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InvertedGoldfish

Suspended
Jun 28, 2023
468
412
I work in cellular retail sales, and see dozens of well-used(loved?) iPhones every day. I definitely wouldn't say it is a widespread problem, but is something I have taken note of in the last few years.

Since the release of the iPhone 12, I have noticed that the odd device here and there will have paint wearing down at the bottom next to the speakers and charging port. Coincidentally, almost every phone that I've noticed with this issue has come out of an Otterbox Defender case which the client will always claim, "has never left the case since the day the phone was purchased."

I have never once seen this on a Pro model, which I'm to assume is due to the stainless steel chassis compared to the aluminum of the base models.

Another observation, basically every single device I've seen with this type of paint "chipping" has come from users who work in rugged environments and definitely do not take great care of their equipment. You get out what you put in.

Not any particular cause for concern, I don't think quality has been impacted in any negative way.
It’s like a car bra


You trade a possible rock chip for a wear line along the edges of the bra
 

ric22

Suspended
Mar 8, 2022
2,713
2,964
The old black iPhones of 10 years+ ago always looked tatty after a year. I never bought black for that reason. Remember around the home button? Always looked battered in no time.
 

boswald

macrumors 65816
Jul 21, 2016
1,311
2,192
Florida
I have a purple Pro Max without this issue. I use a Caudabe Sheath case for it. I have taken the phone out of the case several times to polish it, and never noticed any paint chipping. I’m sorry this happened to you.
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,800
2,350
You’re right about dirt between the phone and case being responsible for this. But they aren’t chips. They are scratches that happen when culminating dirt is trapped at practically the same spot and moves ever so slightly, rubbing away and through the „paint“. Something very common to notice years ago when so many people put their iPhone 5-6s in a case and never bothered to clean it, then when they wanted to replace their phones they took off the case for the first time and noticed the back and sides where littered with silver spots.
Clean your case every other day (which you should do regardless) and you’re fine.
You can get away with cleaning your case every month unless you’re someone with a lot of pocket lint. I sometimes do it more regularly though for hygiene reasons. My 13, and every other iPhone, is new in appearance despite being used for up to 2-3 years. I just clean my phones once per month along with my case which is submerged in soapy water and thoroughly cleaned.
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,671
28,459
The old black iPhones of 10 years+ ago always looked tatty after a year. I never bought black for that reason. Remember around the home button? Always looked battered in no time.
I have several iPhones from the 3GS to the 11 Pro Max (my current primary iPhone) that do not seem to be affected by what you suggest.
 

sleeptodream

macrumors 6502
Aug 29, 2022
385
812
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I’ve not seen this problem. I have had my iPhone 13 for 10 months now and it looks as good as new. I have used the 6S, SE, 8, 12 Mini also previously as daily drivers and have not noticed any problems with cosmetic paint chipping.

Sounds like it’s user error with individuals being rough with their devices or dropping them accidentally on hard surfaces, perhaps?
The anodized aluminum seems to hold up much better than the stainless steel on the pros. I’ve never had an issue with the aluminum iPhones either, just the colored pros.

Trust me I’m not rough with my devices lol. They have a dedicated pocket, and if I have to set them on a hard surface I always put them on a napkin or cloth or something 😅 Does anybody else do this?
 

returnZero

macrumors member
Sep 25, 2021
54
205
The paint always chips and it can only take so much until it gets peeled away eventually. Once it is exposed to the air, the oxidation process starts to happen, the substance then gets brittle over the course of time when especially the protective coat layer becomes extinct from its surface completely

The paint on expensive cars are also not exactly exempt from this process either. A situation like this, the car owners don't usually think there is problem with their cars paint, they understand its limits and rather inclined to say something similar to, "Oh, it must have been those flying debris from freeways from those other traveling vehicles that are annoyingly equipped with those special tires like all terrain purpose which tend to trap all the other particles on the road"

It is royally contingent upon vehicle owner's personality and their traits, if they try to avoid unnecessary situations like that could potentially lead to the premature wear and tear , you'd see their cars still look spotless clean and well maintained even after few years of driving but the negligible chips are always going to be there somewhere. The same outlook applies to the electronic devices also.

We could say that the paint finish on current iPhone product line is not as durable as its old iterations, that the competitors products or some of those users wild imaginations, although it is also important for us to take mental note that there's strong possibilities suggest the issues are more often than not brought out by the way how the users are using the devices in a certain way. It might be liberal thing to do to retire from thinking all the fancy paint solution in these days are 100% chip proof. They are not diamonds
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,800
2,350
The anodized aluminum seems to hold up much better than the stainless steel on the pros. I’ve never had an issue with the aluminum iPhones either, just the colored pros.

Trust me I’m not rough with my devices lol. They have a dedicated pocket, and if I have to set them on a hard surface I always put them on a napkin or cloth or something 😅 Does anybody else do this?
I have never owned a Pro phone so I don’t know how well SS would hold up with my use. Like you have said, the newer aluminium phones appear to be no different to the earlier models when it comes to paintwork. I guess that’s another reason for me to steer clear of the Pro models!
 
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kc9hzn

macrumors 68000
Jun 18, 2020
1,824
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It’s fast become a pet peeve of mine when people call it paint or say it chips. It’s not paint, it’s actually the outer layer of aluminum. Short of enamel paint, paint can generally be removed quite easily by scratching with even fairly soft material. It’s all about microabrasions when it comes to anodized aluminum. If you’ve got an issue with your phone getting these microabrasions, take steps to figure out what in your environment (maybe pockets) is causing the scratches.
 

Slippery Gimp

macrumors regular
Aug 2, 2008
179
565
Leeds, UK
I bought my iPhone 12 on release, and it’s been in an Apple leather case almost since day 1. I look after anything I own to the best I can, but my 12 has the below damage to its paintwork and it drives me mad. It’s never out of the case, so the only thing I can think is that maybe sand from our occasional beach trips gets in the case and sits there rubbing away at it until I remember to check.
 

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Devyn89

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2012
964
1,801
Simply go to the Apple Store and look at their devices. Half of the phones have some chipping.
No they don’t, I go to my local Apple Store fairly regularly. D I’ve never seen any paint chipped on an iPhone exce-t maybe once
 

ngel22

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 28, 2023
39
45
No they don’t, I go to my local Apple Store fairly regularly. D I’ve never seen any paint chipped on an iPhone exce-t maybe once
You might wanna see an eye specialist and have your eyes checked to get stronger prescriptions.
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
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2,350
I bought my iPhone 12 on release, and it’s been in an Apple leather case almost since day 1. I look after anything I own to the best I can, but my 12 has the below damage to its paintwork and it drives me mad. It’s never out of the case, so the only thing I can think is that maybe sand from our occasional beach trips gets in the case and sits there rubbing away at it until I remember to check.
You have to clean your phone once every month to prevent dirt grinding away your paint. My iPhone 13 looks brand new and is always in a case when I am not cleaning it.

IMG_1309.jpeg
 
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ngel22

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 28, 2023
39
45
You have to clean your phone once every month to prevent dirt grinding away your paint. My iPhone 13 looks brand new and is always in a case when I am not cleaning it.

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I have e-cigarettes with a painted aluminium body and also a Samsung portable SSD that is 7 years old. I carry the SSD in my backpack exposed to keys and other sharp objects, same with my e-cigarette, simply being careless. And yet, I have not a single scratch or paint chipping. Makes me wonder, what kind of aluminium painting processes are those manfucaturers using. It is hard for me to believe that one of the richest companies can't manage to paint aluminium that is durable enough, and yet some "no name vaping manufacturer" manages to actually produce some "indestructible" paint.
 
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Al Rukh

macrumors 65816
Nov 15, 2017
1,148
1,283
Paint chipping right out of the box or general wear and tear? I had an iPhone 5, when scuffgate was at its peak, and never found the paint to have chipped right out of the box. As for wear and tear yes, I got that on my 6, 7 and XR and I’m perfectly fine with it. I never got a case and to me it’s a fair cosmetic trade off.
 

Al Rukh

macrumors 65816
Nov 15, 2017
1,148
1,283



This has been a known issue since iPhone 5, coincidentally after Steve Jobs passed away.
Steve Jobs would have NEVER shipped iPhones with paint chipping/low quality iPhone finishing.

OP mentions that this is still an issue with iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, and probably also will be with iPhone 16.

I think it’s two different things. The original iPhone never had paint on the chassis if I recalled correctly. The 3G and 3GS never used aluminium. The 4 and 4S used raw stainless steel for its chassis - there is no paint. This has nothing to do with Jobs; it’s entirely unavoidable to have paint chipping on a metallic surface.
 

christlinah

macrumors regular
Jun 18, 2022
152
185
Austria
I've been using iPhones for more than a decade now, hardly ever used a case, drop my stuff frequently and never had any real problem with "paint" chipping.
 

BugeyeSTI

macrumors 604
Aug 19, 2017
7,256
9,102
Arizona/Illinois
I have e-cigarettes with a painted aluminium body and also a Samsung portable SSD that is 7 years old. I carry the SSD in my backpack exposed to keys and other sharp objects, same with my e-cigarette, simply being careless. And yet, I have not a single scratch or paint chipping. Makes me wonder, what kind of aluminium painting processes are those manfucaturers using. It is hard for me to believe that one of the richest companies can't manage to paint aluminium that is durable enough, and yet some "no name vaping manufacturer" manages to actually produce some "indestructible" paint.
Maybe you should familiarize yourself with the actual process used to add color to aluminum, titanium, etc. There is no paint involved..
 

ngel22

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 28, 2023
39
45
Maybe you should familiarize yourself with the actual process used to add color to aluminum, titanium, etc. There is no paint involved..
great article, have you read it yourself? Quote: Anodized aluminum creates a surface that is three times harder than standard aluminum, and will not chip, flake, or peel

Oh, forgot. iPhones never chip, it happens only very very rarely, and only if you scratch it with your keys, rub it in sand for 100 times
 

BugeyeSTI

macrumors 604
Aug 19, 2017
7,256
9,102
Arizona/Illinois
great article, have you read it yourself? Quote: Anodized aluminum creates a surface that is three times harder than standard aluminum, and will not chip, flake, or peel

Oh, forgot. iPhones never chip, it happens only very very rarely, and only if you scratch it with your keys, rub it in sand for 100 times
I have, quit calling it paint because that is not what it is.. Also, chalk me up as another iPhone owner who has never had a device chip or peel.. I think your issue is the majority of reply's on this thread contradict or flat out don't agree with your point of view. Your device is one of the few that has not been anodized correctly and of course there will be others when you manufacturer millions of them..
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,800
2,350
great article, have you read it yourself? Quote: Anodized aluminum creates a surface that is three times harder than standard aluminum, and will not chip, flake, or peel

Oh, forgot. iPhones never chip, it happens only very very rarely, and only if you scratch it with your keys, rub it in sand for 100 times
I still have an iPhone 6S, OGSE, 8 and iPhone 13 and none of them have chips or any cosmetic damage despite all being extensively used. None of them were babied either.

I am really starting to wonder what some people do with their phones to make them end up looking the way they do, lol.
 
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Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,800
2,350
Below is my oldest iPhone, the 6S, which I purchased new in March 2016. It had a battery replacement by Apple a few weeks ago and is still used daily as a secondary device after using it for 2 solid years as my daily driver.

There is barely a mark on it.

It’s really mind boggling to me that some people are unable to keep their NEW phones looking like this.

I mean, don’t throw your phone about & treat it like trash… it’s not rocket science.

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BugeyeSTI

macrumors 604
Aug 19, 2017
7,256
9,102
Arizona/Illinois
Below is my oldest iPhone, the 6S, which I purchased new in March 2016. It had a battery replacement by Apple a few weeks ago and is still used daily as a secondary device after using it for 2 solid years as my daily driver.

There is barely a mark on it.

It’s really mind boggling to me that some people are unable to keep their NEW phones looking like this.

I mean, don’t throw your phone about & treat it like trash… it’s not rocket science.

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I agree! Here's a couple of pics of my 6S, mine looks like new also..
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BB25E0B9-4AB6-4C63-A48A-3AE966A2CF5C.jpeg
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,800
2,350
I agree! Here's a couple of pics of my 6S, mine looks like new also..
View attachment 2314946 View attachment 2314945
It’s always a pleasure to see another 6S in perfect condition. Most of them I saw out in the wild back when they were bring phased out in 2018/19 looked like they had been used to hammer nails into wooden blocks with all the scrapes & dents on them. I was always taught to look after my belongings which is why all the electronics I own never appear to age or become worn.
 
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