Apple’s Jet Black iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are without question the most stunningly beautiful iPhones Apple has ever created… for about the first 10 seconds after you take them out of the box. After that, the fragile Jet Black finish begins to scratch. Then it scratches some more. And more. Then it begins to fade. Then it begins to complete rub off in the spots that hit your pants the most as you slide it in and out of your pocket each day. Eventually, you’re left with the chewed up remains of a once-beautiful finish.
The Jet Black iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were almost impossible to find when they were first released, and plenty of people opted for a different color instead of waiting. If you were one of those people and you still feel a little buyer’s remorse to this day because you don’t have a Jet Black iPhone in your pocket, we’re about to change your mind.
Every so often, someone posts a request on Reddit for people to share photos of their Jet Black iPhones. Odds are good that the reason is exactly what we stated above — they chose not to get Jet Black, and they want to reinforce the notion that they arrived at the proper decision. And so a bunch of people who have been using their Jet Black iPhones without cases post photos to show how the finish ages. After all, there’s no point in getting a Jet Black iPhone if you’re going to cover it with a case.
This little dance took place most recently just yesterday, when a new thread titled “Users with jet-black iPhones, how is is [sic] holding up?” was posted to the Apple subreddit. As expected, there are some seriously cringeworthy photos in there.
User “caliform” posted this photo of his Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus:
This is actually a nice photo because most people only show their scratched up iPhones in direct light. Here, we can see what it looks like normally. Unfortunately, it still looks pretty bad.
Here’s one of those direct light photos I mentioned, and it was posted by user “elwoodcrow.” Be forewarned, this image will haunt your dreams:
Bottom line: Do something special for your matte black iPhone today, just to remind it how much you appreciate it.