Marketing is one thing, but reality is quite another. Like many of us, I won’t forget the claimed “durable” microtwill of FineWoven, the shaky initial launch of Apple Maps, or the infamous butterfly keyboard that was supposedly four times more stable. Remember the promise of AirPower? Of course you don’t.
It’s worth celebrating when the real-world experience does actually live up to the hype, then. And that’s the case with Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2, the tech giant’s latest and unquestionably greatest iPhone glass.
At the iPhone 17 series launch last year, Apple claimed its strongest glass to date offers three times better scratch resistance and reduced glare. Thankfully, after several months of testing it, I'm confident that this lofty claim rings true.
I’ve been using the iPhone 17 series — primarily the iPhone 17 Pro — and the Apple Watch Series 11 since November, and I’m honestly yet to see the kind of scratches I’d been all too used to getting with the previous models of both devices (and I’ve tested every iPhone since the iPhone 12).
I started noticing the difference on the watch first, which may not boast Ceramic Shield 2 but has a similarly upgraded 'Ion-X' display for twice the scratch resistance when compared to the Series 10. Apple says it’s the “toughest glass in the industry.”
In the past, I’d just had to get used to the fact that the previous watch generations would pick up the kind of hairline micro-scratches that you probably wouldn’t see most of the time, but that would be glaringly obvious in bright sunlight or under harsh direct lights. This time, there’s none of that, and it’s not like I’ve got any better at not bumping my wrist into furniture or doorways!
It’s been years since I’ve had a smashed screen on any iPhone, but I did spot marks after only a few weeks with my iPhone 16 Pro. It earned itself a very noticeable scratch in its first fortnight of use. Over the months, it only gained more micro-abrasions all over the screen, and I ended up relying on a screen protector to keep it from getting any worse. Honestly, the story’s been the same with the 15 Pro and 14 Pro, and my handset before that was a 13 mini, which ended up looking like "frosted glass" by the time I was done with it.
However, with the launch of the iPhone 17 came Ceramic Shield 2, and it’s beginning to look like that was an even more substantial change than Apple made it out to be.
More than just marketing
This glass — developed by Apple and the tough glass experts at Corning — has a denser nanocrystal structure and improved oleophobic coating versus previous generations of iPhone glass. In testing, JerryRigEverything tortured the iPhone 17 and found that it only ended up with light marks at Level 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. Usually, scratches show up at about Level 5 or 6.
My experience is that I just don’t have to be as concerned about my phone anymore. You’d be able to carry the iPhone 17 in your pockets, even with your keys, and you won’t need to worry too much about it starting to look far older than it is. For most people, that probably also means you don’t really need a screen protector.
Speaking of which, tests by Astropad found that using a regular glass screen protector may actually end up cancelling out the anti-reflective effect of your new iPhone 17. That’s definitely worth thinking about before spending the extra cash on a cover. If you do get one, it had better be one with anti-reflective properties.
Obviously, think carefully before leaving off a protector or doing the *unthinkable* and going fully case-free. Apple's new glass is great, but it’s not indestructible. A devastating face-down drop will most likely still break your iPhone, and sand or quartz will still scratch it, even if metal might not harm it as easily. Planning on ever bringing your phone to the beach? At risk of dropping it onto gravel? Or sending it toppling into a bowl of diamonds? Don’t skip the screen protector.
That said, for everyone else living an unadventurous life, you probably don’t need to baby your iPhone anymore.
I know your first instinct is to slap on a glass protector, but it may now be overkill with the latest generation and just an extra expense you needn’t bother with. Sure, some scratches may show up eventually, but I’m not seeing anything like what I’d previously been used to, after months of use.
Overall, I’ve found that the much more “scratch-resistant” Ceramic Shield 2 has ended up feeling like a huge upgrade. What that means in real terms is that you’re not going to notice all that much damage from everyday use, and that most of us don’t need a screen protector on these handsets.
And the great news is that, as of last month, Apple doesn’t sell a smartphone without Ceramic Shield 2 any longer. Even the affordable new iPhone 17e has great durability with the latest glass, so you can grab any iPhone from the current lineup and feel just that little bit safer. Credit where it's due: Apple really delivered on this one.
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