Apple iPhone 12 Pro Ceramic Shield scratches like regular glass, torture test finds

Ivan, 28 October 2020

The iPhone 12 Pro is the latest phone to enter the JerryRig durability test and unsurprisingly it passed without issue.

What's also not surprising is that the iPhone's new Ceramic Shield front glass scratched at the same level as any regular glass screen - at a level 6 on Mohs' scale of hardness. The scratches do appear fainter, but they're scratches nonetheless.

Apple has coated the glass with nanoscale ceramic crystals, increasing the glass' endurance to breaking, not scratching. An interesting side effect of the added ceramic was discovered in the burn test, where the iPhone screen didn't really get burned, possibly because ceramic, being less conductive to heat, protects the underlying pixels better. Of course this is neither scientific nor particularly applicable to everyday use

Anyway, here's the full durability test.

Apple Misc

Reader comments

John
23 Jan 2023
pXy

I bought a very expensive Iphone14 Pro 256GB to replace my iPhone 13 Pro 128GB and guess what the first week without a screen protector to enjoy a little bit the Iphone before sticking a magnet finger print cover and a chunky back cover , I was extra...

Susie
30 Sep 2021
YHn

I am so disappointed with my iPhone 12 touch screen. It scratches with just a finger nail. I had my iPhone 8 for 3 years and turned it in literally without even one scratch. I have been so very careful with my new iPhone 12 and I have scratches down ...

maybe dont
16 Nov 2020
3DR

maybe don't stack saphire glass with rigid edges on top of softer glass then? Think about what you're doing before complaining that you were dumb. This isn't a problem for normal users either, because they don't typically stack ph...