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The iPhone 16 Pro screen is 2X more durable, but... what does that even mean?

By Victor Hristov

Updated: Sep 16, 2024, 10:54 AM

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The iPhone 16 Pro screen is 2X more durable, but... what does that even mean?

If there is one thing the "crack marketing team" at Apple loves, it has to be pointing out features where the iPhone is "the best EVER".

And while we can only hope every new iPhone is the best ever (it only makes sense), one new feature in this "best-ever" category really spiked my curiosity.

Specifically, Apple claims the Ceramic Shield screen cover glass on the new iPhone 16Pro models is 2X tougher than glass on any other smartphone.

Wow! That sounds really impressive. But also... what does that even mean? And with such advanced protection, maybe we no longer need to buy a screen protector for the iPhone 16 Pro?

What is Apple's Ceramic Shield?

"Tougher than any smartphone glass"

There are two big names when it comes to protecting your smartphone screen. One is Gorilla Glass and the other is the Ceramic Shield branding, and both are built fully or with the participation of Corning.

Looking back, the iPhone 12 from 2020 was the first model to use Ceramic Shield, while the iPhone 11 series before it featured Gorilla Glass protection (similar to other Android phones).

And just by looking at Apple's official specs, it seems that we have three formulations of the Ceramic Shield on recent iPhones:

iPhone 11 series – Gorilla Glass
iPhone 12 series – First-gen Ceramic Shield, "four times better at resisting drops than the iPhone 11"
iPhone 13 series to iPhone 15 series (and regular iPhone 16 models) – Second-gen Ceramic Shield "Tougher than any smartphone glass"
iPhone 16 Pro – Third-gen Ceramic Shield "Tougher than any smartphone glass"

These "tougher than any smartphone glass" claims are still on Apple's website to this day, even about the older iPhone models, so it seems that Apple is still claiming that the Ceramic Shield beats Gorilla Glass. Indeed, that is very impressive.

But what is the real difference between Gorilla Glass such as the one used on Samsung's Galaxy phones and Ceramic Shield used on iPhones?

Since we don't have an official explanation from Apple, we have to make some assumptions and gather information from various sources. Most people seem to agree that Gorilla Glass is essentially glass altered in terms of its composition and chemical processing, while Ceramic Shield is a hybrid between glass and ceramic.

Corning explains that glass-ceramic mixes begin with a heat-treated glass, which develops nano crystals, similar to those found in ceramics. Those nano-crystals are then embedded into the glass. Unlike traditional ceramics, though, these crystals do not form a pattern and instead of being opaque, are transparent.

When Apple made the switch from Gorilla Glass to Ceramic Shield with the transition from the iPhone 11 to iPhone 12 series it said that the screen on the iPhone 12 is four times better at resisting drops than the iPhone 11.

What about the iPhone 16 Pro?

The regular iPhone 16 models come with the previous generation Ceramic Shield, only the Pros get the new one

Again, it is sad that Apple does not provide anything beyond pure marketing talk about the characterstics of the new iPhone 16 Ceramic Shield.

Here is what we have from the company's press release: "Both models offer industry-leading durability with a strong, lightweight titanium design, as well as the latest-generation Ceramic Shield, which has an advanced formulation that is 2x tougher than glass on any other smartphone."

But considering the company's previous claims about "resisting drops" AND the recent iPhone 15 Ceramic Shield commercial where the phone is again depicted as better withstanding drops, we can safely assume that Ceramic Shield is optimized for resisting drops, but not all that impressive at resisting scratches.

That is an important distinction, so that you don't come away expecting a scratch-free screen on the iPhone 16 Pro.

Don't expect a scratch-free screen just because of improvements to Ceramic Shield

Apple seems to have come to the realization that fixing a broken iPhone screen is the most annoying and pricey type of repair for users, which is why the Ceramic Shield is really good at preventing that and resisting drops.

But scratches are not something that requires a screen replacement or that will draw such anger from users. And it might just be harder to develop a totally scratch-resistant glass.

Relax, an iPhone 16 Pro might be better at surviving a drop, but don't be too relaxed about scratches

So at the end of the day, if you want a scratch-free screen on your iPhone 16 Pro and you are wondering whether you need to buy a screen protector... well, you probably still should. Ceramic Shield won't help you too much with that, but it will better resist drops and you might want to try going case-less with that in mind. Either way, keeping your phone safe and your screen glass pristine will ensure you can then sell it or trade it in for a good value.

Let us know your experience with recent iPhones and the Ceramic Shield: have you recently had your iPhone screen broken? And do you have many scratches on your display?

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.