Say Goodbye to Protective Cases: Apple Working on Scratch-Resistant iPhones

It seems that Apple is preparing the way for future iPhones with a strong level of scratch and abrasion resistance. As per Patently Apple, the giant has been granted a new patent for “Spatial Composites” material by the US Patent and Trademark Office. This Spatial Composites patent means that Apple is working on a new kind of material to keep its iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches protected against scratches on their body. The company wants to make sure that the user won’t need to rely on protective cases to keep their devices protected. We already have protection for the display, and now Apple wants to go beyond by making the whole body resistant to scratches and abrasion. 

Composite Materials tech comes to replace your standard iPhone case

As per the patent, Apple will create a scratch-resistant back panel with the use of abrasion-resistant materials. They could be incorporated into the chassis of an iPhone to make it stronger. It lists Christopher Prest, Stephen Lynch, and Teodor Dabov as the inventor of Spatial Composites. All of them are engineers working for Apple. Apple explains various materials used in manufacturing smartphones and their respective scratch-resistance versus electromagnetic shielding. The firm elaborates that while plastic does not interfere with radio connectivity, it’s not as scratch-resistant. On the other hand, Metal is more resistant but messes with the radio signals. Lastly, ceramic is scratch-resistant and does not interfere with connectivity, but it’s not too strong.

The patent explains the “Spatial Composites”. It mixes metal and ceramic composite with scratch-resistant properties, superior durability, and minimal interference. As per the patent, the resulting substrate material will feature a moldable matrix with these metal and ceramic located between 10 and 100 microns apart.

The new tech would join Apple’s Crystal Shield tech that comes to protect displays from scratches. With the Spatial Composite, Apple will boost the resistance of its devices. The goal is, perhaps, to make iPhones keep their brand-new look even after months, even years, of continuous use.

Don’t hold your breath just yet for the technology. After all, this is just a patent right now. Now that Apple has it granted, we should see it going on to become a reality on iPhones. But still, it could be years away. Until then, the protective case will be your best friend in the journey to keep your iPhone brand new. Obviously, the new technology will not make it in time for the iPhone 15 series.