iPhone 5 owners report scuffs and scratches out of the box


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The company?s record-breaking sales numbers certainly don?t make it easy to guess at how widespread the issue is, but an informal poll in the MacRumors forumsindicates that out of some 1260 respondents, more than a third are reporting some kind of damage. The source of the scuffs (pictured below) is anyone?s guess, but as All Things D points out, the iPhone 5?s case is made out of anodized (i.e., coated) aluminum, which, while being lighter than the stainless steel used in the iPhone 4 and 4S, is also softer and appears to be more susceptible to scratching. It's worth noting that HTC used a comparable oxidized finish for its One S handset ? a phone whose users reported having similar cosmetic issues.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/24/3381462/iphone-5-scuff-damage-aluminum

I hope anyone here hasn't experienced this! And fingers crossed on Friday I don't have this problem. I'll by purchasing mine from Telecom and I know they won't be easy to deal with unlike going to an Apple store.

The scuffs may be minor, but for a brand new product, you'd want it to be scuff free until the usual wear and tear happens.

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It's part of the magical wonderfulness of the new iPhone 5. Or, the owners of the affected phones took them out of the box wrong.

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Congrats... you just discovered that an electronic device will have scuffes and scratches if you drop it on the ground or rub it against an abrasive surface... ;)

that's why glass is better than aluminum in my opinion... it can break if you're not cautious, but it resists well to scuffes and scratches (better than plastic or aluminum)

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That reminds me of the surface the old iPods used. I had one that I kept in it's original cover/case since getting it, never took it out and it got scratched badly. Common problem, sounds like it's returning?

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Many users are reporting issues with iPhone 5 with wifi, screens and overall poor build quality.

Yup, isolated cases probably. They sold like 5 millions phones in 3 days... There will be a faulty device here and there.

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i have had the screen of my iPad 1 do the flashing thing.

to fix it i took it away from the screwed up lighting and reflections on the light sensor, also had my Logitech DNovo Edge do the same thing ( its touch controls are light based )

the first and 3rd vid Boz' posted it seems it was assembled screwed up, and doubtful its a widespread issue as it would have made the main TV News already, but still needs returned

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I'd be very annoyed if I paid that much money for a phone and when I got it, it was all scuffed.

id be more then annoyed if anything i bought was scuffed / scratched out of the box

but from what i read not long after the release was the new iPhone scratches VERY easily on the back

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I'd be very annoyed if I paid that much money for a phone and when I got it, it was all scuffed.

You could hand it to them, and I'm sure they'd give you a new one.

I've mentioned this before, but the QC for 5 Million phones on relatively new hardware is the end user. You can have all the assurances in your process that you want, but at that level, there's gonna be some duds.

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After getting a feel for the new iPhone 5 enclosure from friends/work colleagues last week that have one, it doesn't seem to be as durable as the glass on the iPhone 4/4S.

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id be more then annoyed if anything i bought was scuffed / scratched out of the box

but from what i read not long after the release was the new iPhone scratches VERY easily on the back

That is true. I'd take it back in a heartbeat.

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Yup, isolated cases probably. They sold like 5 millions phones in 3 days... There will be a faulty device here and there.

I hate Apple with a passion. But I would not say that it is poor build quality. It is terrible Quality Control of all the parts and packaging. I'd blame most on part of the who assebled the iPhone and apple pushing out the iPhone 5 to early which probably didn't give enough time to have good quality control (QC).

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Their silver backed iPods are the same way. Always get scratched the hell up even if you have a protected cover. I see many people rave on the build quality of the iPhone and how solid it feels compared to the plastic feel of some other phones...but other phones do not scratch nearly as easily You would figure with all that R&D that Apple claims to have done designing the iPhone to begin with, that they would be able to design a phone that doesnt scratch easily.

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My iPhone 5 arrived with a slight scuff on one of the back corners,

Apple said that if I return with the box and receipt they will replace it no questions asked - they also said they're doing this with all iPhone 5's for the first 14 days whether the 'scuff' was caused by the courier OR the user.

I agree that QC should be kept tight to ensure this happens to a minimum but you can't fault them when they are that forthcoming with replacements.

Just my 2 pence.

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it as mentioned is an undocumented feature.

i understand that there was a riot at the chinese slave labour plant where apple makes the i5, they dared to ask for meat in their rice gruel once a month, and for toilet breaks every 12 hours.

the government naturally sent in the troops to shoot a few of these ungrateful right wing extremist running dogs of the western imperialists. sadly a few i5's were slightly damaged by fleeing dissidents, but apple bravely decided to proceed full speed ahead getting the product out to you consumers.

the miscreants will of course be punished by a 50% pay cut to 5 yuan per day and a rise in their rent to cover the damage costs to apple. they also will have their most generous meat ration of twice a year cut to the national average of once a year. apple gratuitously decided to also pass on the lost revenue costs to their grateful public. the anti-revolutionary reactionaries were about to get a 4 hour sleep break daily and a whole half day off on chairman mao day annually, this of course will be postponed until further notice. their quota will be increased by 25% as well to ensure you get your iPhone5 expeditiously.

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everyone is just waaay behind the fashion curve... Just like the jeans at the beginning of the 2000's that Ambercrombie and Fitch started selling that were "pre-worn". This is just that, but for electronics. It's that, " I've had the newest phone forever" look, that makes you look like you have been waaay ahead of everyone else :p

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Um if you paid good money for a phone (or any other product) and it came damaged (yes scruffs, scratches are considered damage) out of the box wouldn't you be ****ed too?

I've never had Apple make a fuss about exchanging a product that came damaged out of the box. Could return it in 14 days with the new one already on its way. At one point I actually had two brand new 27-inch iMacs standing on my desk and got a ?125 refund for my troubles. It's inconvenient, but these things happen. No need to be ****ed off, unless they would actually make a problem.

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