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One of Apple's key design features for iPhone 4 is its all-glass front and back, utilizing a material touted by Apple as being "more scratch resistant than ever". Apple has placed such faith in the strength and durability of iPhone 4's glass that it is featuring bumpers to offer protection for the device's edges while leaving the front and back fully exposed.
Several of the early iPhone 4 reviews noted that the glass seemed to be holding up well, with several reviewers reporting having dropped their devices with no ill effects observed. Engadget is now reporting, however, that several scratches have been discovered on the back of its review unit after only five days of use.
The photo you're seeing above is our leader Joshua's iPhone 4 review unit, snapped by Ryan Block just moments ago. Ryan pointed out that there are some nasty scratches on the back of the phone. While we don't have any better photos of it at the moment, Josh told us that they're hard to see unless in bright light, but they look pretty notable to us for a five day-old unit made of Gorilla Glass.
While few would expect iPhone 4's glass to reach an indestructible level of durability, the rather rapid accumulation of "nasty" scratches in just a few days of use may be a concern to some possible purchasers and bears watching as users consider their options for protecting the device during daily use.
