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Cheap phone. Cutting corners. This looks like what used to happen to my old cell phones or any cheaply painted electronic. Welcome to Tim Cook's Apple.
But is it running the latest version of Android. These cheep knock offs from China.
 



A number of customers who purchased the matte Black iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus have noticed that the anodized finish on their devices has started chipping or peeling off in areas where there has allegedly been little wear, leading to a growing complaint thread on Apple's Support Communities.

Multiple photos in the thread depict chipping in areas near the speaker grille and the volume buttons, even in situations where the iPhone was said to be protected by a case.

iphone7matteblackchipping.jpg
At least one user has seen more extensive chipping across the back of the device, a much more serious problem than most of the reports.

iphone7rearpaintpeeling.jpg
A finish prone to chips and peeling is not unique to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, nor to the matte Black color. It's an issue that has affected several versions of the iPhone in the past, including the iPhone 6 and 6s, but there seem to be a higher number of complaints from iPhone 7 users who are affected by the problem.

Parallels can be drawn to complaints that surfaced in 2012 after the release of the Black and Slate iPhone 5, which also drew a lot of criticism from customers due to chipping and scuffing issues. At that time, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller responded and said some wear was normal. "Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color," he said. "That is normal."

iphone7chippedspeakergrille.jpg

Matte Black iPhone 7 owners who have contacted Apple about the chipping issue have been told that because it's cosmetic, their devices are not eligible for repair, which has traditionally been Apple's stance on reports of finish problems.

Cosmetic damage is not covered under warranty, so iPhone 7 owners with chipped devices are unlikely to get replacements. Some affected users from Apple's Support Communities have used sharpies or black paint to cover the damage, while others have sold and replaced their devices with a color less prone to damage.

Apple warned users that its glossy Jet Black iPhone 7, sold alongside the matte Black version, would see "fine micro-abrasions" with use and instructed concerned customers to use a case, but no similar warning was given about other iPhone 7 colors.

Article Link: Matte Black iPhone 7 Users Complain About Chipped, Peeling Paint
Silver all the way
 
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There are hundreds of forum members who experienced this on the 6s I believe. (I can't recall the thread). But it appears it's a batched manufacturing consistency issue or a problem with the anodizing process with the 7000 Series aluminum.
I'll upload a photo in a few minutes, my 6s had dots all over on it! Like an aluminum chicken pox
They tried to get me to run along by saying it was cosmetic, $850 phone that looks like polka dots due to poor aluminum and you tell me to run along?

I eventually got my 6s replaced

Update: @ 20:18 on 11FEB17 to include photo
IMG_2244.jpg
 
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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.

But doesn't the problem then become "what standards" ? What I mean is, If people drop their phone and scratch the surface, or put it in a pocket with other abrasives, it's going to get scratched/chipped. Where do you draw the line between giving consumers what they want (thinner phone, better battery, different colors), and also make them indestructible? it's a coated metal, just like cars, planes, etc. The consumer has to expect that going in it's not going to be perfect forever, and it's all based on the user and their environment.
 
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*sigh* The iPhone 5 had the same problems, and that was under Jobs' tenure. The original iPhone scuffed as well. Apple should have been aware of the possibility with such a large surface area and made sure the problem was minimized. It sounds to me like a manufacturing issue.

Yup. Sure looked fantastic new though. Like everything else. These types of things are inevitable.
 
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I can't help but wonder how much of it is them placing the device in pockets with keys, coins, or just generally seeing how well the iPhone would blend. It still sucks for those with issues, nonetheless.
NO ONE does this! I hear this every year with every phone and people like you blame the user.

I'm not affected, but still hate the condescending attitude.
 
Cheap phone. Cutting corners. This looks like what used to happen to my old cell phones or any cheaply painted electronic. Welcome to Tim Cook's Apple.

Your comment sounded just like a tweet from DJT.
NO ONE does this! I hear this every year with every phone and people like you blame the user.

I'm not affected, but still hate the condescending attitude.

Right. Just like how people didn't put their iPhone 6+ in their back pocket and then cry BENDGATE.
 
But doesn't the problem then become "what standards" ? What I mean is, If people drop their phone and scratch the surface, or put it in a pocket with other abrasives, it's going to get scratched/chipped. Where do you draw the line between giving consumers what they want (thinner phone, better battery, different colors), and also make them indestructible? it's a coated metal, just like cars, planes, etc. The consumer has to expect that going in it's not going to be perfect forever, and it's all based on the user and their environment.
The cause of the problem needs to be examined. If it is due to normal wear and tear due to scratches from keys in the pockets, then it is totally expected. However, from the pictures, it does not look like the cause is scratches, it looks like flakes coming off the phones.
 
The cause of the problem needs to be examined. If it is due to normal wear and tear due to scratches from keys in the pockets, then it is totally expected. However, from the pictures, it does not look like the cause is scratches, it looks like flakes coming off the phones.

Much like your car does when a rock hits it?
 
Add me to the list of people with nicks or scratches on their matte black iPhone 7. I don't use a case, and it seems like every time I drop it, the phone gets a little scuff at the exact spot where it hits the ground.
 
I love the instant dismissal of some with the "user fault, keys blahblahblah'

Anodizing should not flake off. Scratch, yes. not flake. Keys etc would scratch the surface, but that is not what is appearing in this context.

But gotta deflect any issue for apple, right? shareholders? or just obsessive
 
Add me to the list of people with nicks or scratches on their matte black iPhone 7. I don't use a case, and it seems like every time I drop it, the phone gets a little scuff at the exact spot where it hits the ground.

I notice the sarcasm in your response, but I fear most in this thread won't get it and tell you it's your fault and you should put a case on it.
 
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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.

"Normal use" is a very subjective thing. The matte black "painted" phone is not typical liquid paint. It is dyed anodized aluminum. The metal is oxidized in a controlled process to "grow" an extremely hard but porous coating. Which is then exposed to the black dye which gets trapped in the pores of the coating. Unless something went VERY wrong with the anodizing process, as far as I know this paint CANNOT just flake off like that. Stuff like edge scuffs are very much possible in "every day use" if a phone is not used in a case and allowed to sit in a pocket with abrasives such as other metal objects like keys and coins. Of course most complaints will come from people who will INSIST it was treated like a new born baby but in reality there may have been a few absent minded incidents. The photo of the back of one that has dots in it look like the phone was stabbed or dropped and perhaps the metal chipped. The "flaking" people are suggesting would be far more likely with the Jet Black since that one seems to be painted on and polished like a car rather than an dyed anodizing. All this being said it sucks this is happening. But to say that Apple hasn't accounted for this is silly. Anodizing is a very well proven process. Still **** happens. Nobody can make a 100% indestructible phone. For every company that does, there will be a handful of absent minded users that will prove that wrong.
 
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Exact same thing that happened to me. Since the day I Bought it had it in an otter box along with Temp Glass idiots.
 

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No problems with mine. Mind you, I look after my stuff properly.
Lucky you. I too take care of my iPhone 7 Plus matte black properly. I never dropped and it's been in a sturdy case since day 1. But the paint started chipping in one corner anyway. It is even more amazing since all other parts of the phone look new and the case is still in great condition.
 
I remember the iPhone 5 having this issue as well.

I guess you can say "QA" and "Apple" no longer go together in the same sentence anymore.
 
I love the instant dismissal of some with the "user fault, keys blahblahblah'

Anodizing should not flake off. Scratch, yes. not flake. Keys etc would scratch the surface, but that is not what is appearing in this context.

But gotta deflect any issue for apple, right? shareholders? or just obsessive

I don't know enough about anodizing and all that. But I'm curious, if you scratched it or dinged it would it not be easier for it to peel from that spot since it's exposed? The pictures definitely look like some kind of peeling, but I just imaging it started as a small scratch or ding and then expanded. Is that not plausible?
 
Ive dropped mine 3x: once on asphalt and twice on my bedroom floor. It is still pristine and has 0 scratches or blemishes to my surprise.

I also do not use a case.

You dropped yours on pavement three times without a case and you're telling me you don't have one single scratch? I highly doubt that...
 
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