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Will my iphone survive without the Invisibleshield?

D

derrick2005

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 8, 2011
140
0
My 4s is my first ever iphone. In the past I was a blackberry man, it lived in my pocket with no case or protection, next to my keys (!) and because it was made of garbage plastic, within a few weeks the black faded, and by the time I upgraded to a new model 12 months later the phone was done, i couldnt consider selling it as it looked well and truly faded. I have never had my iphone in a bumper but I did have it encased in invisibleshield protection at the mall as I figured I must protect it at all costs etc. But the rubbery feel is getting annoying and I can see (and have read) and feel the amazing sturdy build quality of my phone. So, if i take off the rubbery peel and let the phone sit naked in my pocket, how likely is it to fade and turn into an ugly looking thing? Or as it is all metal and glass, is it likely to survive a lot better than my blackberrys ever did? The pocket I keep it in has the phone, and a keyring with around 3 or 4 keys on it...
(Also, I have Applecare+ which comes with the 2 replacments - so is that a backup plan for me to think about?)
 
The phone will survive, but it will have wear and tear. It won't look as bad as your BB since this phone is glass, but it'll be noticeable to the buyer.
 
TM WAZZA said:
The color is under the glass.
Click to expand...

What do you mean?

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wordoflife said:
The phone will survive, but it will have wear and tear. It won't look as bad as your BB since this phone is glass, but it'll be noticeable to the buyer.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply, I have a tolerance for wear and tear ( see my comment above as to how bad my blackberry always looked), will the wear and tear effect things that will actually matter to me? I don't mind about cosmetic damage but could I end up doing something that will make me have usage probs?

And with Applecare+ if the wear and tear was cosmetically bad I could swap out twice for $49..
 
The keys will pretty much destroy the looks of the phone and probably ruin the camera lenses. But the phone should still work. Sounds like that is your main concern. :rolleyes:
 
derrick2005 said:
What do you mean?

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Thanks for your reply, I have a tolerance for wear and tear ( see my comment above as to how bad my blackberry always looked), will the wear and tear effect things that will actually matter to me? I don't mind about cosmetic damage but could I end up doing something that will make me have usage probs?

And with Applecare+ if the wear and tear was cosmetically bad I could swap out twice for $49..
Click to expand...

The paint is under the glass.
 
Givmeabrek said:
The keys will pretty much destroy the looks of the phone and probably ruin the camera lenses. But the phone should still work. Sounds like that is your main concern. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Right! I mean i hope i'm not sounding like a shmuck! I like a "naked" phone, have always had one in the past. And the invisible shielf isnt even protecting the camera at the moment, is it?

And I suppose I am maximum out of pocket $49 if i experiment without the shields on as I can exchange the phone under Applecare+

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verwon said:
The paint is under the glass.
Click to expand...

Ah I see..
 
Do as you prefer, it's your phone and your money.

I never put them on my other phones, I tried once and it drove me crazy. My 4S is in an extended batter case, with naked screen.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

So why not just move the keys to a different pocket and let the iPhone live by itself in an exclusive pocket?

It isn't that hard to do and the phone looks pretty much brand new like this. Just move the keys to the pocket on the other side!!
 
dontwalkhand said:
So why not just move the keys to a different pocket and let the iPhone live by itself in an exclusive pocket?

It isn't that hard to do and the phone looks pretty much brand new like this. Just move the keys to the pocket on the other side!!
Click to expand...

Absolutely - I have my phone in one pocket and key, coins etc in another. Not difficult to get used to.
 
Keys and coins will definitely scratch the oleophobic coatings. The scratches will affect visibility, but you can definitely see them when the LCD is off. Not a big deal unless you want to sell your phone at high price in the future.
 
Honestly just think about the stuff you mix with your phone before you do it. You have a shiny new iPhone now, not a crackberry... Just do your best to take care of it since it's going naked.
 
I carried my iPhone 4 naked for over a year, and it had no imperfections or wear and tear that I or anyone else in my circle of friends & family could see. Gazelle gave me their "perfect condition" price for it. I carried it in my left pocket (and I'm right handed) with nothing else than a small microfiber cloth. I kept my keys and change in my right pocket. I'm doing the same with my 4S.

There's always the possibility of an accident, but I love the way that the iPhone 4S looks and feels: covering it with an Invisible Shield would cause me to lose part of what I enjoy about the device.
 
I use protectors but to be honest after a months use they look terrible.

Lots of minor scratches because the plastic is a million times inferior to the glass used on the iPhone. Peel it off and underneath the surfaces are still pristine.

However, i keep it on because it may just stop that big damaging scratch or strengthen it if dropped.

It's like when you put film on windows, they are much harder to break.
 
derrick2005 said:
Right! I mean i hope i'm not sounding like a shmuck! I like a "naked" phone, have always had one in the past. And the invisible shielf isnt even protecting the camera at the moment, is it?

And I suppose I am maximum out of pocket $49 if i experiment without the shields on as I can exchange the phone under Applecare+

----------



Ah I see..
Click to expand...

I've never used a case for any of my 3 iPhones, usually carry in the back pocket without anything else, sometimes change. Will you have wear on the phone? Of course you will, there's no way to keep something like that pristine if you're actually using it on a daily basis. Does it matter? No, I have a few small scratches that you can see in direct sunlight, but beyond that...
 
The screen is scratch resistant, and should resist a good number of scratches from the keys...however, always being constantly pressed up against them will cause it to suffer many scratches nonetheless

By "the color is under the glass" the previous poster was referencing that there is no paint on the phone to wear off...it's all laminated under the glass layer. The outside is pure, clear glass.

It will survive, but may become so scratched it isn't fun to use anymore. That's not to say it can't be kept naked, but I wouldn't feel right if i didn't STRONGLY urge you to move either your phone or your keys to a different pocket.

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apollo1444 said:
Invisible shield are the worst kinds of screen protectors...
Click to expand...

This. If you want a good protector, get an either clear or antiglare (I prefer clear) power support protector. You can get them for the front and back, and will never know there is something on your screen. It certainly doesn't have that crappy rubbery feel of an invisible shield
 
apollo1444 said:
Invisible shield are the worst kinds of screen protectors...
Click to expand...

really? how so?

I have had an invisible shield on my iPhones since the 3g, same with my wife and we like them, have never had an issue and always sell our old iPhones for top dollar when we upgrade, never a scratch on any part where the shield has been protecting it, and I am hard on my devices.

in my opinion, putting on the Invisible shield is a great investment of $20 for your investment if you are planning on selling the device at any point in time.
 
derrick2005 said:
Will my iphone survive without the Invisibleshield?
Click to expand...
Maybe. Maybe not. There are no guarantees either way. You can only attempt to mitigate potential damage by taking precautions that you're willing to deal with. See every other case/skin/screen protector thread out there. The IS won't help with impact damage.

derrick2005 said:
I have never had my iphone in a bumper but I did have it encased in invisibleshield protection at the mall as I figured I must protect it at all costs etc. But the rubbery feel is getting annoying and I can see (and have read) and feel the amazing sturdy build quality of my phone.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind:

1. Not all skins and screen protectors are rubbery like the IS. That's one major reason why I use SGP and PS screen protectors.
2. The glass screen will hold up better than your BB's plastic screen but glass isn't unscratchable.

Though from your subsequent posts it sounds like you're not concerned about cosmetic damage. If that's the case then why did you get the IS in the first place?

bp1000 said:
I use protectors but to be honest after a months use they look terrible.
Click to expand...
Not my experience here. I've had screen protectors that I've used for a year or longer. Clearly a YMMV matter.

dccorona said:
The screen is scratch resistant, and should resist a good number of scratches from the keys.
Click to expand...
Keys are not harder than glass and cannot scratch glass.

apollo1444 said:
Invisible shield are the worst kinds of screen protectors...
Click to expand...
Subjective matter. The IS has its fans (I'm not one of them) whether you get it or not.

simplemind said:
apollo1444 said:
Invisible shield are the worst kinds of screen protectors...
Click to expand...
really? how so?
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that "better" and "worse" are always highly subjective. I can't stand the rubbery feel, the orange peel, the distortion (worse with finger grease) and eventual yellowing of the IS. I prefer SGP and PS's screen protectors because they're clear (the non-matte, non antifingerprint, etc), don't affect the image as far as I can tell and feel as close to bare glass as possible. If your priorities differ from mine then you'll probably think otherwise. If you're not bothered with those aspects of the IS then it may very well be the best option for you. That's what subjective means. These things are never one-size-fits-all despite how often people posting on forums seem to think they are.

verwon said:
Do as you prefer, it's your phone and your money.
Click to expand...
^ This.
 
Last edited:
verwon said:
Do as you prefer, it's your phone and your money.

I never put them on my other phones, I tried once and it drove me crazy. My 4S is in an extended batter case, with naked screen.
Click to expand...

What kind of batter? Cake? Please don't say "Baby"...:eek:
 
derrick2005 said:
My 4s is my first ever iphone. In the past I was a blackberry man, it lived in my pocket with no case or protection, next to my keys (!) and because it was made of garbage plastic, within a few weeks the black faded, and by the time I upgraded to a new model 12 months later the phone was done, i couldnt consider selling it as it looked well and truly faded. I have never had my iphone in a bumper but I did have it encased in invisibleshield protection at the mall as I figured I must protect it at all costs etc. But the rubbery feel is getting annoying and I can see (and have read) and feel the amazing sturdy build quality of my phone. So, if i take off the rubbery peel and let the phone sit naked in my pocket, how likely is it to fade and turn into an ugly looking thing? Or as it is all metal and glass, is it likely to survive a lot better than my blackberrys ever did? The pocket I keep it in has the phone, and a keyring with around 3 or 4 keys on it...
(Also, I have Applecare+ which comes with the 2 replacments - so is that a backup plan for me to think about?)
Click to expand...

Try Skinomi. No rubbery feel. Smooth almost like naked glass to me. $1.39 + shipping if you buy from amazon while the low price last.

http://www.amazon.com/Skinomi-TechSkin-Protector-Shield-iPhone/dp/B005R5S14U
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
My iPhone 4 is nearing a year and a half old now, naked the whole time and living in my pocket, and while there is a smattering of small scratches on the back, nothing is seriously wrong with it :)
 
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