-jerryrigeverything/
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Another poster the other day said wanted pop out replaceable plastic display. Back in the day cell phones had plastic screens and were indestructable.
 
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cocky jeremy said:
I'd rather have scratch resistance. I don't drop my phone so that's not an issue.
Click to expand...

Yea I'm so sick of having a scratched screen. Just had my phone replaced under warranty due to a defect, and the new screen corner is already lightly scratched from normal usage in a case. Much rather take my chances on accidentally dropping it and paying $29 with AC+ to have it repaired, than have a scratched screen all the time.
 
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MacRumors said:
In fairness to Apple, it advertises the Ceramic Shield as providing 4x the drop performance, rather than improved scratch resistance. Earlier this week, insurance company Allstate conducted a series of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro drop tests and found that the devices are indeed more durable than the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro in similar tests.
Click to expand...

I think this is precisely it. Apple never mentioned better scratch resistance. It’s better drop-resistance that the marketing language is heavy on.

JerryRigEverything himself concedes this fact at 3:12 in the video.
 
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cocky jeremy said:
I'd rather have scratch resistance. I don't drop my phone so that's not an issue.
Click to expand...

I second that. I haven't dropped my phone once in 8 years but I'm always mindful that the screen might touch the rivet above my jeans pocket, a zipper, or a coin and end up with a hideous groove. Even pocket lint seems to be enough to cause those darned hairline marks on my 11 Pro.
 
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dmx said:
Sapphire option please.
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Sapphire is more brittle and less flexible than glass, so it would be significantly more prone to shattering when dropped. On balance, I'll take some scratches over a shattered screen.

Another downside is reflectance. As Apple Watchers owners know, in ambient or outdoor light conditions, the sapphire screens reflect more outside light and thus wash out what the display is showing. This can be overcome by display brightness, which is why Apple has jacked up the brightness on Apple Watches at every generation, but at the expense of battery life. It's worth it on a tiny watch screen, but on a larger smartphone screen, the battery life hit won't be worth it.

This is a good article on it: https://www.displaymate.com/Apple_Watch_ShootOut_2.htm
 
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I would also prefer scratch resistance to drop resistance. You can get scratches on your phone by doing nothing out of the ordinary and without mishandling your phone, which is wrong. Your phone should not be able to be permanently damaged by scratches through normal use.

If you drop your phone and it smashes, well it's glass, and glass will always crack at some point. You can drop 2 phones the same way and one might rack and the other won't, it's just your luck whether it smashes. Scratches on the other hand are not, and no matter what you do or how much you look after your phone, the screen is susceptible to scratches.
 
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So, scratch results is the same as OP8 Pro and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. After all this posts on the forum about scratches on the screen, I was upset and thought to buy a screen protector for the first time.
But now I think I going without a screen protector.
 
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