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darrenandytan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 12, 2017
5
1
Recently bought my Iphone 7 matte black. It went straight into a case after the purchase and yesterday when I was removing some dust trapped in the case, I discovered the antenna bands are full of micro-scratches.

Just wondering some of the following questions on the iphone:
1. What is the antenna bands made of?
2. Did this issue came up when iPhone6 came up with the white antenna bands?
3. Are any matte black users facing this problem too?
 

mrblog47

macrumors member
Dec 16, 2009
30
13
Recently bought my Iphone 7 matte black. It went straight into a case after the purchase and yesterday when I was removing some dust trapped in the case, I discovered the antenna bands are full of micro-scratches.

Just wondering some of the following questions on the iphone:
1. What is the antenna bands made of?
2. Did this issue came up when iPhone6 came up with the white antenna bands?
3. Are any matte black users facing this problem too?

I don't seem to have the problem using matte black iPhone 7 Plus without case.
 

darrenandytan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 12, 2017
5
1
I don't seem to have the problem using matte black iPhone 7 Plus without case.

Hahaha, I guess the case might have caused the micro-abrasion. Was thinking that the dust got stuck in between the phone and the case, and the friction between this two materials seems to caused it. Just curious that only the antenna bands got affected whereas the other parts of the phone(even with dust initially) still seems perfect.
 

slingshott

macrumors member
Jan 23, 2017
76
38
It's probably made of a composite material but it's almost like plastic so I'm not sure how you've scratched it. Mine's holding up just fine.
 

mrblog47

macrumors member
Dec 16, 2009
30
13
Hmm, maybe dust tends to accumulate more around the edges of the case. This is one of the reasons I don't use a case. I used to expect the phone to stay in perfect condition but the screen will always get tiny scratches from going in and out of pockets and the apple sign on the back was scratched by dirt particles in the case on my 6s.
 

deano1972

macrumors 6502a
Sep 16, 2016
557
239
United Kingdom
What sort of material is the case made of? I've seen hard plastic cases that are difficult to get the phones in and out of. I use a soft clear tpu back cover and have no problems with marks on mine.
 

darrenandytan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 12, 2017
5
1
What sort of material is the case made of? I've seen hard plastic cases that are difficult to get the phones in and out of. I use a soft clear tpu back cover and have no problems with marks on mine.

its a very soft clear case that is probably made of silicon/rubber. its easy to remove and replace.
 

borgsauce

macrumors regular
Dec 18, 2016
249
141
It's funny I noticed these scratches earlier too. I've been using the Apple leather case and today took it out only to see these tiny hairline scratches along the antenna. Everything else is pristine but it doesn't bother me much. I've had the phone for almost a month and no matter how you baby this phone it will get scratched.
 

darrenandytan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 12, 2017
5
1
It's funny I noticed these scratches earlier too. I've been using the Apple leather case and today took it out only to see these tiny hairline scratches along the antenna. Everything else is pristine but it doesn't bother me much. I've had the phone for almost a month and no matter how you baby this phone it will get scratched.

Yeah, i guess the composite material is more scratch prone.
 

DCIFRTHS

macrumors 65816
Jan 25, 2008
1,295
648
Recently bought my Iphone 7 matte black. It went straight into a case after the purchase and yesterday when I was removing some dust trapped in the case, I discovered the antenna bands are full of micro-scratches.

Just wondering some of the following questions on the iphone:
1. What is the antenna bands made of?
2. Did this issue came up when iPhone6 came up with the white antenna bands?
3. Are any matte black users facing this problem too?

I haven't seen these scratches. Can you post a pic?
 
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Theo13

macrumors newbie
Dec 19, 2017
3
0
Recently bought my Iphone 7 matte black. It went straight into a case after the purchase and yesterday when I was removing some dust trapped in the case, I discovered the antenna bands are full of micro-scratches.

Just wondering some of the following questions on the iphone:
1. What is the antenna bands made of?
2. Did this issue came up when iPhone6 came up with the white antenna bands?
3. Are any matte black users facing this problem too?
[doublepost=1513712888][/doublepost]I’ve had the same prob. For no apparent reason, the antenna was full of scratches. I’ve never used the 7 without the Apple case, so whatever has happened must have been while the case was on, which is proof that the antennas are very prone to scratching.
 

newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,153
3,046
East of Eden
its a very soft clear case that is probably made of silicon/rubber. its easy to remove and replace.

"Easy to remove and replace" probably means it's loose enough to let a lot of grit, dust and other abrasive stuff in between the case and the phone, which would cause scratches.
[doublepost=1513717207][/doublepost]
Yeah, was doing some research and I realized most of the abrasions are caused by dust particles between the case and the phone.

Looks like you already got that. Try one of the Apple cases. Tight fit, no grit.(tm)
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,494
I’ve had the same prob. For no apparent reason, the antenna was full of scratches. I’ve never used the 7 without the Apple case, so whatever has happened must have been while the case was on, which is proof that the antennas are very prone to scratching.

Or, there is debris that's trapped inside the case and rubbing against the antenna bands that caused it to scratch. That's not uncommon either, so it's not necessarily the bands, it can be due to the case or debris embedded under the case.
 

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,254
Jacksonville, Florida
Hahaha, I guess the case might have caused the micro-abrasion. Was thinking that the dust got stuck in between the phone and the case, and the friction between this two materials seems to caused it. Just curious that only the antenna bands got affected whereas the other parts of the phone(even with dust initially) still seems perfect.

Likely the case did cause the damage. You need to remove it weekly and clean out the debris that works itself between the case and phone. The bands are softer than the phone so it got scratched first.
 
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newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,153
3,046
East of Eden
Likely the case did cause the damage. You need to remove it weekly and clean out the debris that works itself between the case and phone. The bands are softer than the phone so it got scratched first.

I don't remember the last time I disagreed with Newtons Apple, but I will respectfully disagree on the case cleaning if the case fits correctly (which most don't). I've got a Jet Black iPhone 7 in my pocket right now that I bought shortly after launch last year, so roughly 15 months old. It's always been in an Apple leather case, and I never take it out to clean it.

It's been in an out several times in the last month because I've been swapping the sim card in and out of an iPhone X.

The Jet Black finish is perfect, at least without a bright light and a magnifying glass, and if there EVER were a finish that would show scratches, the Jet Black iPhone 7 is that finish. My theory is that the Apple case fits so well that dust, dirt and crud can't get in between the case and the phone, which is what can lead to scratches. Others have had similar reports with the Apple cases. They just fit better than most.

The downside, of course, is that they don't protect the phone as much as many other cases. Pick your poison...
 
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