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iPhone 16 Pro Max Paint chips on 16/15 Pro

A

applefanb0y

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 9, 2022
79
65
I took off my case today off my black 16 pro max and a white speck caught my eye on the left side edge of the frame. It was a tiny white dot but clearly the coating had come off. Curious to hear how people's 16/15 pro/max coating has held up over time. My chip is tiny and I assume not a whole lot of folks would notice it but it was surprising to see it.

This isnt my photo but its similar to one of these spots.

1745653079619.png
 
my blue 15 pro only has a couple of small paint chips. bought on release day, never been in a case
 
I've always hated dark Apple products, especially black. They are simply not durable. I would not recommend! For next time, I suggest going with a lighter color.
 
Royksöpp said:
I've always hated dark Apple products, especially black. They are simply not durable. I would not recommend! For next time, I suggest going with a lighter color.
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Initially I bought a natural titanium but the screen was completely weird. This one I bought from someone else. Two days old but I could check the screen. I guess it’s a sacrifice I had to make for a perfect screen.
 
My 15PM has spots where the paint has chipped from being in a case. I stopped using a case a few months ago and settled on using skins instead. I don’t have this issue with my Pacific Blue 12PM which I kept for 2 years nor my Dark Purple 14PM which I kept for 1 year. I will stop buying dark colored iPhones.
 
So far, no such wear spots on my own black iPhone 16 Pro. However, I take it out of my case about once a week to blow out any dust and clean the case. When my friend buys a new iPhone, he immediately puts it in a hard shell case that doesn't come off until he trades it in for a new one. I was with him the last time he did, and when he took it out of that case, there was obvious grit and the paint in large areas of the phone had completely worn off. He doesn't care though.
 
barkomatic said:
So far, no such wear spots on my own black iPhone 16 Pro. However, I take it out of my case about once a week to blow out any dust and clean the case. When my friend buys a new iPhone, he immediately puts it in a hard shell case that doesn't come off until he trades it in for a new one. I was with him the last time he did, and when he took it out of that case, there was obvious grit and the paint in large areas of the phone had completely worn off. He doesn't care though.
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Frankly, I was very surprised. Because the phone had gone straight to a transparent skin and then into the spigen case. I initally thought it was a dust spec. The white dot on the rail only shines bright in a specific angle. So it was tricky to notice at first but now I know that its there.
 
Yes, cases cause friction and can leave your iPhone in that condition. Unless Apple changed something from the 15 Pro series to the 16 Pro series I don't think it should chip or scratch easily. I have a black 15 Pro that I really just throw into bags with my keys and all sorts of junk and even though the display has some deep scratches the frame has no such issues like shown in your photo. I do not use a case and I have the iPhone on me every day. So if you use your iPhone in a case exclusively I'd throw that out since it obviously isn't helping...
 
okkibs said:
Yes, cases cause friction and can leave your iPhone in that condition. Unless Apple changed something from the 15 Pro series to the 16 Pro series I don't think it should chip or scratch easily. I have a black 15 Pro that I really just throw into bags with my keys and all sorts of junk and even though the display has some deep scratches the frame has no such issues like shown in your photo. I do not use a case and I have the iPhone on me every day. So if you use your iPhone in a case exclusively I'd throw that out since it obviously isn't helping...
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any chance you can share the photos of the sides of your device?
 
That happens from dirt getting into the case between the iphone and case

If your putting that case and phone in your pocket your going to want to clean it daily or at least weekly
 
So if you use a case and don’t want pot marks on your phone, you’ll have to remove the case and clean both it and the phone every 2-4 weeks. I have a friend who had an iPhone 13 who stuck it in a case for 2 years solid without removing it & when I took it out the case for a clean, there was no paint left on the sides.
 
Last edited:
Andeddu said:
So if you use a case and don’t want pot marks on your phone, you’ll have to remove the case and clean both it and the phone ever 2-4 weeks. I have a friend who had an iPhone 13 who stuck it in a case for 2 years solid without removing it & when I took it out the case for a clean, there was no paint left on the sides.
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Brotha phone has a skin and a case. It still happened.
 
applefanb0y said:
Brotha phone has a skin and a case. It still happened.
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IMG_1432.jpeg

IMG_1433.jpeg


I have a collection of older phones that I’ve personally used for over two years each, all of which remain in excellent condition with no damage.

The iPhone 6S, SE (1st gen), and 8 still look virtually brand new — the anodized aluminum is flawless, and the sides are in perfect shape.

The iPhone 13, however, shows some very light marks, similar to (though not as severe as) the ones in your photos. It seems Apple may have changed the anodization process, as the newer models appear more prone to wear than the older ones.

My partner has had a regular iPhone 15 for about 1.5 years, always kept in a case, and it’s still in perfect condition — which led me to believe the issue might have been resolved.
 
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