Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Just gave my 7+ matte black a once over. Still looks perfect. I keep mine in the Apple leather case.
 
What did they expect? Painted metal chips, that's just how the physical word works. It's a stupid idea from Apple to make up for a lack of innovation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ssgbryan
Isn't that first picture a Jet Black iPhone?

I thought it was someone who'd covered the chipping w/ paint/sharpie (which is what he mentioned on the thread), but looking again you may be right and this could be the Jet Black. I took that photo out and will replace it, thanks for the heads up.
 
Last edited:
On my matte black 7 (no case), there is some slight wearing of the black on the rear lower corners (some gray/silver is showing through), but no chipping at all.
 
This is why Apple moved to space gray in the first place, because the black and slate iPhone 5 chipped easily. People wanted darker black so Apple responded. Comes with the side effect of easy chipping sadly.

I have a jet black model and it's mostly fine but does have the old iPod like scratchers, especially on the back near the bottom. But that was expected as Apple stated as much.

Can't wait for the return to glass iPhones which will solve this issue. And yes, some people will break there's more easily but if you don't use a case that's the risk.
 
  • Like
Reactions: clauzzz203
*sigh* The iPhone 5 had the same problems, and that was under Jobs' tenure. The original iPhone scuffed as well. The problem, IMO, is that the "jet black" iPhone is so sleek that any slight scratch or defect is going to seem amplified. That said, Apple should have been aware of that and made sure the problem was minimized. My old 3Gs was shiny plastic and yet barely showed any scratches after two years of heavy use, so it's a solvable problem.

Oh man, the 3GS was like the iPod nano in terms of scratches. Just putting it in my pocket could garner those "surface abrasions" on the chrome Apple Logo. Drove me nuts!
 
I thought it was someone who'd covered the chipping w/ paint/sharpie, but looking again you may be right. I took that photo out and will replace it, thanks for the heads up.
No problem! Or perhaps it's an issue affecting both Matte and Jet Black? :)
 
I don't expect paint to flake off of Apple products like this. It's just not good enough. Seems like the paint is not adhering properly. Design flaw.

Nope. No flaw at all. If it was then we'd all be complaining. The markings on the phones are all consistent with the damage caused by keys, coins and other hard metallic objects. That's not a design flaw, it's just user stupidity.
 
Well, it's not paint. It's the anodized coating itself. And it should abrade away, not flake off. It's faulty anodizing.

I'm actually an anodizer. This is a textbook anodizing reject.

Interesting I did not think the oxide layer was able to flake off like that to emulate peeling paint.
 
This is why Apple moved to space gray in the first place, because the black and slate iPhone 5 chipped easily. People wanted darker black so Apple responded. Comes with the side effect of easy chipping sadly.

I have a jet black model and it's mostly fine but does have the old iPod like scratchers, especially on the back near the bottom. But that was expected as Apple stated as much.

Can't wait for the return to glass iPhones which will solve this issue. And yes, some people will break there's more easily but if you don't use a case that's the risk.
You cannot respond to consumer demand and release a product that is susceptible to chipping anyways. They were selling iPhones in huge numbers. Plenty of people liked what they were getting. You should only introduce a new feature if you know its going to perform to your standards.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smartass
I've had a matte black 7+ since day 1 and I have one chip. However, I know exactly when it happened and it was my fault (plopped it down on my keys by accident). Other than that, all good over here. I don't keep it in a case and I don't really baby mine, either.
 
Isn't that first picture a Jet Black iPhone?

EDIT: This was posted when there were three images in the article, of which the first was a Jet Black phone. Said image has now been replaced.

Which means, Jet Black either does or does not apply. I'm assuming since the picture was edited, it doesn't apply to the Jet Black. And tthe Jet Black uses a different process, which may rule it out.
 
Last edited:
I cannot believe people are saying this issue is normal scuffing. Like nobody who is reporting the issue knows how scuffing from normal use looks like. This looks like the paint is just flaking off. Should definitely not be happening. I am not going to criticize Apple for this. You can be the best engineer and still not foresee some problems. But they do need to account for this in future releases.
 
People complaining about Cook: Jobs' Titanium MBP was a pile of crap, even more than this. It had metallic painted plastic corners and the paint fell off or bubbled.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PlayUltimate
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.