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iPhone 5 - black version scuffs (merged)

Is your black iPhone 5 scuffed, chipped or scratched?

  • Flawless

    Votes: 1,158 46.1%

  • Flawless because I put a case on it.

    Votes: 198 7.9%

  • Scuffed out of the box

    Votes: 820 32.7%

  • Scuffed/scratched shortly after

    Votes: 334 13.3%
  • Total voters
    2,510
Mine was flawless. I was concerned about this so I just had the dealer open the package before paying but after agreeing to buy the phone if it is good condition. Very happy with it.

Bought in Finland today.
 
I think apple will either manage to get this sorted at the factory or they will stop
exchanging units and push a policy through the stores to stop swapping units.
If yours has a ding then I would take advantage of the current situation that the stores are willing to open units to make you happy.
 
Actually not true. The coating is rubbing off in areas where it's most prone. Where your hands/fingers touch and hold it around the edges, the speakers area around the holes. It is happening to users and a friend of mine on his now. The coating is TOO thin that they put on the phone and was cheaply done. That is a pure fact. Apple did not do their QC very well on this.

Sir Ruben said:
Sorry but I think you are talking rubbish. I own the new black iPhone 5 and I can tell you now that nothing is "rubbing off", its a solid device. There are 2 things going on:

1) factory damaged models due to lack of quality control
2) iPhones damages by users dinging them, dropping them, etc

There is no flaw here. This is just a case of bad quality control at the manufacturing plants. Nothing to do with Apple whatsoever. Previously if you dropped an iPhone you would get a smashed back or front. With the iPhone 5, you drop it you will get a scratch or a ding. No difference really.

I don't love apple, I almost bought a SGS3 a couple of months ago and I have previously owned a SGS2. With either of them, drop it and the battery cover will pop off and the plastic will likely get dented.

Once the damaged units have been filtered out and the manufacturing plants given a dressing down this will be a thing of the past. What you do with your phone beyond that is up to you. Now please, get a grip :D
Click to expand...
 
The more I read about new ones being better the happier I am to wait for my backordered unit.
 
Sir Ruben said:
Lol it doesn't. It's just that some people on this forum lose the plot and believe everything they read. As an example I ran my fingernail along the chamfered edges of the phone, then held it to the light to check the damage. Nothing at all, absolutely nothing. The anodised surface felt solid.

Now.....if I chucked my phone into a jeans pocket with a bunch of keys, well, what on earth do you expect?!? If I chucked ANY device into a pocket with a bunch of keys I would EXPECT damage, I be surprised if there wasn't any!!!
Click to expand...

+1. I ran my fingernail across the chamfered edges of the phone and no damage either. It also felt really solid.
 
nizmoz said:
Actually not true. The coating is rubbing off in areas where it's most prone. Where your hands/fingers touch and hold it around the edges, the speakers area around the holes. It is happening to users and a friend of mine on his now. The coating is TOO thin that they put on the phone and was cheaply done. That is a pure fact. Apple did not do their QC very well on this.
Click to expand...

I have NEVER seen any examples of this. I have seen scratches, scrapes, and chips. So why don't you post a few close up pictures and vids of this for us all to see? Nice clear ones, like the ones I posted of my perfect iPhone 5.

A clear photograph or vid should clearly be able to demonstrate 'rubbing off' over the dings and scratches we have seen so far. They should look quite different.

Anyway I'll stop now so that you can get to it :D
 
are the black ones safe to get now? im trying to hold out until 3rd week of october hoping for a october batch since that will still be within my 30 days.
 
Sir Ruben said:
Sorry but I think you are talking rubbish. I own the new black iPhone 5 and I can tell you now that nothing is "rubbing off", its a solid device. There are 2 things going on:

1) factory damaged models due to lack of quality control
2) iPhones damages by users dinging them, dropping them, etc

There is no flaw here. This is just a case of bad quality control at the manufacturing plants. Nothing to do with Apple whatsoever. Previously if you dropped an iPhone you would get a smashed back or front. With the iPhone 5, you drop it you will get a scratch or a ding. No difference really.

I don't love apple, I almost bought a SGS3 a couple of months ago and I have previously owned a SGS2. With either of them, drop it and the battery cover will pop off and the plastic will likely get dented.

Once the damaged units have been filtered out and the manufacturing plants given a dressing down this will be a thing of the past. What you do with your phone beyond that is up to you. Now please, get a grip :D
Click to expand...

You are creating a straw man here. People have reported scuffs and dings from normal use, not from drops. It is a design flaw. In their quest to create a lighter and thinner phone, they have used the wrong choice of materials. And also the sharp edges make it easier to be chipped. Go back and read all the posts. So many have posted that their iphone4 and iphone4s still look new after years of use. So if there are other phones including apples that can last months or years or normal use without a scratch, how come iphone 5 gets messed up in few days of use? The annoying part is Apple not owning it up.
 
benam.badshah said:
You are creating a straw man here. People have reported scuffs and dings from normal use, not from drops. It is a design flaw. In their quest to create a lighter and thinner phone, they have used the wrong choice of materials. And also the sharp edges make it easier to be chipped. Go back and read all the posts. So many have posted that their iphone4 and iphone4s still look new after years of use. So if there are other phones including apples that can last months or years or normal use without a scratch, how come iphone 5 gets messed up in few days of use? The annoying part is Apple not owning it up.
Click to expand...

I find this logic so funny. Not that I'm trying to defend any of Apple's choices here but my memory tells me there was nothing but criticism for apples choice of the glass sandwich iPhone 4 design and how stupid that was.

We and Apple have experience with these materials already. The crop of MacBooks made from Aluminum 6000 , anodized, have even sharper edges....and they hold up well. iPads are the same, as were the original iPhone in 2007. . It's not a material design flaw. It's a mgfr and handling issue that can be traced down and solved. Anodized Al is harder than raw aluminum, when there are no unexpected flaws in the process. But regardless it is a thin process. 50% is surface and 50% is in the metal, but regardless the total thickness is only 0.5 mm thick. So if you ding the Al deep enough it wills show raw color though.

The lesson learned from previous products like iPads or MacBooks, if you handle them roughly, is to protect the bottom/sides with cases or in the case of laptops, rubber/silicon feet., to raise the bottom off of the table surface.

But otherwise it will handle well as things like black anodized camera bodies and other anodized appliances, shavers, radios metal lamps and the like made from lightweight aluminum.
 
This morning I noticed my 1st replacement had a huge chunk (1/4" long) of bezel missing, but I didn't notice it at first because the chip was black. The factory has anodized right over it!

Went back to the Genius Bar this afternoon and hey swapped it right out again.
 
littlepud said:
This morning I noticed my 1st replacement had a huge chunk (1/4" long) of bezel missing, but I didn't notice it at first because the chip was black. The factory has anodized right over it!

Went back to the Genius Bar this afternoon and hey swapped it right out again.
Click to expand...

Apple's QC is slipping big time! :(
 
realeric said:
Guys. Just live with that. It's just a phone ! Let me know if you need an electron microscope. ;)
Click to expand...

No microscope needed, seriously a $700 device scratched out of the box. Would you accept a scratched watch out of the box, would you drive a brand new scratched car off the dealer lot. If you would that is your prerogative, I for one expect to receive a pristine piece of equipment when I pay my hard earned money for it.
 
Sir Ruben said:
I have NEVER seen any examples of this. I have seen scratches, scrapes, and chips. So why don't you post a few close up pictures and vids of this for us all to see? Nice clear ones, like the ones I posted of my perfect iPhone 5.

A clear photograph or vid should clearly be able to demonstrate 'rubbing off' over the dings and scratches we have seen so far. They should look quite different.

Anyway I'll stop now so that you can get to it :D
Click to expand...

How about you go read this whole thread and read all the latest reviews on a bunch of the other sites that do them instead of spewing bs because you don't have a issue with yours.
 
Ive had so many problems with ATT and i got a scuff out of the box that i had enough. I went down to cancel my account and return the phone.

They said there would be a 35 dollar restocking fee. Thats crazy! I pay almost 500 bucks for a phone and it has a scuff on it and i have to pay a fee? Anyone get around this fee? Ive chated and emailed and they said only the store can waive this.
 
Sir Ruben said:
Sorry but I think you are talking rubbish. I own the new black iPhone 5 and I can tell you now that nothing is "rubbing off", its a solid device. There are 2 things going on:

1) factory damaged models due to lack of quality control
2) iPhones damages by users dinging them, dropping them, etc

There is no flaw here. This is just a case of bad quality control at the manufacturing plants. Nothing to do with Apple whatsoever. Previously if you dropped an iPhone you would get a smashed back or front. With the iPhone 5, you drop it you will get a scratch or a ding. No difference really.

I don't love apple, I almost bought a SGS3 a couple of months ago and I have previously owned a SGS2. With either of them, drop it and the battery cover will pop off and the plastic will likely get dented.

Once the damaged units have been filtered out and the manufacturing plants given a dressing down this will be a thing of the past. What you do with your phone beyond that is up to you. Now please, get a grip :D
Click to expand...

Lol.

27565801.jpg
 
nizmoz said:
How about you go read this whole thread and read all the latest reviews on a bunch of the other sites that do them instead of spewing bs because you don't have a issue with yours.
Click to expand...

He could just stand in an Apple store by the Genuis bar.
 
Anyone else think of trying "Birchwood Casey Aluma Black Touch Up"? Costs about $10 for a bottle.

8192


It is used to touch up Anodized Surfaces on guns. It actually chemically reacts (selenious acid) with the exposed aluminum scratch and makes it black again. From gun reviewers it seems to work pretty well. I wonder how well it will work for our black anodized iphone's.

Again this is different than a Sharpie or even the Birchwood touch up pens (which is paint) that come in matte and gloss black as well. This actually changes the surface of the metal.

My only concern is how it would react to the plastic antenna points if those areas near it were scratched. It comes in a plastic container so maybe it will be fine?

Thoughts...?
 
Last edited:
Epical8 said:
Ive had so many problems with ATT and i got a scuff out of the box that i had enough. I went down to cancel my account and return the phone.

They said there would be a 35 dollar restocking fee. Thats crazy! I pay almost 500 bucks for a phone and it has a scuff on it and i have to pay a fee? Anyone get around this fee? Ive chated and emailed and they said only the store can waive this.
Click to expand...

Not sure of a way around this but this is why you always order directly from apple. 30 day full refund, no questions.
 
Brian N said:
Anyone else think of trying "Birchwood Casey Aluma Black Touch Up"? Costs about $10 for a bottle.

Image

It is used to touch up Anodized Surfaces on guns. It actually chemically reacts (selenious acid) with the exposed aluminum scratch and makes it black again. From gun reviewers it seems to work pretty well. I wonder how well it will work for our black anodized iphone's.

Again this is different than a Sharpie or even the Birchwood touch up pens (which is paint) that come in matte and gloss black as well. This actually changes the surface of the metal.

My only concerns is how it would react to the plastic antenna points if those areas near it were scratched. It comes in a plastic container so maybe it will be fine?

Thoughts...?
Click to expand...

I would not do that to your new phone!! I know I read somewhere that certain types of anodizing will def effect electric output....just go white!!

the white looks hot in the graphite/white (glacier) defender case... not crazy about the defender though b/c it defeats the purpose of a slim iPhone....any suggestions?

btw, I have a discount code apple sent me, expires tonight - if anyone is buying anything at apple now send me a pm and I can send you - does not work on iPhone, iPad or GC's....its like 15 off 100, 30 off 200... let me know ASAP
 
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