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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
Was in the Apple Store in Glasgow UK today and black demos pretty scratched on the bottom around the connector and along the chamfer all around. White ones the same except not quite as noticeable. This is one iPhone that's going to look pretty scruffy very very quickly. Bad show Apple.
 
Why not just take a black marker and hide the small scuff??

:p

That might work if the anodizing coating is in fact not defective. Otherwise, it'd continue to rub off prematurely over time.

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Had the thing for a week. It's been covered with Ghost Armor and I have literally treated it like my baby and it has not touched anything but my hands, lap, pocket and a soft clean cloth on my desk and yet some of the sides are already rubbing off? WHAT THE.

Considering that mine still is in perfect condition after regular use since I got it last Friday morning I fear for your (current or future) baby.

This is quite simple. The former has defective anodizing coating whereas the latter doesn't.
 
Does anybody else think that this situation has become ludicrous for customers? Many people have been unsuccessful to find a flawless iPhone out of the box even though it should be the standard, not a lucky incident. Advertising great finish is misleading if the product looks used out of the box. Even if you're one of the few lucky to get a truly cosmetically flawless sample you will probably find your phone scratches too easily in ordinary everyday use. Of course you can put a protective case on it, but then the phone is no longer that thin or good looking which are important factors in cell phones these days.

The question is that why do people put up with this? Many other companies would be boycotted for trying to sell customers second grade quality with premium price. They are not even admitting the problem that is obvious, but rather telling people to deal with it. Apple should be apologizing for their quality control problems, but it looks like it's the customers that are apologetic just because they'd like their new phones to be flawless. Instead of customers being the problem, could it be that Apple's manufacturing tolerances are perhaps too loose? Or that they chose the wrong material for this iPhone?

It isn't good customer service to be able to pick the least cosmetically damaged iPhone if they all are flawed. And it's not fair for the customers to have to spend their precious time in order to find a phone without any defects out of the box. Everyone should demand quality, particularly if the company advertises their products to be top notch in that department.
 
Does anybody else think that this situation has become ludicrous for customers? Many people have been unsuccessful to find a flawless iPhone out of the box even though it should be the standard, not a lucky incident. Advertising great finish is misleading if the product looks used out of the box. Even if you're one of the few lucky to get a truly cosmetically flawless sample you will probably find your phone scratches too easily in ordinary everyday use. Of course you can put a protective case on it, but then the phone is no longer that thin or good looking which are important factors in cell phones these days.

The question is that why do people put up with this? Many other companies would be boycotted for trying to sell customers second grade quality with premium price. They are not even admitting the problem that is obvious, but rather telling people to deal with it. Apple should be apologizing for their quality control problems, but it looks like it's the customers that are apologetic just because they'd like their new phones to be flawless. Instead of customers being the problem, could it be that Apple's manufacturing tolerances are perhaps too loose? Or that they chose the wrong material for this iPhone?

It isn't good customer service to be able to pick the least cosmetically damaged iPhone if they all are flawed. And it's not fair for the customers to have to spend their precious time in order to find a phone without any defects out of the box. Everyone should demand quality, particularly if the company advertises their products to be top notch in that department.

Apple will need to do something about these worthless factory workers and their supervisors for allowing those obviously damaged iPhones to slip past QC under a time gun. A tiny speck of dust, single stuck subpixel or yellow screens are understandable as they're microscopic or difficult to catch unless turned on, but nicks out of the box are way too obvious.
 
Just received a replacement iphone 5 from apple via ups. Either I'm being too critical or the iPhone should be shipped in perfect condition.

There is a tiny chip in the anodized coating directly in the middle of the phone on the screen side.
 

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Just received a replacement iphone 5 from apple via ups. Either I'm being too critical or the iPhone should be shipped in perfect condition.

There is a tiny chip in the anodized coating directly in the middle of the phone on the screen side.

That would annoy the heck outta me. I had a similar ding and got it replaced.
 
Contacted apple uk to replace mine.

1. I had to send through proof of damage via email before they agree to swap over.
2. They will send a replacement out on express delivery (4-5 days btw).
3. Courier will pick up existing handset (all box, accessories as well) within 2 days.
4. I will be stuck without a phone during this period...


Furious at apples replacement process... :mad:
 
Contacted apple uk to replace mine.

1. I had to send through proof of damage via email before they agree to swap over.
2. They will send a replacement out on express delivery (4-5 days btw).
3. Courier will pick up existing handset (all box, accessories as well) within 2 days.
4. I will be stuck without a phone during this period...


Furious at apples replacement process... :mad:
No, they won't leave you without a phone if that's an express exchange. You've got 2 days to send your damaged phone ONCE you've received the replacement.
 
Just received a replacement iphone 5 from apple via ups. Either I'm being too critical or the iPhone should be shipped in perfect condition.

There is a tiny chip in the anodized coating directly in the middle of the phone on the screen side.

Get it replaced. They'll probably ask for pictures, so just take a picture of it again but close up, and from multiple angles.

I paid £350 ($565) for an unlocked Galaxy S3 the other day, and it was in pristine condition. Considering these phones cost significantly more than that, I expect nothing less.

Even my (£120 Lumia 800 was beautiful out of the box).

Finely crafted phone my ass.

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Contacted apple uk to replace mine.

1. I had to send through proof of damage via email before they agree to swap over.
2. They will send a replacement out on express delivery (4-5 days btw).
3. Courier will pick up existing handset (all box, accessories as well) within 2 days.
4. I will be stuck without a phone during this period...


Furious at apples replacement process... :mad:

My replacement was sent out the same day, and I received it via TNT the next day. This was on Tuesday last week, and they only collected my original today.
 
Just received a replacement iphone 5 from apple via ups. Either I'm being too critical or the iPhone should be shipped in perfect condition.

There is a tiny chip in the anodized coating directly in the middle of the phone on the screen side.

Welcome to the club. That's no different from the many other iP5 arriving nicked out of the box. My mother's iP5 was the same way but with 2 obvious nicks and one scuff. My iP5 came with flawless metal housing which I carry naked and I have yet to nick or scratch it.
 
Just received a replacement iphone 5 from apple via ups. Either I'm being too critical or the iPhone should be shipped in perfect condition.

There is a tiny chip in the anodized coating directly in the middle of the phone on the screen side.

Unacceptable. Send it back.
 
Over time the white one will look a lot worse. You only need to look at the original iPhone to see how bad raw aluminium gets.

My original still looks great. There's something wrong with the anodising on the iPhone 5.

My worry is that it's because its a lower quality and it affects every single iPhone 5. Possibly on purpose with apple expecting us to accept it like the old shiny silver scratched up iPod nanos and iPod touchs so they can sell a new iPhone to us every year.
 
Just received a replacement iphone 5 from apple via ups. Either I'm being too critical or the iPhone should be shipped in perfect condition.

There is a tiny chip in the anodized coating directly in the middle of the phone on the screen side.

Isn't that actually the chamfered edge?

The chamfered edge gets chips and nicks (I have 2). Isn't the anodized coating the grey/slate colored side band and the back panel itself? I think we need to be clear on the issue.

My understanding is that the anodized coating is anything that's slate grey on the black model -- or am I wrong? This would be the side bands (flat part of the sides) and the flat back panel where the apple logo is. The chamfered edge on the other hand is what connects the side band to either the screen (top) or the back panel (bottom).

In my experience, the very extreme edge of the slate grey side band, where it meets the chamfered edge, tends to lose its coating (shows white lines along the edge). While the chamfered edge itself gets little nicks and dings/chips (like glass or china).

I do not see the side bands themselves (other than the extreme outer edges) or the flat back panel, subject to scuffs or scratches.
 
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Got my white replacement for my black. Best decision I ever made. The White is a week 33, my black was a week 34. Both 64GB shipped direct from China.

Clearly the black was a defective batch in my case... the black was flaking off when wiping with a microfiber and from being in my pocket solo.

If the stores won't swap, call sales prepared to return it and they will swap it. No CC hold or anything.
 
Preordered on September 13 :D Absolutely pristine.
Name: iPhone 5 (GSM model: AT&T and Canada)
ModelCode: iphone_5
Model Number: MD636
Group1: iPhone
Group2:
Generation: 7
Machine Model: iPhone5,1
Model introduced: 2012
Production year: 2012
Production week: 38 (September)
CPU speed: 1.3GHz
Family name: Become a pro user to see this information. (sorry)
Screen size: 4 inch
Screen resolution: 1136x640 pixels
Colour: Black
Capacity: 32GB
Factory: F2
 
Got my white replacement for my black. Best decision I ever made. The White is a week 33, my black was a week 34. Both 64GB shipped direct from China.

Clearly the black was a defective batch in my case... the black was flaking off when wiping with a microfiber and from being in my pocket solo.

If the stores won't swap, call sales prepared to return it and they will swap it. No CC hold or anything.

i am waiting on white being replaced for black (week 34 too) - happy to hear all is good w/white! are you doing a case?
 
Just got my 2nd replacement phone, 1st had a dent and multiple scuffs on the metal band, 2nd phone had a chip on the metal and on the aluminum back. This 3rd one seems perfect so far. One thing I noticed is that this time the white box had a seal on it that said inspected by Apple Care. Maybe, they are now inspecting all of the replacement iPhones for scuffs and dents?
 
i am waiting on white being replaced for black (week 34 too) - happy to hear all is good w/white! are you doing a case?

I did a BodyGuardz clear shield. It shields the front, back, sides and top. Went on great.

You can do a dry or gel application. I did dry. You just can't put the phone in your pocket until the next morning until it adheres to the phone surface. 2 come in a pack.
 
Are you guys holding it right? You have to hold it so that you or anyone else can't see the nicks, dings, and dents! :apple:
 
Isn't that actually the chamfered edge?

The chamfered edge gets chips and nicks (I have 2).
I think Apple should have shaped it differently. If it had a small radius, rounded just enough to eliminate the thin easily damaged edge that would be a big improvement. It's as though they didn't think it through. I do believe Apple is better than this and _that_ for me is the frustrating aspect of what Apple is doing with current products.
 
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