3GS screen scratches easier than 3G?

[belltree]

Really the screen should hav been left as-is - GLASS. The "oleophobic" coating should have been isolated to the body portion of the phone only. I'll go out on a limb and say that the next version of the iPhone will not have this coating on the glass (perhaps even before that with a new revision of the 3Gs).

If you want a screen protector you can buy one and put it on yourself. When it becomes scratched/damaged, you simply take it off and replace it. When the coating is chemically bonded the glass and you can't remove it....you're f*cked. It was a well intended but ultimately bad idea from the get-go IMO.

Here's to hoping Apple comes to their senses soon and stops coating the glass. I hope they don't do it to the new rev of the iPod touch this September!

 

[richard371]

Its like these high end swiss watches that

put an anti glare coating on top of a sapphire crystal. Never put anything soft over anything hard lol. oops that sounded wierd.

 

[calvy]

I've tried them all. Best one IMO is the Power Support Crystal film. (Apple Store or online at Power Support) Can't even tell it's on there. Feels just like the glass. Zero drag.

I agree with this statement. There are probably others that work as well, but I haven't tried them. I have tried invisible shield and BSE in the past, and hated them. I didn't like the application process and I hated the look and feel on my phone. I went with nothing until someone finally convinced me to try the Power Support film. I've had it on my iPhone 3G ever since and have put them on my girlfriend and mother's iPhones for them. They are great. And I'm the type of guy who HATES having ANYTHING on my iPhone.

 

[Shiggity]

There's your problem, you doofus If you do that it's bound to get scratched eventually.

Did you even read the post? His point was the 3G phone didn't scratch, despite careless treatment, but the 3GS did before he even had time to be careless. Idiot.

 

[Shiggity]

It's not the coating, there is no line of coating on the outside of the screen. This stuff is infused into the glass, it's not like they lined the outside of the glass in the stuff.

LOL. Um... no. It's not infused into the glass, which is impossible. Note how the phrase "oleophobic coating" is used:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/#basics.cleaning-iphone

 

[Shiggity]

I've noticed a lot of people advocating getting a screen protector. What is the point of this? Granted, it may save the screen from getting scratched, but the screen protector itself gets scratched and it's hard to see through and it looks like crap. It's like buying a new monitor and never taking the protective saran wrap off.

The whole point of the iPhone screen being glass is that you could enjoy its display without a screen protector without being scratched. If the oleophobic coating on the 3GS leaves a bunch of scratches in the screen, the solution isn't to buy a screen protector, which defeats the whole point of the oleophobic coating anyway, the solution is for Apple to fix an obvious oversight in which they try to fix one problem (the smudging) and create another (the scratching).

There are other reasons to buy a 3GS, and if you don't care about scratching, just get one and let it get all scratched up. If you do care, get a 3G and wait for the next iPhone that fixes this problem.

 

[mavis]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

I've noticed a lot of people advocating getting a screen protector. What is the point of this? Granted, it may save the screen from getting scratched, but the screen protector itself gets scratched and it's hard to see through and it looks like crap. It's like buying a new monitor and never taking the protective saran wrap off.

The whole point of the iPhone screen being glass is that you could enjoy its display without a screen protector without being scratched. If the oleophobic coating on the 3GS leaves a bunch of scratches in the screen, the solution isn't to buy a screen protector, which defeats the whole point of the oleophobic coating anyway, the solution is for Apple to fix an obvious oversight in which they try to fix one problem (the smudging) and create another (the scratching).

There are other reasons to buy a 3GS, and if you don't care about scratching, just get one and let it get all scratched up. If you do care, get a 3G and wait for the next iPhone that fixes this problem.

Very well said!! I'd much rather enjoy my phone than baby it, wrap it, coddle it, etc. Just use it and enjoy it!!

 

[jamesarm97]

I was reading all the threads about protectors in the beginning waiting to see if it was ok to put on on the 3GS. I used the antiglare on the 3G, loved the feel of it and no fingerprints, but it distorts the screen some. I got a deep scratch on my new phone within a week. I did not have any on the previous two models. It was definitely in the glass and not just the coating.

 

[calvy]

I've noticed a lot of people advocating getting a screen protector. What is the point of this? Granted, it may save the screen from getting scratched, but the screen protector itself gets scratched and it's hard to see through and it looks like crap. It's like buying a new monitor and never taking the protective saran wrap off.

The whole point of the iPhone screen being glass is that you could enjoy its display without a screen protector without being scratched. If the oleophobic coating on the 3GS leaves a bunch of scratches in the screen, the solution isn't to buy a screen protector, which defeats the whole point of the oleophobic coating anyway, the solution is for Apple to fix an obvious oversight in which they try to fix one problem (the smudging) and create another (the scratching).

There are other reasons to buy a 3GS, and if you don't care about scratching, just get one and let it get all scratched up. If you do care, get a 3G and wait for the next iPhone that fixes this problem.

Again, I used to feel the exact same way. Until I decided to try the Power Suport Crystal protector from the apple store. It does not change the feel nor the visibility of the screen. You really don't notice it at all. And I found ou the hard way some random dirt in my pockets can give the screen a sandpaper effect and scratch it. So I decided it was worth my 15 bucks or whatever to have one on. It is not noticable, and if it gets scratched, there are 2 in a pack so I just put the fresh one on. Without it, I'd have to replace the glass if I wanted to get rid of that scratch.

Also, I dropped a pair of needle nose pliers onto my phone's screen once. I was very glad I had the screen protector on then. I didn't drop it from high enough that it would have shattered, but it most certainly would have left a scratch had I not had it on.

 

[xraydoc]

I personally like the Power Support anti-glare screen protector. Had it on my original and on my 3G. Very durable - couldn't see any scratches on the screen protector even after a year without changing it. Plus, before the coated screen of the 3GS, it was the best way to keep finger/face prints off the screen.

It does make the screen image slightly grainy, but I got used to it pretty quickly.

I did just the other day put one on my new 3GS. While I didn't think I needed it for fingerprints like on the prior models, I do worry about scratches since I often put my phone in my pocket with paper money and occasionally a few coins (though I do my best to avoid putting coins in the same pocket).

I have a black Air Jacket to prevent scratches to the phone's back. Plus it gives a little extra grip with it's slighty rubberized texture. And it's very pocketable unlike some rubber/silicone cases.

 

[j-a-x]

I wanted to chime in and say that my iPhone 3GS is 6 days old and I noticed the morning after I bought it that there are some shallow scratches on the screen near the center. You can't see them at night (I bought it after dark) so I first noticed in the morning in direct sunlight. Really annoying. I did put it in my pocket without a screen protector the night I bought it but I was careful (no keys). I was going to wait a few days and buy a screen protector on eBay for cheaper than the Apple store sells, but that was a bad idea. My old 3G was a year old with no scratches and I went a few months with no screen protector. I am guessing either my phone came with a scratched screen, is defective (scratches easier than it should) or the pocket of my jeans was abrasive enough to scratch it. If the later is true, this is a major step backwards for Apple to release a new phone with a worse screen.

To make matters worse, my car broke down and I was unable to go to the Apple store and have it replaced the day I noticed it. I would have gone the next day if I had a car! Hopefully I'll have my car back tomorrow and I will be able to see what Apple says then. I hope they will do an exchange.

Anyways, I just wanted to add my story and let you guys know that you aren't the only ones having issues with the new iPhone 3GS screen.

 

[joro]

I haven't had any problems and I carry my 3GS in the pocket with my keys sometime. As others have suggested, try putting on a screen shield or something similar to protect the screen if your worried about it.

 

[Sport73]

I have a black Air Jacket to prevent scratches to the phone's back. Plus it gives a little extra grip with it's slighty rubberized texture. And it's very pocketable unlike some rubber/silicone cases.

Was thinking of picking up that case but heard reports that the black coating falls off quickly; any evidence of that for you yet?

 

[j-a-x]

So I got my phone replaced at the Apple store today with a new iPhone 3GS. The manager said he'd never seen a phone scratch the way mine did.

I swear that when I looked at my original 3GS screen with polarized sunglasses, the screen turned black when I looked at it at a certain angle (portrait). But I noticed that when I look at my new iPhone today with the same glasses, I can see the screen at all angles (I just see slight color distortion with the polarized lenses). Does this mean that Apple has two different screens for the 3GS? Very weird...

 

[c2one]

So I got my phone replaced at the Apple store today with a new iPhone 3GS. The manager said he'd never seen a phone scratch the way mine did.

How bad were your scratches?

I have one scratch about half an inch long right across where my battery indicator is. I am afraid to go to the Apple store and them tell me it is too minor of a deal to do anything about. I have taken very good care of this phone and very disappointed that the screen would scratch so easily.

Some might say, it’s just a phone, it's going to get banged up. I don’t care if the craplastic gets minor scratches but if the screen, the part I look at, gets scratches… very annoying.

 

[drew0020]

I have a scratch in the black section underneath the glass. It started small but its about half an inch now. Its almost like the black section is peeling away frm the glass. Very strange!!

 

[zepper]

get phone insurance mine is free with my barclays account
if my iphone looks a mess in 6 months then opps it dropped on the floor and broke pleace send me a new one mr insrance man

i got no screen protecter but got a switcheasy reble serpent case

 

[aawil]

I finally saw a friend of mine today that got his 3GS last week. He scratched the glass coating the first day. It looked pretty bad too, I guess I'll be getting a front shield as well. Poor decision on apples part imo. I'm still racking my brain as to why they didn't fix the case cracking.

 

[ericxd]

so are u ppl sayign people with 3G S dont get screen protector?

too late for me ive apply iKlear + Powersupport already, at least i know im safe!

 

[mavis]

I haven't had any problems and I carry my 3GS in the pocket with my keys sometime. As others have suggested, try putting on a screen shield or something similar to protect the screen if your worried about it.

Funny, from some of the posts in this thread, you'd swear the 3GS would get scratches if you simply LOOK at it wrong ...

I've had mine for a week now - so far so good. But the real test will be my wife - she's keeping hers in her purse, so I'm curious to see how badly it will be scratched in a week or two. So far it's still perfect, but it's only four days old.

 

[miggitymac]

i keep my 3GS in my pocket naked...altho i feel more at ease when i'm wearing chinos rather than jeans.

i've had it for a week now...still no scratches anywhere.

but reading all these threads on scratching has made me worried enough to order a switcheasy colors case (comes with 2 screen protectors).

until it gets here, i'm just gonna baby this thing like it's a part of my reproductive organs...

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I applied the Power Support Crystal film (first for me since I've always used the Anti-Glare) after reading countless threads of scratched screens.

The downside is that you definitely miss the oleophobic quality as it takes quite a bit more effort to clean but as far as feel and looks go, it's like having nothing on there at all.

I'm with others in hoping Apple resolves this in future models or even later builds of this model.

 

[BulkHedd]

After reading through this thread I got paranoid and ordered the Power Support Crystal Film. I got it today and it was much easier to install than other films I have used in the past (Invisible Shield, Bodyguardz...) and it looks great but I do miss the oil-resistant properties of the screen. The film doesn't feel quite as "slick" as the actual screen. But at least I feel better having the screen protected.

 

[DarthNooR]

I've had my 3G for nearly a year and no scratches. I've had no screen protector on it. It's been carried in my pocket with keys, coins, and basically I've taken no care with it whatsoever.

I managed to put a scratch my iPhone 3GS screen within the first 3 days.

Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone done any scratch tests on the screen?

Yes, I got a scratch on mine within 4 days too. The screen seems much more prone to being scratched than even the 2G I had. I had zero scratch after 2 years with my 2G.
I went to the Apple store in Towson, MD, and the Apple Genius (loosely named) started to argue that the 3GS screen was the absolute same screen as the 3G so that it could not possibly be a 3GS. I did not get a replacement, but I did warn them to expect many more 3GS users coming back and complaining about scratched. I am annoyed because Apple advertised this screen as being even better than the old ones, when in fact it is not! Had I know, I would have gotten a screen protector immediately, as I did with my 1st gen. Nano.

 

[j-a-x]

The scratches I had were about half an inch to an inch and there were a few of them. They were near the center of the screen, very shallow, and a few of them were clustered together. This is from one day of use in a jeans pocket with no keys. Now I've got an anti glare screen protector (I like the way it feels and the way it does not pick up fingerprints). I'll never leave my 3GS without a screen protector again. I'm so glad and lucky Apple replaced it.

The manager of the Apple store said he had never seen scratches like the ones I had before. He actually said he had never seen a scratched iPhone screen except one ine that had obviously been dropped and shattered. He had basically never seen minor shallow surface scratches like mine had.