iPhone 6S screen cracking defect?

[andrew20]

Hey all,

So I've searched and haven't found anything about people complaining of fragile iPhone 6S and 6S Plus glass.

I have 2 friends which got the 6S and both of their screens cracked already. One of my friends had it on the coffee table and it fell ON THE CARPET (really soft carpet too). Of course nothing was thought of it and it literally cracked from that cushioned, < 2foot "fall"...

The other friend I didn't witness said his broke from falling less than 2 feet when he got out of the car.

Then just now, I get home, and I set my phone down. I set it down like I have every iPhone released since the iPhone 3G (which I've never cracked a screen): with the phone in my hand, I move so the top of it comes into contact with the target surface, then I slide my hand out from under with the bottom of the phone just a bit higher up than the height of my fingers (a half an inch at the very most), until my fingers are clear to let gravity complete the setting-of-the-phone-down sequence.

Well, that caused a hairline crack on the corner. WTF!

I live in Austin, TX (as do my two friends) - possible batch of defective phones shipped to this region? Or was I just too rough on this new iPhone 6S Plus that has improved glass over its predecessor? The videos' I've watched of people repeatedly dropping from 10 feet on its front and never getting it to even show a scratch on the screen - they're either fake or I got a defective device...??

I'm "on standby" at the Apple Store for them to look at it today - I am nervous to hear what they tell me because if they refuse to replace it under warranty - I will be instilled with so much anger that I don't want to feel.

Thoughts anyone? How's your iPhone 6S/6S Plus super strong ionized crap holding up?

-Andrew

 

[iNinja08]

Is the phone you are dropping from 1.5" on the counter from you hand in a case or without? I'm super careful with my phones on any hard surface, and I wouldn't consider dropping the phone from your hand to a hard surface anything but a drop to be honest(even if it's only 1.5") I wouldn't use that story when talking with Apple about it. It seems like senseless abuse.

I cant see them giving you a hard time for a hairline crack that is forming with no obvious damage (no scratches or dings).

The 6s+ is my first all metal phone so I immediately wrapped it in an Otterbox Symmetry.. I've had no issues, but also no drops, I will say the glass has excellent oleo-phobic properties. I haven't heard of anyone else mentioning the fragility of the glass thus far.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Apple has been know to replace screens that have a single crack in the screen if there is no other visible damage to the phone's frame. Just go in and be nice and tell them the truth and you will get it fixed or replaced.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

The glass is the strongest glass on any phone. Any weird drops can cause any screen to crack, no defects with drops. Pics of your hairline scratch? I'm confused if you have a hairline scratch or cracked screen.

 

[5105973]

Any chance you incurred the damage before you noticed it? Was there a more solid hit earlier in the day that you didn't pay attention to at the time?

 

[Osamede]

The glass is the strongest glass on any phone.

You are claiming that as "fact"? Based on what? That the company selling the phone said so? One cannot simply take marketing claims as facts.

Even the claim of "strongest glass" is vague? "Strong"? At what panel thickness and in what surface area? Under what sort of stress - and from which direction? Under what condition of temperature, etc?

Besides, whether or not the glass breaks when you drop a phone is based on many things, not just the properties of the glass - for example the manner in which the glass is mounted, the material that the glass is mounded it, the height and angle of the fall, the properties of the surface it fell on, etc.

Besides which everyone knows that phone manufacturers WANT you to break the glass on the phone. Otherwise they would put lanyard loops on the phone, just like you can find on every digital camera, laser measuring tool, voice recorder etc.

 

[sjinsjca]

Today's phone glass is more scratch resistant than ever before, but with hardness comes brittleness. It seems there's always an inverse relationship in that way... it's the reason some very covetous and extremely costly Omega watches have acrylic plastic crystals: they won't shatter, and scratches can be buffed out.

The corners and edges are the most vulnerable parts. A tiny chip (or defect) will eventually propagate through the rest of the glass. It tends to happen suddenly when a minor impact occurs.

 

[Zune55]

Hey all,

So I've searched and haven't found anything about people complaining of fragile iPhone 6S and 6S Plus glass.

I have 2 friends which got the 6S and both of their screens cracked already. One of my friends had it on the coffee table and it fell ON THE CARPET (really soft carpet too). Of course nothing was thought of it and it literally cracked from that cushioned, < 2foot "fall"...

The other friend I didn't witness said his broke from falling less than 2 feet when he got out of the car.

Then just now, I get home, and I set my phone down. I set it down like I have every iPhone released since the iPhone 3G (which I've never cracked a screen): with the phone in my hand, I move so the top of it comes into contact with the target surface, then I slide my hand out from under with the bottom of the phone just a bit higher up than the height of my fingers (a half an inch at the very most), until my fingers are clear to let gravity complete the setting-of-the-phone-down sequence.

Well, that caused a hairline crack on the corner. WTF!

I live in Austin, TX (as do my two friends) - possible batch of defective phones shipped to this region? Or was I just too rough on this new iPhone 6S Plus that has improved glass over its predecessor? The videos' I've watched of people repeatedly dropping from 10 feet on its front and never getting it to even show a scratch on the screen - they're either fake or I got a defective device...??

I'm "on standby" at the Apple Store for them to look at it today - I am nervous to hear what they tell me because if they refuse to replace it under warranty - I will be instilled with so much anger that I don't want to feel.

Thoughts anyone? How's your iPhone 6S/6S Plus super strong ionized crap holding up?

-Andrew

My iPhone

Hey all,

So I've searched and haven't found anything about people complaining of fragile iPhone 6S and 6S Plus glass.

I have 2 friends which got the 6S and both of their screens cracked already. One of my friends had it on the coffee table and it fell ON THE CARPET (really soft carpet too). Of course nothing was thought of it and it literally cracked from that cushioned, < 2foot "fall"...

The other friend I didn't witness said his broke from falling less than 2 feet when he got out of the car.

Then just now, I get home, and I set my phone down. I set it down like I have every iPhone released since the iPhone 3G (which I've never cracked a screen): with the phone in my hand, I move so the top of it comes into contact with the target surface, then I slide my hand out from under with the bottom of the phone just a bit higher up than the height of my fingers (a half an inch at the very most), until my fingers are clear to let gravity complete the setting-of-the-phone-down sequence.

Well, that caused a hairline crack on the corner. WTF!

I live in Austin, TX (as do my two friends) - possible batch of defective phones shipped to this region? Or was I just too rough on this new iPhone 6S Plus that has improved glass over its predecessor? The videos' I've watched of people repeatedly dropping from 10 feet on its front and never getting it to even show a scratch on the screen - they're either fake or I got a defective device...??

I'm "on standby" at the Apple Store for them to look at it today - I am nervous to hear what they tell me because if they refuse to replace it under warranty - I will be instilled with so much anger that I don't want to feel.

Thoughts anyone? How's your iPhone 6S/6S Plus super strong ionized crap holding up?

-Andrew

iPhone 6s which dropped from bed quite few times on the carpet which is not plush. Sometimes fall from bed striking the wall then on the carpet. And I amazed to see there are zero scratches from these happenings. All previous iPhones would have lot of scratches but man iPhone 6s screen is superb. When I see the screen of 6s it super shines which make me thinks that this iPhone has by far the best iPhone screen ever. Sorry to hear about your experience but mine is completely different experience than yours. I wish all my previous iPhones had 6s screen.

 

[stulaw11]

First discount "my friend said" stories completely. No one is honest in retelling stories. It was more than likely played down not to look like an idiot which is human nature. That "under 2 feet from the car" was probably more like 3 or 4 feet right face first onto solid concrete with zero case or screen protector. Same with the carpet, probably not the whole story.

It's glass at the end of the day. You can tap your house window and get a crack- right day right temp of the glass vs outside, right spot. Dozens of factors. Things happen.

As said bring it to the Apple store and be nice about it and they will likely fix it for free if it's just a tiny hairline crack.

 

[docal97]

I've never heard of someone placing a phone down on a table and it suffering a crack. Did you place it face down on a table or drop it in some way? And if someone actually drops the phone, I would expect it to crack. If it didn't, I would consider myself pretty lucky.

 

[lordofthereef]

It's very difficult to judge something like this. You literally can't stop a phone the same way twice. Even if you think you're setting it down the same, you're not. That's not to say you're doing down thing wrong, but I felt it was worth noting.

I haven't dropped my phone on anything but carpet yet. I do know that there is supposedly a pressure point on the lower left below the screen on some devices (I've seen pics where it's visible). Whether this effects anything or not is beyond me.

 

[harrypraneeth]

I cracked the screen of my iPhone 6S Plus, it happened to be in an apple case and it fell off from car seat in the parking lot!

 

[maxsix]

Based on the many iPhone 6S Plus models I've seen the guys at work with and the two I bought, this is the strongest display glass/iPhone body assembly ever.

Both my wife and daughter love theirs, but are clumsy as heck and drop them frequently, a normal occurrence in their use case. Chipped and dinged already, the glass is holding up in ways their iPhone 6 Plus models didn't.

There's always the exception, but thus far I'm very impressed with how robust the new model is.

 

[Zune55]

I cracked the screen of my iPhone 6S Plus, it happened to be in an apple case and it fell off from car seat in the parking lot!

iPhone 5s dropped from my nephew hand he was less 1 1/2 years old then. Dropped to concrete and the screen shattered like it was dropped from top of the building. Watch this how strong the iPhone 6s is:

 

[wxman2003]

I cracked the screen of my iPhone 6S Plus, it happened to be in an apple case and it fell off from car seat in the parking lot!

On a bright note, you no longer need a case. Go naked!

 

[amorcito]

I cracked the screen of my iPhone 6S Plus, it happened to be in an apple case and it fell off from car seat in the parking lot!

get yourself a Tech21 case for next time

 

[yillbs]

I'm using a Moshi case i picked up when i picked up my 6s+. Dropped it from my roof, hit the concrete, case cracked / broke, and the phone was fine it was a pretty cheap case, not sure if the case helped, or i just got lucky, but no damage!

 

[amorcito]

I'm using a Moshi case i picked up when i picked up my 6s+. Dropped it from my roof, hit the concrete, case cracked / broke, and the phone was fine it was a pretty cheap case, not sure if the case helped, or i just got lucky, but no damage!

lol. yea moshi cases dont protect much. You got lucky. Check out tech21. It has a rubber materai around the phone. Verizone sells them and bby. Apple has some, but not the really durable ones. Also check out their site. They are in the UK. They can ship directly to you, came in 5 days... paypal accepted... no, i dont work for them =)

 

[BrodieApple]

The 6S is way stronger glass

 

[bushman4]

Regardless of what kind of glass it is, it's still glass and it will break Sometimes without much of a drop. Protect yourself with a good case. At least it's some protection
This is the first post of broken glass that I've seen about the 6S /6S+

 

[Osamede]

Reasons 2 and 3 below, pretty much sum up this problem
- Apple and all other phone companies make money by shoving out breakable devices
- the public does not keep them honest (apropos some of the apologist and denialist views evident in this case)


http://www.nngroup.com/articles/apple-makes-grandmothers/
Apple Is Making Us All My Grandmother
by KARA PERNICE on October 11, 2015

Summary: Whether it’s my iPhone or my grandmother’s couch, having to cover it up indicates a design that breaks the “Form follows function” motto. Design goals and business goals sometimes rightfully win out over perfect function and usability.


There are hundreds of things I love about my iPhone and the few things I really dislike. The one thing I loathe is not what you might think a UX person would be most bothered by, like lacking multiwindow support, or data-sync issues. It is fact that it is turning users into cautious drones who value insurance over elegance.

Recently I asked my fiancé what color my iPhone is. “Red,” he answered. No that's the cover color. “White.” Wrong. “Black.” Wrong. “Silver?” Wrong again.

Steve knows my iPhone password, plus a multitude of nonessential facts like my favorite karaoke song, my obsession with not throwing food away, not to mention every freckle on my shoulders, but he doesn’t know what color my phone is. This phone that is now a part of me and that I am with much more than I am with Steve.

It bothered me. “The cover is not the phone,” I stressed to him. “But you need it,” he said. Steve used to work in construction, so he used to break his phone regularly, even when it was in a robust case. For a moment I thought, “You may need it, but I don’t.” But actually he is not that different from me. I may not be dropping my phone from a rooftop onto a pile of demolition debris, but I jog and I walk my two dogs a lot, and have dropped my share of phones, which were undoubtedly saved by the case. So I was sad to realize that I never take the case off. At this revelation, I directed my attention toward a different Steve, the incredible Steve Jobs. And, I reverted back to a fundamental problem that most people who have an iPhone have probably talked about since its inception: its fragility, and more importantly, the fact that the hardware design of this gorgeous piece of technology is far too delicate for the environment it is used in. (Incidentally, I’m having a similar problem with the Apple Watch. I like to swim, paddle board, and recently started surfing. So far the Apple Watch feature I like most is the exercise tracking. But guess what? Since the watch is not waterproof I get no credit for anything I do in the ocean. So when I look expectantly at my watch at the end of the day for affirmation that I was not a complete slug, it chastises me for not meeting my exercise goal.)

And here is where my maternal grandmother comes in. “Mimi” displayed extraordinary kindness, an Irish wit, the cooking chops of an Italian, and regularly corralled 16 raucous grandchildren who visited maybe a bit too often. So when she bought a new off-white and lime green brocade couch, before it had even passed fully through the front door, she busily fit a thick, clear plastic cover over it. This cover made the couch look like a peanut butter sandwich in a kid’s school lunch, and smell like a beach ball. In the winter it felt cold and stiff. In the hot summer our bare legs would stick to it. The clear cover neither looked, smelled, or felt good, yet it would guard the couch for its entire residence in Mimi’s living room. And the iPhone cases many people use have some very similar traits.

Does Form Follow Function with the iPhone?
The classical dictum implies that beauty in design results from functionality, and thus, aesthetic considerations in design should be secondary to functional considerations. Designers should focus on elements that are critical to functionality, and only after those have been identified can they start searching for the most beautiful implementation that accommodates the functionality constraints. This principle implies that, for example, a designer should not choose a UI component (say the hamburger menu) before she has defined the IA. But once the design’s goals, content, and flow have been identified, the designer can start working on the specific UI and on the page layout.

Apple designers must know the idea of form following function—upside-down and sideways. So, why didn’t they make the iPhone sturdier? (Or the Apple Watch waterproof, for that matter?) Three possible reasons:

1. They Can’t
Doubtful. With Apple’s design and execution track record, if anyone can do it, they can.

2. They Won’t
This is more like it.

Functional considerations (protection from dropping the phone or wetting the watch) are compromised in the design. In this case, the usability has purposefully been sacrificed for design and business reasons. The breakability of the phone is not enough to kill sales. In fact, the simple metal encasing undoubtedly makes the sales. Imagine the iPhone with a thick, rubber sheathing? Yuck.

Also, it's naïve to think that aftermarket case sales are not a major part of the reason why the iPhone needs a protective cover. It’s big business. And every company and worker at those companies that sell these aftermarket products are now also loyal to Apple.

Engineering isn’t easy and is expensive. Back in business school, we studied business case after business case in which design teams didn't communicate early on with the manufacturing groups and discovered on the assembly line that a part didn't actually fit, and the manufacturing workers were tasked with fixing the problem. This added expense compromised or altogether ruined the quality of the design.

It’s doubtful that when it created the first iPhone Apple didn’t know that it was going to need a cover to remain functional. But it probably decided that the benefit of including one in the design did not justify the cost and the design effort.

3. They Don’t Need to
How many people buy the cover together with the phone, and make an immediate transfer from box to cover? Which other products are so beautiful and used so frequently but require you to cover them? Think about it. Back in the early 1990s I knew a guy who drove a Z28, his pride and joy. But he secured a custom car bra on the nose to prevent bugs from splatting and ruining the paint job (because a black, rubber cover stretched over the front of a shiny red car is so much better looking.)

People who use the iPhone don’t seem to care enough about any pain associated with using covers. Some people even like the way covers can personalize their phone.

Form Doesn’t Always Follow Function
Good designers consider users, their tasks, their environment, and their needs, and then design for all of these. Thus, we might say that the iPhone hardware design is lacking because some of the needs were ignored. But every design has trade-offs, and every team needs to account for business goals to be successful. In the iPhone scenario, an easy-to-use interface that functions fairly well and a brand people want to be associated with matter more than faultless hardware. And a major user desire is to own something beautiful. People perceive that possessing a beautiful object from a status brand reflects positively upon themselves. The marketing capitalizes on this, as images of iPhones don’t display OtterBoxes. When you go to an Apple Store no iPhones are demoed in speck cases. Instead Apple showcases a sleek, thin, elegant piece of machinery that you want to hold in your hand.

This perfect potpourri of design skill, delicate trade-offs, brilliant marketing, and strong business input is rare and complicated. And, on the other hand, people buy products not only because those products have a low cost (be it list price, effort of use, or convenience), but also because they have a deep admiration for how the object looks and for the brand. Like the design process, the purchase process is a cost–benefit one, but on the customer side. And the benefits are often abstract and subtle and may relate to status, social perception, and perceived attractiveness.

Form may not have to totally follow function to have an incredibly successful product, as long as the product is still special, and everything supporting it is just about flawless.

What’s a User to Do?
Is it enough for just me to know what my iPhone looks like under its case? Sometimes yes. But it would be more enjoyable for me to actually see it. And having more people see it may help validate its allure. However, until Apple or someone else provides a striking phone that can also be struck, every iPhone owner has to ask herself, “Do I want to see and enjoy the arresting design more than I want to protect it?” Maybe Mimi, Erma Bombeck, and Steve Jobs are having a cup of tea and some apple crisp somewhere talking about the iPhone. Erma (known for urging us to take out that beautiful candle we have been saving and burn it right down to the nub, and use the new white tablecloth even when serving Merlot and a marinara sauce) might say, “Throw the case away: Live a little!” To which Mimi would respond, “No, lovey, keep it safe in the case.” And Steve Jobs might take a break from his blissful yoga to join the conversation and ask, “Can either of you two program in Swift?”

For now, I can’t choose Mimi or Erma’s side. But sometimes, when I am feeling brave, I assume the position of a 4-year-old about to hold her newborn brother for the first time. Enveloped in the safety of my own living room couch (sans cover), surrounded by pillows and carpet, I slowly liberate my golden iPhone from its plastic and rubber straitjacket. Cruel irony chips a recently-painted fingernail, a price I am willing to pay for using my naked iPhone with a heightened awareness of its true exquisiteness and vulnerability.

 

[kkparismama]

Just found this thread searching for anyone who has had a similar experience to mine... I've had my 6s for 2.5 months and it's in a simple ESR slim clear bumper case (with raised rim on screen side). It's had a couple of small falls, nothing big, nothing broken.

But this morning when grabbing it off the bedside table it slipped out of my hand and fell maybe 1.5 feet to the wooden floor covered by a kilim rug. (Which is to say the fall wasn't cushy but it wasn't on concrete either.) I picked up the phone and the entire screen was shattered! Unbelievable. I've had nearly every model of the iPhone and the last time I had a crack - and that was literally a single crack - was sometime back in 2009 or 2010.

All of my iPhones have had simple cases, and they have taken much worse falls than the one this morning. I'm have an appointment at the Apple Store tomorrow and am curious to know if there's any way this shatter could have been due to a defect in the glass - it just seems unreal to have to pay over 120 euros (here in Paris) not even three months after purchasing this phone!

Andrew20: what was the verdict when you picked up your phone?

 

[got556]

My fiance loves dropping her phones. Seriously...it's like a hobby for her.

W/ that said, I have seen her 4, 4S, 5C, and 6 take falls that never should have survived. The worst being when she dropped her 6 from the top of the stairs, through the top and 2nd highest stair face down on the concrete floor in the basement. It only cracked the tempered glass screen protector. I was shocked. Fast fwd to her two 6S's and the first one had a kitchen chair dropped on it (long story) and the chair landed right around the home button. Screen still worked but it was toast. Second one slipped off the couch and made about a 1.5 ft drop to the wooden floor....shattered. That's been my crappy experiences with the 6S. And for the record, between my fiance and I, we have owned every iPhone model.
[doublepost=1463019497][/doublepost]

I've never heard of someone placing a phone down on a table and it suffering a crack. Did you place it face down on a table or drop it in some way? And if someone actually drops the phone, I would expect it to crack. If it didn't, I would consider myself pretty lucky.

This used to be a huge problem with the old Nexus 4 phones that had glass backs. Many would set it on a marble countertop and instantly shatter the glass back. Some chalked it up to extreme temp difference from the warm or hot phone to the very cool or cold counter top. Also could have been a burr or something else sticking up from the flat surface of the counter that could potentially cause a crack if hit just right.

 

[andrew20]

Happy to report that Apple replaced it in-store without hesitation.

The genius said that hairline cracks (basically a crack that follows a single path from one edge to the other, without spiderwebbing) are a defect and covered. I'm guessing it is something inherent in the glass manufacturing process which makes the durability of each one inconsistent or unpredictable. Kind of like how earlier LCD displays would come brand new with a couple dead pixels.

So to anyone else with a hairline crack - treat it like a fabergé egg and go straight to the Apple Store for a replacement. If you don't, then varying temperature, a slight impact, or a gust of wind could cause it to crack more a free replacement instantly becomes an accidental damage repair.

Take care everyone,
-Andrew

Oh BTW, I have dropped this replacement 6S Plus onto the bare asphalt at least 3 times. It even slipped outta my hand while in the hot-tub (in horror I watched it plane straight to the bottom). Despite the dunking and dropping nothing suffered damage from the water and it looks brand new still. Never put my iPhones through this much torture before, suppose I'm getting careless considering I'll have the next iPhone soon enough anyway - haha.

 

[Osamede]

W/ that said, I have seen her 4, 4S, 5C, and 6 take falls that never should have survived. The worst being when she dropped her 6 from the top of the stairs, through the top and 2nd highest stair face down on the concrete floor in the basement. It only cracked the tempered glass screen protector. I was shocked. Fast fwd to her two 6S's and the first one had a kitchen chair dropped on it (long story) and the chair landed right around the home button. Screen still worked but it was toast. Second one slipped off the couch and made about a 1.5 ft drop to the wooden floor....shattered. That's been my crappy experiences with the 6S. And for the record, between my fiance and I, we have owned every iPhone model.

.

Does not mirror my experience with the devices from 3S all the way to 5S. Those things got screen cracked quite easily in my experience. I never had one last more than 6 months before breaking.

The only device I have had that was impressive on drop performance was the Samsung Note 4. You literally had to try to destroy the thing.

My partners iphone 6 has lasted but then again, she had it in a case from day 1.