Does Apple have a problem? The color disappears from the aluminum chassis of the iPhone 12 and other models

The color of the red iPhone 12 has disappeared

Back in November 2020, we bought a red iPhone 12 for the editorial office, which is used primarily for work purposes. This phone has been worn in a transparent case since day one and has not been used in any „toxic“ environment where aggressive substances are present.

Nevertheless, an unpleasant cosmetic defect appeared on it, which from our point of view was caused by a bad / imperfect surface treatment. A deep red color began to fade in one of the corners, which did not look good visually.

We are not really aware that we are responsible for this damage, as the phone was used in a completely normal way, like its predecessor, the iPhone XR, where nothing like it appeared. That’s why we decided to do a little research and found that unfortunately we are not the first and perhaps not the last to encounter this phenomenon in practice.

IPhone 11, SE 2 and others also have a problem…

There are several posts in the Apple discussion forum that highlight the same issue. Although neither applies to the iPhone 12, users encountered it with the iPhone 11 or iPhone SE 2nd generation. They also did not necessarily have to use the PRODUCT (RED) variant, but the fading also occurred in green or black.

In some cases, the devices were carried in covers, and in others the damage occurred without them. Chemical reaction with the silicone surface of the case (original from Apple) cannot be ruled out, but in our case no fading appeared in the charging connector, microphone and speaker, as in the photos of users who pointed out the error earlier.

According to JPack (member of the Macrumors forum), colored aluminum can fade under the influence of UV radiation and the special red color is very sensitive to pigment change. We can recognize similar cases with red cars, for example.

Colored iPhones are not anodized (their surface is less durable), as this process is limited to silver, gold and dark bronze. Although Apple has used various combinations in recent years, their disadvantage may be color instability.

In our case, it is a small mystery why the fading appeared in one of the four corners and elsewhere the color is undamaged.

Of course, we were wondering if our iPhone 12 was not exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, but the truth is that it is almost always indoors, as it is lockdown and cold outside.

Apple does not accept complaints

Although we haven’t tried it yet, we’ve read in the official discussion forums on several occasions that Apple doesn’t accept complaints in this case. This is only a cosmetic defect that has no effect on the functionality and use of the device.

The fact that there are unsightly spots of faded color on the phone probably doesn’t matter to the competent ones anymore, which shocked us a bit…

Of course, we try to make a complaint about the phone, because it is only 4 months old and we simply do not want to use it in this state.

On the other hand, we reckon that it probably won’t work out for us and we feel anger towards Apple, whose € 899 product is damaged after such a short time, although we are not aware that it was caused by our fault.

Write to us in the comment what you think about it and whether you have already encountered something similar. We will be happy for all your opinions and observations that you share with us!