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iPhone Air Marks on iPhone Air titanium frame

T

TY89

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 23, 2015
17
8
Hi everyone,

I’ve noticed some recurring marks on the titanium frame of my white iPhone Air. They appear as lines around the antenna bands and also as small dots or circles all over the phone.

I can completely wipe/polish them away with a microfiber cloth, but after a while they come back.

On Friday I was using the Apple Clear Case and at first I thought the case had caused these marks. But then I realized the dots also appear on the bottom edge, where the case is open.

Is anyone else seeing something similar on their Air?

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I wonder if it’s something from when it was manufactured (a clamp or something). Had mine about an hour now so I will report back. I also have the Apple clear case.
 
Could be the natural oils from your hands are degrading the polish of the titanium. Apple made the titanium boarder/frame around the Air with a polished chemical and it looks that is degrading over a certain amount of time and with a certain amount of contact from your hands. If you wipe it down and its fine for a while and then comes back, that would be my only guess as to how that could be happening.
 
Weird, I have a white one too and I tried checking all four sides. Can’t duplicate it on my phone!

Maybe a jewelry polishing cloth will remove them? I’ve used my Mayflower jewelry cloth on all of my shiny Apple metal to bring back that new feeling.
 
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Brettka7 said:
Weird, I have a white one too and I tried checking all four sides. Can’t duplicate it on my phone!

Maybe a jewelry polishing cloth will remove them? I’ve used my Mayflower jewelry cloth on all of my shiny Apple metal to bring back that new feeling.
Click to expand...
Okay, it looks like I’ll have to get the iPhone Air exchanged. I’m assuming you don’t have those lines above and below the antenna bands either?

IMG_0009.jpeg


IMG_0009.jpeg


I’ve also marked the area in the second image to make it clear what I mean. I have this on all of the antenna bands. This is where I could imagine it coming from the Apple Clear Case.
 
TY89 said:
Okay, it looks like I’ll have to get the iPhone Air exchanged. I’m assuming you don’t have those lines above and below the antenna bands either?

View attachment 2555480

View attachment 2555481

I’ve also marked the area in the second image to make it clear what I mean. I have this on all of the antenna bands. This is where I could imagine it coming from the Apple Clear Case.
Click to expand...
4BF9DD89-DFE9-43B2-A180-7010060821E7.jpeg

F20BD87A-52B7-492D-854E-F6E98EE14DBC.jpeg


Tried to make it different levels of smudgy and I’m unable to duplicate your spots anywhere on my frame. Let me know if you want any other pics!
 
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TY89 said:
Okay, it looks like I’ll have to get the iPhone Air exchanged. I’m assuming you don’t have those lines above and below the antenna bands either?

View attachment 2555480

View attachment 2555481

I’ve also marked the area in the second image to make it clear what I mean. I have this on all of the antenna bands. This is where I could imagine it coming from the Apple Clear Case.
Click to expand...
I have these on my 1TB white air as well.

Specifically same spots all around the antenna bands, so def not some one off issue.

Wondering if it has to do with the antenna design? You can’t really see this, and I’m sure 99% of public won’t, so not sure it’s worth exchanging if all else is working well.
 
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kurtkutz said:
anyone know any more about this? is apple taking exchanges?
Click to expand...

You can always return it in your 14 day return window. Outside of that I doubt Apple will accept any exchanges at least going by how they handle superficial cosmetic damage in the past.
 
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So the slight markings around the antenna bands that I noted I also have above, actually can be completely wiped off easily with a microfiber cloth.

But they seem like they come back, so like somebody mentioned- it seems the oils from your hands are doing this, and I’m guessing maybe the material is slightly different right under the antenna bands? Only thing that makes sense since all 4 areas can seem to show a touch differently like that.
 
levels said:
So the slight markings around the antenna bands that I noted I also have above, actually can be completely wiped off easily with a microfiber cloth.

But they seem like they come back, so like somebody mentioned- it seems the oils from your hands are doing this, and I’m guessing maybe the material is slightly different right under the antenna bands? Only thing that makes sense since all 4 areas can seem to show a touch differently like that.
Click to expand...
Have you by any chance used the Apple clear case?
 
Just looks dirty. Maybe it’s plastic residue from your case + oils. Try a bit of isopropyl alcohol? Titanium is extremely durable.

I don’t use a case and the edges are pristine. Exchanging the phone for junk you put on there is insanity.
 
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