My X has a couple HUGE scratches and a ton of tiny ones. I've examined friends phones and it's the same deal. My roommate still has my old 6S, not a single scratch on it and it's almost a launch day device. So nearly 3 years of service now.
It's definitely a variation from the glass they've used in the past. Even my iphone 1 didn't have any scratches...
The screen on my X, which I use heavily and every single day since launch, is virtually pristine. Inspecting it right now I can find 2 micro-scratches (both on the edge), and that's it. If anything, this screen has held up better than previous ones.
Because of where i live and when the phone launched, it literally hasn't even been around sand yet because the weathers been awful
That said I would add that I deliberated a lot over whether the X was worth it, and looking back now over the best part of a year I can say a resounding “yes”. I was really worried that iteration one of a new product was going to suck, but the only fault I’ve noticed is the glass scratching easily. Apart from that, I feel that Apple really nailed the iPhone X, one of their all-time best designs.
I'd really like to use a longer passphrase to protect my phone, especially now that iOS 12 has the USB locking feature to protect against threads like greykey - but it's a huge pain in the ass to enter a sufficiently long or complex password or passphrase on a touchscreen keyboard so I haven't bothered due to the aforementioned TouchID issues. I'm actually kind of looking forward to upgrading this year and giving FaceID a go, it's annoying that I have to trade the option of using TouchID for it but all the anecdotal evidence I've found presents a more consistent experience.
FaceID works great when I'm at my work desk and have the phone on a charging stand. I can just glance at the phone and it unlocks to show my notifications.
Otherwise, I just want to be able to pick up the phone (from the bedside, from my pocket, etc) and have it already unlocked by the time I look at the screen.
I do lift my head but maybe it’s something else I’m doing. I’ll try different angles or maybe open my eyes wider. I just feel like this kind of experimentation kind of flies in the face of the Apple experience that I thought I was paying for.
More generally, I would rather pay extra for a product that isn't based on advertising.
I wrote up something, but I feel that it is both below the standards of HN, and not something I would want to publicly attach my personal name to. I’d be happy to send it to you if you’d like.
I don't use any protectors, I put the phone in my packet together with my keys, my cat tries to chew on it every time he sees it lying on the bed (I don't know why), and otherwise handle it quite recklessly.
The only way I really got cracks is when phone fell out of my hands, face-down on a gravel. Happened on a second month after the purchase, had to replace the display (but still decided I don't want a protector film)
Now, reading about the scratches I wonder how bad it is with iPhone X.
I don't know that I'd really call them "microscratches", either-- they're pretty prominent, and one runs fairly deep.
Do you keep the phone in the same pocket as your keys? I make sure to keep them separate.
Why? At least use a glass screen protector if it's the feel.
I don't understand people with screen protectors. Unless they plan on reselling it.
BTW, I think people with iPhone X but with a screen protector are making a fundamental signaling mistake: you show to people that you can't really afford the phone.
My anecdotal experience has been that a plastic screen protector greatly reduces the likelihood of screen breakage, presumably because the soft plastic can absorb some amount of impact force. I've never ever broken a screen, and I drop my phone fairly often.
I also prefer the finger-feel of the Belkin plastic screen protector. And I enjoy replacing the protector every 6 months or so and walking out of the store with an absolutely perfect, scratch-free screen.
(I tried the Belkin glass screen protector once; it cracked within a month. And I disliked the finger-feel.)
Examining the phone very closely under a bright light, I was able to find a handful of tiny scratches on the iPhone X display. I cannot see them in normal use at all; the phone basically still looks brand new.
In comparison, my previous phone was a jet black iPhone 7 Plus, and the display got three very visible scratches in one year of use. The back, of course, was full of micro scratches, but that was expected.