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so what you're saying is you can't see these scratches without actually shining a bight light straight at it, i'm pretty sure if you do that to the 3G or 3GS you would see the same thing

nothing new here


it's a phone, it is going to get scratched up with use, unless you are getting cracks in the shell for no reason it's not a big deal, this thing isn't any more prone to scratches than other models. OP said it himself, you can't see it without special lighting conditions.
 
I use a microfiber cloth to clean my phone every 5 minutes it seems.. still perfect.



But I did go and buy a griffin reveal case for it until I can my holster.
 
I can see this scratch plain as day, no special lighting required. Acquired it from placing it in the same plastic box as I put my 3GS every day. I'm not being crabby here, just admitting my own mistake for thinking I can go caseless.
 
The screen on my 2G iPhone lasted for three years without a single scratch. But after one day with my iPhone 4 I have a small scratch on the back. Not even sure when/how it happened. Pretty disappointing.
 
Let me say one thing before I go on - this is a great phone. It feels great, it functions great, and it looks great... except for one thing - It is NOT scratch resistant.

I know people probably won't be excited to hear this; I definitely wasn't excited to discover it. But after just 2 days of babying my iPhone 4 I have discovered 2 scuff-like scratches on the back. Now when I say "babying" I mean only resting the phone on felt, carrying it around in a microfiber bag, and generally handling it as delicately as possible. I have no idea how these scratches are even possible given how carefully I was handling the phone, but I can't deny the facts.

I've attached a few images using a macro lens to show the damage up close so you can see and evaluate for yourselves. I should also add that the scratches become more visible if they have fingerprints and finger oil on them (the photos show them in a clean state).

Mild sharpening and contrast enhancements:

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Significant tonal contrast enhancement:

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The results should speak for themselves. Upon taking these photos I also noticed that the back of the iPhone 4 is not very uniform. It looks almost like an imperfectly machined surface rather than smooth glass. This of course may be because of the proximity of the lens to the phone, but it still leads me to believe that those of us who were thinking about keeping the phone "naked" and trusting in the scratch-proof claim put forth by Apple should think twice before doing so. It almost appears as though there is some coating over the glass which itself is what might be scratch prone.

So... is this the end of the world? Certainly not, but I figured I'd post to clear up some of the confusion that I've seen about how scratch-proof the iPhone really is. It clearly does not take throwing it against a wall or dropping it on the floor for it to get scratched. Take this advice for what it's worth and in the end remember one thing - it's just a phone :)


You're suppose to clean your phone with a MICROFIBER or other type of screen cleaning cloth.

NOT SANDPAPER!

I can clearly see you did something to this phone as there are scratches all over the damn thing. Nice stunt. Next time, don't try so hard :rolleyes:
 
You're suppose to clean your phone with a MICROFIBER or other type of screen cleaning cloth.

NOT SANDPAPER!

I can clearly see you did something to this phone as there are scratches all over the damn thing. Nice stunt. Next time, don't try so hard :rolleyes:

In fairness if there's even just a little dirt or debris in the cloth it turns it into sandpaper.
 
Those scratches look intense. I realize there is some editing and such but regardless, they aren't just faint normal scratches. They look defined and either intentional, or caused by something rough going back and forth against the back of your phone. I have had my phone for 2 days with no case or anything. I leave it in my pocket all day and I rest it on various flat and clean surfaces. At night, it charges in the dock. There isn't a single scratch no matter how close I look or at what angle.
 
Those scratches look intense. I realize there is some editing and such but regardless, they aren't just faint normal scratches. They look defined and either intentional, or caused by something rough going back and forth against the back of your phone. I have had my phone for 2 days with no case or anything. I leave it in my pocket all day and I rest it on various flat and clean surfaces. At night, it charges in the dock. There isn't a single scratch no matter how close I look or at what angle.

^This.
 
Hmm what kind of cloth are you using? I've had streaks on mine but they wiped right off. Those look like something was done to it I understand scratches can happen..but I would've guessed that you had that phone for a few months or so the way it looks.
 
Take the bumper/case off. Would like to see the edges of the phone. I think someone is lying here and I can safely say that by the pictures. You can see it was intentional by the pattern and swirl marks. It then looks like the small scratches weren't enough so you moved on to something harder to make the larger scratches.

Yeah - nice try.
 
Now you know why the smart people on these forums are waiting for the white version :D

You can't seriously be saying that you and a bunch of other people held off on buying the black version as you knew in advance that it would show up scratches worse than the white one (Which I'm sure it won't if the white 3GS I owned was anything to go by), I'm thinking you held off too late and now you can't even get a black one even if you wanted one so you are trying to make youself feel better about it
 
I've had mine on bar tops, tables and a few desks... None have produced a scratch. Those look pretty intense and definitely NOT something that happens during daily/average use.
 
The good news is you don't have to worry about scratching it up more so you can be as rough and tumble with it as you want.

I think you might have had a female porcupine picture on your phone though, and a male porcupine tried to make love to it.
 
Who carries their phone around like that. When the the OP is trying to establish too much credibility in their first post, they are lying.
 
I have a tiny scratch on the back already. Not very noticeable, but definitely there. No idea how I got it other than setting in down on tables and such.
 
so what you're saying is you can't see these scratches without actually shining a bight light straight at it, i'm pretty sure if you do that to the 3G or 3GS you would see the same thing

nothing new here


it's a phone, it is going to get scratched up with use, unless you are getting cracks in the shell for no reason it's not a big deal, this thing isn't any more prone to scratches than other models. OP said it himself, you can't see it without special lighting conditions.

Well, we knew that the crappy plastic back of the 3g/s was easy to scratch. We all expected the back of the iP4, which is glass, to be as scratch-resistant as the screen of the 3GS, which, according to the OP, it isn't.
 
not sure why people care about scratches anyways...you will only be using it for the next 12 months until the new one comes out. are you people just worried about saving it for the next guy?
 
this is why mine stil has all the plastic on it :S till my wrapsol vocer coems which actually shipped today :D... only down side is to talk to ppl i need to use speaker phone lol cause the plastic that came well blocks all soud..
 
this is why mine stil has all the plastic on it :S till my wrapsol vocer coems which actually shipped today :D... only down side is to talk to ppl i need to use speaker phone lol cause the plastic that came well blocks all soud..

pop a hold where the speaker is with a safety pin carefully
 
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