[LaLamoto]

How strong is my screen? Should I be concerned after removing the screen protector?

[Ledsteplin]

Which phone? The 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 Plus have stronger screens than previous models. They're all pretty strong though. I've been using my 6s Plus since September 2015. No screen protector and no scratches. It depends on what you do with your phone. I do use an Otterbox Commuter case for drop protection.

[tcuprof]

That depends how often you bang it into hard things. I know there are several of us here who have zero scratches after two years. To be fair though, I work in an office and a classroom, pretty low risk for getting scratches.

[tcuprof]

Which phone? The 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 Plus have stronger screens than previous models. They're all pretty strong though. I've been using my 6s Plus since September 2015. No screen protector and no scratches. It depends on what you do with your phone. I do use an Otterbox Commuter case for drop protection.

Given where he posted the question, I assume LaLamoto is referring to a watch, not a phone.

[rangerdeyo]

How strong is my screen? Should I be concerned after removing the screen protector?

Are we talking a sport or stainless steel model? The screens are different materials. The SS screen is more scratch resistant but to be honest, neither of my sport models have suffered any screen scratches (knocks on wood).

[LaLamoto]

Are we talking a sport or stainless steel model? The screens are different materials. The SS screen is more scratch resistant but to be honest, neither of my sport models have suffered any screen scratches (knocks on wood).

Sports model 42mm

[LaLamoto]

Which phone? The 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 Plus have stronger screens than previous models. They're all pretty strong though. I've been using my 6s Plus since September 2015. No screen protector and no scratches. It depends on what you do with your phone. I do use an Otterbox Commuter case for drop protection.

My Apple Watch Series 2

[Ledsteplin]

My Apple Watch Series 2

Oh, ok.

[rangerdeyo]

Sports model 42mm

Depending on what you do for work, I wouldn't worry too much. I've banged both of my watches pretty hard against doors and such and still no marks. I wore my series 0 every day for a year straight till I got my series 2.

[doogald]

Are we talking a sport or stainless steel model? The screens are different materials. The SS screen is more scratch resistant but to be honest, neither of my sport models have suffered any screen scratches (knocks on wood).

The ss is more scratch resistant, but also probably more breakable. Sapphire glass is extremely difficult to scratch, but also more brittle than the ion glass used in the aluminum models. I believe that the ion glass is also pretty scratch resistant- I'm going to guess it's basically like gorilla glass, maybe even more scratch resistant.

That said - I've owned many sapphire crystal watches. Not a single one has broken.

[LaLamoto]

Thank you for all of the useful information given!

[Mac Guy]

Certainly someone somewhere must have some fairly definitive data on this. The SS/Edition Watches' sapphire crystal is definitely more scratch resistant than the Sport Watch's Ion-X glass. We don't know how much force would break either type of crystal. Without more info, it's a little difficult to say under what circumstances which would would break first, or crack vs shatter etc.


Many high-end watches use sapphire for the crystal since it's highly scratch resistant and befitting a high-end watch. And I'd hazard a guess that most people how buy high-end kit tend to take better care of it. So smacking a crystal against something, while possible, is less probable.

The Ion-X glass is less brittle and may absorb more energy before cracking/breaking/shattering. How the crystals are designed with regards to thickness and any other spec affect how much energy they can withstand. Another variable would be the surface they're banged against.

If I banged my Watch more than a few times and didn't scratch it, I'd get and replace screen protectors. Some people chose to accept that scratches go with the territory.

[RobertP1]

My first generation watch took a good beating without issues. My new series too seems great so far. I don't baby it, I am doing stuff with it all the time and never concern myself with damaging it and I do not use a screen protector

[Quis89]

I've had a few bumps and things with my watch and it's held up well. There are some minor scratches on it but nothing terrible. I'd say it is moderately tough but you should still exercise some caution.

[eyecrispy]

I've not used a protector on either of my two Apple Watches. Haven't had a single scratch on either one. I am careful with my devices, but I wear it all day everyday and do bump it here or there. Have not had any issues. Both of my watches have been the sport models (series 0 and series 2).

[pkcable]

I have the sport, original 42mm, it has held up well, has a couple VERY minor scratches, but nothing that bothers me AND I have banged it up pretty good. I'm hard on watches. Overall I'm happy with it's durability.