Apple's new hardware chief says seeing screen protectors used on iPhones makes his "skin crawl"

[Skye Jacobs]

Big quote: Tom Marieb has a visceral reaction when he sees an iPhone owner put on a screen protector. "Personally, when I see someone put a screen protector on their iPhone, it makes my skin crawl, because we work so hard to make beautiful front screens," he told TechRadar. The remark from Apple's new vice president of hardware engineering reflects the company's confidence in Ceramic Shield 2, its latest display material.

Apple introduced the material with the iPhone 17 lineup and also uses it on the new iPhone 18 Pro and the outer screen of the new iPhone Duo foldable.

Marieb said Apple set out to solve a familiar problem for smartphone owners: screens that pick up scratches through normal use. But scratch resistance alone wasn't the whole goal; the company also wanted the coating to stay durable as the device aged, since the two properties tend to work against each other in most materials.

Apple said Ceramic Shield 2 provides three times the scratch resistance of the previous generation. The company's position is that its display technology is strong enough that users should be able to enjoy the appearance of the front glass without immediately covering it with another layer.

Not everyone finds that argument persuasive, and the reaction to Marieb's comments online suggests the disagreement isn't really about how tough Ceramic Shield 2 is. For a lot of iPhone owners, a protector is less about preventing scratches on great glass and more about not paying for a screen repair at all: out-of-warranty replacements can run into the hundreds of dollars, so a cheap, disposable layer functions as insurance regardless of how durable the glass underneath happens to be.

Others use protectors for reasons that have nothing to do with scratch resistance in the first place, like privacy filtering or extra glare reduction, features no amount of Ceramic Shield toughness would replace.

That same focus on long-term durability extends to the iPhone Duo. The foldable introduces an inner display and hinge system that Apple had to design around issues that don't affect standard slab-style phones.

Marieb said the company spent significant time refining the hinge so that it feels secure in every position, including open, closed, and partially folded. Apple wanted the mechanism to close with the solid feel of a high-end car door, rather than feeling loose or "floppy."

"A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into that," Marieb said. The Duo's inner screen has a matte finish intended to make any changes around the fold less noticeable than they'd be on a glossy display. Marieb said Apple should be judged on how well that claim holds up over time.

"Hold us accountable to that," he said.

Ceramic Shield 2 and the Duo's hinge represent two sides of the same durability push: one limits scratches on Apple's conventional iPhones, the other addresses the mechanical and display challenges unique to a foldable design.

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Apple's new hardware chief says seeing screen protectors used on iPhones makes his "skin crawl"

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Meanwhile my iPhone 16e from work has a scratch on it from having keys in the same pocket, and I cringe every time I see a screen partially shattered because it impacted something. Tom needs to hush.

 

[LordVile95]

Meanwhile my iPhone 16e from work has a scratch on it from having keys in the same pocket, and I cringe every time I see a screen partially shattered because it impacted something. Tom needs to hush.

The 16e doesn’t have Ceramic Shield 2. Also a screen protector doesn’t really do that much for smashing the display. Typically if it’s enough to smash the screen it will go through a protector and the screen. A lot of the time the protectors break because they’re more fragile making it seem like they’ve stopped the screen breaking, but the damage wouldn’t have bothered the screen anyway.

 

[opckieran]

Couldn't be that difficult to engineer the display assy to be easily repairable. Maybe put a piece of highly engineered glass in front of it that could be replaced without having to disassemble the entire phone...

Oh wait, I've just described a tempered glass screen protector. It sounds like maybe Apple should take notes instead of complaining...

 

[RudyBob]

I leave the plastic on my furniture

 

[Anton Longshot]

Last time I used a screen protector was on a PDA.
As it was obvious that these things affect screen sensitivity and precision I stopped using them.
I handle my devices with care and the only things besides fabrics that ever touch my screens are my fingers.
Others may have different preferences and lifestyles. I'm fine with that. Diversity's good.

 

[LordVile95]

Couldn't be that difficult to engineer the display assy to be easily repairable. Maybe put a piece of highly engineered glass in front of it that could be replaced without having to disassemble the entire phone...

Oh wait, I've just described a tempered glass screen protector. It sounds like maybe Apple should take notes instead of complaining...

I mean it is result easy to remove the display and replace it. It also holds up better to the world than tempered glass and doesn’t develop sharp chips etc

 

[pnntmp]

His skin may crawl when he sees someone using a protector, but my crawls too when I see my screen broken.

Words mean little. If Apple starts replacing broken screens free of charge, nobody would use a protector.

 

[mdenigma]

It always depends on the use case. If you know what lives inside of a bag of a woman, you will hand her a screen protection without hesitation. On the other hand, my phones never touched a key in the same pocket - I don’t need that

 

[bviktor]

Meanwhile my iPhone 16e from work has a scratch on it from having keys in the same pocket, and I cringe every time I see a screen partially shattered because it impacted something. Tom needs to hush.

or maybe you need to grow a brain and not put sharp objects next to your phone, especially in tight spaces.

 

[toooooot]

I use screen protector for 2 reasons.
First, I love matte effect on the screen
I have been buying the same brand for over 10 years now.
And second, I always trade in my phones.
I have not paid full price in ages. I need the screen to be
working, I need to be able to trade it in.

 

[LordVile95]

I use screen protector for 2 reasons.
First, I love matte effect on the screen
I have been buying the same brand for over 10 years now.
And second, I always trade in my phones.
I have not paid full price in ages. I need the screen to be
working, I need to be able to trade it in.

Mine always somehow breaks and is replaced under AppleCare when I sell them

 

[opckieran]

I mean it is result easy to remove the display and replace it. It also holds up better to the world than tempered glass and doesn’t develop sharp chips etc

Replacing the display requires disassembly of the device and is far more expensive. I can't imagine why Apple doesn't just redesign their product with an architecture that more closely matches the panel + glass + TGSP setup that is so popular today.

 

[The Talking Tech]

So perhaps Tom Marieb would like to pay for people's screen replacements when the eventual scratches happen.

Corporate people are so disconnected from reality that it's no wonder his "skin crawls" when consumers try to protect their thousand dollars investment.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

or maybe you need to grow a brain and not put sharp objects next to your phone, especially in tight spaces.

If the screens are so tough, why would I need to separate them hmmm?

I got 2 pockets. I got a phone, a wallet, keys, and an insulin pump. Where do you think the keys are going to go? Let's hear your superbrain explanation.

The 16e doesn’t have Ceramic Shield 2. Also a screen protector doesn’t really do that much for smashing the display. Typically if it’s enough to smash the screen it will go through a protector and the screen. A lot of the time the protectors break because they’re more fragile making it seem like they’ve stopped the screen breaking, but the damage wouldn’t have bothered the screen anyway.

No, but it DOES have "Ceramic Screen 1" which was "4x better then previous iPhone screen tech" at resisting scratches. And yet, the screen still scratched, just like previous generations did.

That's why claiming that "CS2 makes screen protectors cringy" an incredibly stupid take. Despite all the claims of how amazing these screens are, they still seem to scratch easily and get damaged easily. Blasting people who choose to put protection on their $1000+ device is the type of consumer hostile drivel that corporations have gotten far too comfortable with.

 

[LordVile95]

Replacing the display requires disassembly of the device and is far more expensive. I can't imagine why Apple doesn't just redesign their product with an architecture that more closely matches the panel + glass + TGSP setup that is so popular today.

Because the screen protectors are crap?

 

[LordVile95]

If the screens are so tough, why would I need to separate them hmmm?

I got 2 pockets. I got a phone, a wallet, keys, and an insulin pump. Where do you think the keys are going to go? Let's hear your superbrain explanation.

No, but it DOES have "Ceramic Screen 1" which was "4x better then previous iPhone screen tech" at resisting scratches. And yet, the screen still scratched, just like previous generations did.

That's why claiming that "CS2 makes screen protectors cringy" an incredibly stupid take. Despite all the claims of how amazing these screens are, they still seem to scratch easily and get damaged easily. Blasting people who choose to put protection on their $1000+ device is the type of consumer hostile drivel that corporations have gotten far too comfortable with.

I have a CS2 phone and have no scratches on the screen and haven’t treated it carefully. It goes in pockets with keys, screwdrivers and a variety of other metal implements or thrown in bags. Only other thing that hasn’t scratched in the last few years is my ultra 2 watch.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

In the past 15 years or so of owning a "smart" phone, things I've never had happen:

scratch the screen
crack or break the screen in any way, shape or form
lose my phone
drop it in any kind of liquid

I've also never used glass screen protector.

It baffles me how many people can be so careless with their personal devices.

 

[p51d007]

I've owned multiple smartphones since the first Samsung Galaxy. NOT ONE of them have ever had a screen protector. Not one of them have ever been scratched either. I don't stuff my phone in my pants pockets, I don't sit down on it and on and on. I treat it like the expensive piece of electronics, that it is.

 

[tonyteddy]

I hate screen protectors ohhh but without it screen got alot of scratches and the phone becomes worthless and that s not good I hope in the new iphone this problem will be solved and we will no more need to use screen protectors

 

[hahahanoobs]

I've never used one. The only protection I invest in is sub $10 TPU cases from Ali. The screen on my Pixel 7 is very easy to clean with my shirt and my fingers glide so smoothly on GG Victus. Smoothness is something I never hear about in reviews.

Kudos to the iPhone 18 for deeper grooves at level 8 tho. I definitely wouldn't use a screen protector with hardness like that.

 

[Axeia]

Last time I used a screen protector was on a PDA.
As it was obvious that these things affect screen sensitivity and precision I stopped using them.
I handle my devices with care and the only things besides fabrics that ever touch my screens are my fingers.
Others may have different preferences and lifestyles. I'm fine with that. Diversity's good.

Glass screen protectors don't really seem to affect the functionality one bit in my experience. The film type ones do.

I dont vacuum my pockets before placing my phone in them and sand can still scratch any glass screen so I'll stick to screen protectors.

 

[wiyosaya]

I leave the plastic on my furniture

You trying to achieve some level of IPX rating for your furniture for some reason, Rudy?

 

[wiyosaya]

Kudos to the iPhone 18 for deeper grooves at level 8 tho. I definitely wouldn't use a screen protector with hardness like that.

I have screen protectors on my devices that are rated at level 9.

 

[wiyosaya]

Mine always somehow breaks and is replaced under AppleCare when I sell them

And are you paying an extra fee for "AppleCare?" Whenever I have seen "AppleCare" for the iPad Minis have had over the years, it can only be had for an extra fee.

Frankly, I prefer a glass, hardness 9, screen protector as well as an "armored" case. I'm quite careful with my iPad Minis, but I depend on them and the Diabetes Pilot app I run on them for my diabetes management, and I am well aware that accidents happen sometimes.