Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

BATman.Berlin

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 13, 2015
239
183
California
Just saw the Apple ad for the 11 with the phone being dumped in a purse etc and it creates the impression of being durable. What are your real life experiences? Does the glass scratch easy?
 

Tsepz

macrumors 601
Jan 24, 2013
4,883
4,696
Johannesburg, South Africa
Just saw the Apple ad for the 11 with the phone being dumped in a purse etc and it creates the impression of being durable. What are your real life experiences? Does the glass scratch easy?

The first thing I did after getting my 11 Pro Max was get a silicone case and tempered glass screen protector, because quite frankly glass is glass and it will scratch and break if abused.
 

LFC2020

macrumors P6
Apr 4, 2020
16,874
38,037
Glass is glass don't buy into apples marketing hype, I never put any keys or coins in the same pocket as my phone.

Phone in one pocket, everything else in the other pocket.

Putting it in a handbag is asking for trouble.

No screen protector on my launch purchase XS Max, screen still looks brand new.
 

mtneer

macrumors 68040
Sep 15, 2012
3,183
2,715
Apple generally has shown very poor engineering skills to prepare their products for wear and tear. That's why most people sport a case or don't care how the phone looks.
 

mittencuh

macrumors regular
Nov 4, 2012
146
192
Colorado Springs
I had an iPhone 11 for a couple weeks and used it without a case and had zero scratches. Returned it and got a hand me down X in perfect condition. Within a week I had small scratches on nearly every edge of the rear glass. Anecdotal, but the 11 felt much more sturdy to me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marlon DLTH :)

vinegarshots

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2018
972
1,333
I dont use cases. I've dropped my iPhone 11 twice now. First time was from about a foot above the surface of my glass desktop, right on the sharp edge, and it hit hard enough to dent the aluminum along the side of the screen. The second time was this morning when the phone slid off my wireless charger stand and hit the metal frame around my nightstand on the way down. Hit hard enough to put an even bigger dent in the aluminum frame right along the glass edge. Still no broken glass on the phone, and only 2 or 3 super tiny scuff scratches on the upper right corner of the front, and one tiny scratch on the back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marlon DLTH :)

firedept

macrumors 603
Jul 8, 2011
6,278
1,130
Somewhere!
I use a case and screen protector on my 11 Pro Max. Whether it is durable or not. With the money I spend on such a device I won't take a chance on damaging it. It is made of mostly glass. Glass is great if it's not handled. But drop a piece of glass and the great majority of times it will break. My wife is a sales rep for AT&T so I hear the horror stories of the damaged phones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: remington79

magbarn

macrumors 68030
Oct 25, 2008
2,995
2,365
I dont use cases. I've dropped my iPhone 11 twice now. First time was from about a foot above the surface of my glass desktop, right on the sharp edge, and it hit hard enough to dent the aluminum along the side of the screen. The second time was this morning when the phone slid off my wireless charger stand and hit the metal frame around my nightstand on the way down. Hit hard enough to put an even bigger dent in the aluminum frame right along the glass edge. Still no broken glass on the phone, and only 2 or 3 super tiny scuff scratches on the upper right corner of the front, and one tiny scratch on the back.
Applecare+ or don't care?
I'm pretty sure the water resistance on your phone is compromised with that much denting along the glass edge.
 
  • Like
Reactions: remington79

TechLord

macrumors 6502a
Apr 28, 2020
692
911
I use a screen protector and a case, but if I had to choose only one to use it'd be the screen protector. The back glass seems quite sturdy, but from what I've read the screen itself scratches like anything. A downside of having the "toughest glass".
 

duanepatrick

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2019
431
308
"It scratches at level 6 with deeper grooves at level 7" - Jerry

My phone still looks fine for me. It's not like mine fall from a high surface yet. I'm too afraid to make a fall test lol. But the bend test shows that it is durable.

Note: The quote means that keys and coins will not scratch the phone screen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tsepz

duanepatrick

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2019
431
308
My 11 has scratches and I swear I aways put a case on it. The glass gets scratches easily!
Oh my, maybe its time to put a screen protector on mine. I have a case tho.
[automerge]1590448874[/automerge]
I haven't had any scratches on my screen since I bought it.
 

BATman.Berlin

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 13, 2015
239
183
California
Thanks everyone. It seems I have to go with a case. I used to have transparent skins on my Samsung and tried on the ip11, but never got a good application at the round edges.
 

TsuaSai

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2006
508
68
TX
I have had mine since launch day. I dropped it about ten times before I cracked the screen last week. I have apple care+ for the first time and only planned to keep this phone one year. Figured I would roll the dice and take the gamble. Looks like I’ll be paying $30 for a new screen.
 

vinegarshots

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2018
972
1,333
Applecare+ or don't care?
I'm pretty sure the water resistance on your phone is compromised with that much denting along the glass edge.

Yeah, I have Applecare+. If it gets beat up enough that I cant stand looking at it, THEN I'll put a case over it to hide the dings. Doing the opposite always seemed kind of backwards to me.

My 11 has scratches and I swear I aways put a case on it. The glass gets scratches easily!

It only scratches easily if you don't pay attention to things that scratch glass. If you do, it is actually pretty tough to scratch it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marlon DLTH :)

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,494
My 11 has scratches and I swear I aways put a case on it. The glass gets scratches easily!

Keep in mind, cases can be the culprit. If dirt/debris/sediment gets trapped inside, it causes rubbing, which is where you see the micro abrasion’s on the display and back glass. I’d suggest cleaning with the case removed at least every other day with a clean Dampened microfiber cloth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ifti

TimothyL

macrumors 6502
May 4, 2019
372
265
The first thing I did after getting my 11 Pro Max was get a silicone case and tempered glass screen protector, because quite frankly glass is glass and it will scratch and break if abused.

Yep same here. Although they’re pretty durable I always use a case and glass screen protector for extra protection and I try to take good care of it
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tsepz

ScreenSavers

macrumors 68020
Feb 26, 2016
2,125
1,677
Bloomingdale, GA
I had my iPhone 11 in a dbrand skin inside of a case, so the case wouldn’t scratch the phone. (That does happen to me.) I also used a glass screen protector. Even then, the case made a small scratch on the power button, but I was happy with the protection overall.

I’m using an OtterBox Strada folio and glass screen protector for my 11 Pro Max now. One of my favorite cases from my 7 Plus and 8 Plus days.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.