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iPhone 11 Pro Silver X/XS/11 Owners: Stainless Steel Scratches

C

coffeeplease

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 28, 2019
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Mainly for people who owned silver models of the X/XS and have had it for a year or two, how scratched does the stainless steel on the silver models get? Was it cased or caseless? And perhaps where your phone goes in and out of (e.g. pockets). Pictures would be much appreciated! 😁

I've already ordered a clear case for my silver 11 to prevent it from getting all scratched, but having used it caseless so far, I'd hate to see it in a case.
 
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Yes mine is fairly scratched when you put it under a direct light source. They are not deep, but swirly, and with a couple of small scuffs. I have polished it a few times with a polishing cloth - I'm not sure if it's a placebo or not, but it felt different after polishing, and seemed to pick up more fingerprints.

It doesn't really bother me day to day, it's rare I ever notice it. FWIW, I use it caseless, but keep it in my pocket in a pouch which covers all sides except the top.

Do the Space Grey models pick up the same light scratches, or does the PVD coating make it more resistant?
 
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cambookpro said:
Yes mine is fairly scratched when you put it under a direct light source. They are not deep, but swirly, and with a couple of small scuffs. I have polished it a few times with a polishing cloth - I'm not sure if it's a placebo or not, but it felt different after polishing, and seemed to pick up more fingerprints.

It doesn't really bother me day to day, it's rare I ever notice it. FWIW, I use it caseless, but keep it in my pocket in a pouch which covers all sides except the top.

Do the Space Grey models pick up the same light scratches, or does the PVC coating make it more resistant?
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Just to clarify, you put your phone in a separate pouch before putting it in your pocket?

I hear the other models are more resistant due to PVC coating.
 
BugeyeSTI said:
My X went into an Apple leather case day one so I have never had any noticeable scratches including the exposed bottom
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I would bet there are scratches on it if you take a good look at it. I've had a silver, X, XS, and now iphone 11pro and all but my new pro have gotten scratches on it, even though they've always been in a case. It's just inevitable on the silver model, though its not horrible it just shows scratches easier.
 
If you keep a green 11 Pro Max in a thin clear case this would prevent scratching right? I’d assume cleaning the inside of the case regularly to clear out dirt too would prevent scratching.
 
wolfedude88 said:
I would bet there are scratches on it if you take a good look at it. I've had a silver, X, XS, and now iphone 11pro and all but my new pro have gotten scratches on it, even though they've always been in a case. It's just inevitable on the silver model, though its not horrible it just shows scratches easier.
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What case did you use, if you don't mind me asking?
 
tps3443 said:
If you keep a green 11 Pro Max in a thin clear case this would prevent scratching right? I’d assume cleaning the inside of the case regularly to clear out dirt too would prevent scratching.
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Nothing is a guarantee. The only difference is, you can polish the silver models. All others you can’t due to the coating. So once they’re scratched, that’s it.
 
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I’ve never had a silver iPhone with a stainless steel band, I had a space grey X and the gold Xs.

This time I ordered a silver 11 Pro and I am expecting it to scratch like my silver stainless steel Apple Watch. However, the Cape Cod cloths polishes the silver stainless to an incredible shine so I’m okay with that.

I was thinking of buying clear tape and sticking it on the steel band but I’m not sure if I will actually do that :D
 
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0b9eed298f91e890dd67d92e099739bc.jpg

Case probably 80% of the time.
 
coffeeplease said:
Thanks for sharing a photo! Seems to get pretty scratched up even with a case. Do you notice it when you are caseless? My gut says I won't really notice it
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Mine is pretty scuffed and scratched and honestly I never notice unless I'm looking for it. The screen and back glass are still flawless. I used to be very anal about scratches but there are more important things in life really...
 
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coffeeplease said:
Thanks for sharing a photo! Seems to get pretty scratched up even with a case. Do you notice it when you are caseless? My gut says I won't really notice it
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I’m not sure you can base anything off his picture regarding a case vs scratches. I have a XS Max that’s been in a case since I got it, it gets taken out every few months to get cleaned. Not a single scratch.

Will it get scratches in a case? Maybe, depends on the case, environment and how often you clean it. Is it likely? No. Where did the scratches come from? The 20% of none case use likely.

Even when I was going careless on my X, it didn’t even come close to looking like that. It was still pristine with a few minor scratches.
 
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I had the silver X and the XS Max. Both were in the Apple silicone case all of the time apart from when I cleaned them!

I had both for about 12 months.

There were no scratches at all on the top or sides, there were a few on the exposed bit on the bottom, mainly where the lightning port is.

I think the microfiber lining of the case helps and for this reason I will only use Apple cases!
 
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MrJM said:
I had the silver X and the XS Max. Both were in the Apple silicone case all of the time apart from when I cleaned them!

I had both for about 12 months.

There were no scratches at all on the top or sides, there were a few on the exposed bit on the bottom, mainly where the lightning port is.

I think the microfiber lining of the case helps and for this reason I will only use Apple cases!
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I had the silicon case for my 7 but the corners started to rub off, I assume from going in and out of my pocket a lot. I do agree its a good case and would protect it well though 😊
 
coffeeplease said:
I had the silicon case for my 7 but the corners started to rub off, I assume from going in and out of my pocket a lot. I do agree its a good case and would protect it well though
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They do tend to get a bit shiny on the corners. My Xs max one started peel so took it to the Apple shop, they replaced it no problem! Took a couple of days to order the same colour though.
 
My silver x had a few scratches at the bottom where I had used the Apple silicone and leather case which didn’t cover that part. I had my Xs max in a case that covered everywhere only having holes for ports and buttons. However my Xs max is gold but it doesn’t have any scratches.

my 11 pro max is silver but I’m putting it in a full coverage case.il
 
SS XS Max for a year in an Apple leather case. Very light, very small scratches where the case didn't cover it, hard to notice without looking very carefully. The phone in the pic looks like it was thrown into a tool box every day with files and sandpaper. Seriously, it's hard rot imagine what sort of stuff you'd have in a pocket that would cause that kind of scratching.

Arnezie said:
0b9eed298f91e890dd67d92e099739bc.jpg

Case probably 80% of the time.
Click to expand...
 
What type of case would you recommend for the SS band not to be scratched?
 
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