Front Bezel (Real or Fake Aluminum) - 8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General

I know its vain... but I scratched on the bezel of my 8525 the first day I bought it and staring at it is really starting to annoy me. Its the bezel part that starts above the call buttons and goes up the right side and then along the top.
Does anyone know if it is made from real brushed aluminum or is it plastic made to look like brushed aluminum? If its real, I'm going to dremel the scratch away... if its plastic and I try doing that... it will only make it much worse.
Thanks for any help on this.
EDIT: Does anyone have a dead 8525 or even just the front part they want to get rid of for cheap? I figure I could replace the bezel as well. Thanks again.

I'm not sure how does the fake plastic goes, but aluminum is a electric conductor, you can try and see if it gets electric passed through it? Still, fake plastic may be a conductor as well (i.e. uses aluminum powder to make it shiny). Anyway, if it was to be aluminum, it should be cold to the touch.
BTW, when you said "dremel the scratch away", how do you do that? I had a big one on my Wizard too, it is definitely aluminum here. Also, I have an old SStell watch that I would like to get the scratch off

Sure feels like METAL. One thing to fix smaller scratches on metal, try eraser for ink, it's slightly abrasive.

hanmin said:
I'm not sure how does the fake plastic goes, but aluminum is a electric conductor, you can try and see if it gets electric passed through it? Still, fake plastic may be a conductor as well (i.e. uses aluminum powder to make it shiny). Anyway, if it was to be aluminum, it should be cold to the touch.
BTW, when you said "dremel the scratch away", how do you do that? I had a big one on my Wizard too, it is definitely aluminum here. Also, I have an old SStell watch that I would like to get the scratch off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am fairly skillful with a dremel. I was thinking I would us a fine grained dremel brush and brush along the grain. Basically, it would be recessing that part of the bezel down to the depth of the scratch (it is uneven new and the scratch is located at a slightly elevated position which would be perfect for this). This would only work for slight scratches.

I know this
It dents like aluminum. I dropped mine last winter, and it put some scratches and dents int it... well the dents curve into the hole, which plastic would just shear and have a grooved edge, it wouldn't bend. So My vote is metal.

jompao said:
Sure feels like METAL. One thing to fix smaller scratches on metal, try eraser for ink, it's slightly abrasive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hunting for an erasable ink pen right now. Thanks.

tsunami982 said:
I hunting for an erasable ink pen right now. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People use it to take care of small scratches on fine watches, so I'm guessing it will work here to. Obviously you need to use it direction of the "brushed" direction of the metal.
You can stumble on interesting stuf on the net.
I 've read people were removing branding from phones with a sugar cube. Abrasive enough to remove screen printed branding but not enough to scratch the plastic. Not to say that trick will work on Hermes.

Related

[Q] FFC help/ Paint to cover it up.

Does anyone know how to remove small scratches from our screen?
I made a very small scratch accidentally while I was removing the paint covering the ffc hole.
Also does anyone know exactly what type of black paint t-mobile used to paint the hole? If we can figure the color out anyone who needs to send their phone in for repairs can just paint it again and remove the camera.
Sooooo any thoughts?
nothing huh.. x.x
since the glass is actually a ceramic, I'd say you're going to be hard pressed to remove a scratch. I'm not sure though, but you might try a clear acrylic to fill the scratch. I don't know on the other part.
Clear acrylic won't fix the scratch because acrylic has a different refractive index than glass.
Your only options are to either polish the scratch (not likely), or learn to live with it.
There might be glass repair products out there, but I don't know of any
gotya, thanks.. do you believe it will make a big impact once i get the camera installed? like ruin the image.
you can try dry mustard and vinegar mixed together, apply and buff (attach a q-tip to a dremel)...
MichaelB91 said:
gotya, thanks.. do you believe it will make a big impact once i get the camera installed? like ruin the image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doubtful, the scratch is going to be so close to the low resolution lens that I think you won't even be able to tell.
thanks you
Removing glass scratches
Removing glass scratches are tricky. I posted before how to polish plastic. The same is true with glass only there are no solvents that degrade glass so no worries there (couple of acids do but you can't buy).
Here is what you need to do :
1. Mask off EVERYTHING you do not want touched
2. then you can use a dremel with a small buffing wheel or puff ball (you can get @ home depot or Lowes... etc
3. I would use fine polishing compound and then High gloss compound (you can get from an auto body shop (the same for buffing out a newly painted car)
4. Be VERY careful not to heat up the surface or you can crack the glass.
Finally, this will take awhile (maybe as long as an hour) and if the scratch is deep it will warp the surface and make some of the display deformed looking so look at it carefully and decide if this is worth the effort.
The other crap on the market that are fillers, really do not work for small scratches like this. they are designed for larger blemishes, so the chances of these staying in place are slim to never
hope that helps
Not sure what kind of paint was originally over the camera opening but I imagine nail polish would be an effective (and cheap) substitute. With an amount so small would someone notice the difference?
I'm just going to wait and see if the camera can see clearly through it, and ill decide what do to after that.
Thank you (everyone) for all the help. I really appreciate it

Painting TF101

I have been thinking for a while that i want to paint the front plastics from brown to black and was wondering the best way. If anyone has done or knows something about painting pstic with out fingers getting paint when done
ummmm...there was a guy on here that mentioned about polishing the bezel section and such on here because it was dropped. Turned out pretty good in the end, I would contact the OP on that thread about that.
As far as my experience goes, I had an Acura RSX that I painted the plastic headlights (the shiny inside part) black and various colors for other people and they turned out good. The key thing is to remove the old stuff off first before doing so. you are basically then starting with a fresh canvas. wear latex or nitrile gloves as well. use paint cleaner to really get all the oils and stuff off. a LIGHT coat of primer, and then light passes of paint make all the difference in the world.
Or is the rounding material before glass metal? Im starting to feel its metal instead of plastic?
You know what, it is metal, that's right. I remember that guy anodized his bezel.
SoonHD2 said:
Or is the rounding material before glass metal? Im starting to feel its metal instead of plastic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely metal. You can feel it especially while charging.
Maybe plastic dip. Google it.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

scratched screen!

[reposted. previously posted to wrong group]
so much for gorilla glass!
probably something my 8yo daughter did.
it's small -- only a couple of mm, but it's there.
hell, i watched that youtube of the guy dragging a nail across his TF.
this wasn't supposed to happen, right?
anybody else got scratches?
Nothing is impossible. I have no clue how I personally haven't scratched mine. Bezel is filled with nicks but glass is fine. I wonder if you could use a small glass repair kit or something to fill it
Edit:
Something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Stoner-95141-Invisible-Windshield-Repair/dp/B001T9CG94
munsterrr said:
Nothing is impossible. I have no clue how I personally haven't scratched mine. Bezel is filled with nicks but glass is fine. I wonder if you could use a small glass repair kit or something to fill it
Edit:
Something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Stoner-95141-Invisible-Windshield-Repair/dp/B001T9CG94
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've just put a cheapo screen protector on it that came with a case i bought. i hadn't bothered before, thinking that the glass was unscratchable. will source a higher quality one later.
let this be a cautionary tale to others -- especially if your kids are using yours.
theabsurdman said:
[reposted. previously posted to wrong group]
so much for gorilla glass!
probably something my 8yo daughter did.
it's small -- only a couple of mm, but it's there.
hell, i watched that youtube of the guy dragging a nail across his TF.
this wasn't supposed to happen, right?
anybody else got scratches?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
forum.ppcgeeks.com/moto-droid/114659-gorilla-glass-does-scratch-but-i-know-how-repair.html
It's probably from a grain of sand. Since that's one of the materials used to make glass...it will definitely scratch it.
I'd like to see some one take sand paper to the screen instead of keys and knives...that would be hilarious!
So basically...double check that the cloth you are using is free of Debris and I guess maybe blow some air on the screen first to get rid of any grainy particles?
Not as rugged as a Pantech Element, but mine has nicks on the bezel also. I put a nice screen protector on mine knowing that Im more capable than a kid of scratching it! You should upload pics of it so we can all get quezzy!
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Must uh been the diamond ring.
:/ hmm why so emo?
besides if it was really strong enough for a real gorilla to use i doubt it would be sold at this price anyway. even bullet proof glass scratches >_>
hashbrown said:
Not as rugged as a Pantech Element, but mine has nicks on the bezel also. I put a nice screen protector on mine knowing that Im more capable than a kid of scratching it! You should upload pics of it so we can all get quezzy!
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love your avatar...why is his head so big? You gonna make biscuits?
Mine has scratches too, a lot small scratches on the bezel and a big one in the center. The big one is probably when the tablet was laying screen bottom on table with a lot of sugar and bread crumbs (I know, they shouldn't scratch gorilla glass). I just bought a matte protector and my screen doesn't look like a mirror anymore, scratches are almost invisible after that. It's also quite ugly, but more usefull than the shiny glass.
Magnesus said:
Mine has scratches too, a lot small scratches on the bezel and a big one in the center. The big one is probably when the tablet was laying screen bottom on table with a lot of sugar and bread crumbs (I know, they shouldn't scratch gorilla glass). I just bought a matte protector and my screen doesn't look like a mirror anymore, scratches are almost invisible after that. It's also quite ugly, but more usefull than the shiny glass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the matte protector i have now fitted has made my scratch completely invisible, at the expense of the screen being not so vivid; masks fingerprints too. i am going to leave it on for the present.
could you guys be kind enough to give a link for your purchased matte protector. thxsVM
gdeer80 said:
could you guys be kind enough to give a link for your purchased matte protector. thxsVM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine came as a freebie with a case i bought on ebay (item # 220937432912 ).
i messed up putting it on (bubbles) and have another on order. i'll let you know how the replacement works out when it arrives.
gdeer80 said:
could you guys be kind enough to give a link for your purchased matte protector. thxsVM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is a local brand, but probably it's some rebranded cheap protector from China. Still, it looks almost exactly like matte LCD screen. It doesn't have glue - from what I read you should avoid the ones that use glue.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=17414715
i posted my matt scfreen protector awhile ago with a pic of two transformers: one with and one without.
Sent from my Transformer TF101
quick update:
i removed my matt screen protector and replaced it with a clear (glossy) one. the new one, while it shows more fingerprints and reflections than the matt one, is preferable to me as the display is so much brighter and more vibrant. the matt one seemed 50% dimmer. the clear one was also easier to fit without bubbling (although it still took me 3 tries!). the brand i used was ebay # 370581513587.
After not being able to find a new glass, I did some research and "fixed" my scratched screen.
Gorilla Glass is an aluminium silicate glass. There is a product by 3M called "Perfect-it III Trizact Machine Glaze" (or 3M product no. 06070 if you prefer) that contains an aluminum silicate clay polishing compound. Its expensive! I got it at NAPA, quart-size bottle costs about $65. Probably can be found online for cheaper. Its intended purpose is removing extremely fine swirl marks from high-gloss auto finishes.. something the high-end auto detailer would use on a Ferrari or something.
Fisrt i tried by hand, polishing the screen with a polishing cloth coated in the polishing compound. This worked just fine for some of the very fine scratches, but took more effort than i figured.
I eventually switched to a very soft, small polishing wheel from a Dremel polishing kit. About 1.5-2" diameter. Used a variable speed drill at a slow-to-moderate speed, I carefully buffed the screen over the scratched areas, moving in small circles over the scratches for 45 seconds to a minute with a heavy coating of the 3M compound.
In the end it worked out pretty good! Most of the scratches are totally gone, and the worst of them is barely visible now and could probably be eliminated like the rest if i repeated the process a couple more times.
I hope this info helps. Just be careful, if you don't have any experience doing this kind of thing you can easily make your screen much worse. I practiced on my old and now retired Droid Eris which also sports Gorilla Glass before I attempted to touch my precious TF101.
a.mcdear said:
After not being able to find a new glass, I did some research and "fixed" my scratched screen.
Gorilla Glass is an aluminium silicate glass. There is a product by 3M called "Perfect-it III Trizact Machine Glaze" (or 3M product no. 06070 if you prefer) that contains an aluminum silicate clay polishing compound. Its expensive! I got it at NAPA, quart-size bottle costs about $65. Probably can be found online for cheaper. Its intended purpose is removing extremely fine swirl marks from high-gloss auto finishes.. something the high-end auto detailer would use on a Ferrari or something.
Fisrt i tried by hand, polishing the screen with a polishing cloth coated in the polishing compound. This worked just fine for some of the very fine scratches, but took more effort than i figured.
I eventually switched to a very soft, small polishing wheel from a Dremel polishing kit. About 1.5-2" diameter. Used a variable speed drill at a slow-to-moderate speed, I carefully buffed the screen over the scratched areas, moving in small circles over the scratches for 45 seconds to a minute with a heavy coating of the 3M compound.
In the end it worked out pretty good! Most of the scratches are totally gone, and the worst of them is barely visible now and could probably be eliminated like the rest if i repeated the process a couple more times.
I hope this info helps. Just be careful, if you don't have any experience doing this kind of thing you can easily make your screen much worse. I practiced on my old and now retired Droid Eris which also sports Gorilla Glass before I attempted to touch my precious TF101.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good info, thanks! Glad to hear theres a polish out there to fix the inevitable scratch.

Physical Body Build Quality (silver) -- Easily Scratched

I just noticed a few scratches that I'll have to live with.. Maybe I'll have to buy a case now (thought going naked would have been fine)
I know there are plenty of topic on this, but most cover actual defects.
Btw, just wanted to say that I LOVE this device. No way I'm returning. Not even this unit! Can't! Spent soo much time customizing it, and even the benchmarks are slightly above average
Anyway... My problem right now is the chamfered edges and the bottom speaker grill.
The silver One is susceptible to the same amount of scratches as the Black One, albeit they won't be as prominent on the silver variant.
The unit I'm talking about is actually a replacement. The first One I owned had defects, but even for the short time I had it, it somehow managed to build a few dents and scuffs on the chamfered edge up at the top speaker grill.
This time, the problem's on the bottom! I have a few scuffs on the bottom chamfered edge... It's been 4 days in my possession, and already is growing hits and dings. Now here's the interesting part.. As a university student, school's out and the phone has pretty much left the house only once! Other days it laid either in my hand, on my pocket, or on the floor right by my bed.
I looked at it and thought that maybe I can polish them when they get worse.. But things took a turn for the worse right away!! As I was examining the scuffs on the edge, I came across a hairline scratch that extended from the bottom of the lower speaker grill to the top (of the speaker grill) -- almost like a crack -- a hairline crack. Looks as if a pencil lightly went over it.
I've attached photos for your viewing pleasure, but as minor as they appear, note that it's only been about 4 days!! I'm wondering what'll come out of it over an extended period of use.. Guess I can live with whatever has happened to date though =]
*please note that the images aren't too good a representation of the actual damage to the device. It's slightly worse in person -- the abundance of light blurs the scratches a bit.
Arghhh the photos have since showed less of the damage as I had to resize the images to 640* 425 (instead of 4288 * 2848 )
To me, it's just like a dead pixel. You can't tell it's there in normal use, but once you find it, it'll haunt you for a while. At one point you won't care.. But when you see it again, you'll start kicking yourself.
I've been babying my phone, but I think it's time for me to go up onto Amazon and buy myself a good case. *flies to look at the Accessories forum*
Any of you folks keeping your phone naked experience any unexplained scuffs and nicks on your edges? Scratches on your speaker grill?
You guys think that we'd be able to -- at some point -- replace the speaker grills with OEM parts? I'm sure people will come across much worse problems...
No matter what device, what manufacture or what materials the device is made out of, if you don't use a case, this will happen and worst. Your scratches are barely visible. I had to zoom in the picture to see them.
I don't have the device yet but I already have 3 cases for it and a pack of screen protectors. The official flip case and 2 tpu s line cases, one black and one clear.
Sent from my HTC myTouch 4g using xda premium
I agree. I guess it's just that I'm bummed it happened so soon!
I'll learn to live with this. I don;t think I'm ready for a case just yet. The cases I've seen so far don't look too good and add way too much bulk. The slimmer ones don't cover the top and bottom chamfered edges...
I'll keep looking. I do have full body screen protection, except it only covers the screen itself and the rear of the device. Speaker grills (understandably) are left to be in the open
Did you check the phone over when you got it? Just asking as I've seen a one or two with some nicks and scratches out of the box I'm guessing it happened when polishing the chamfered edge.
Man, how do you use your phone to manage to put these scratches and dents.
I have had the phone since last Friday with daily use and no scratches, I just put a skinomi clear film in the back to protect against scratches and dents, the front is naked, looks beautiful, you don't even notice the film is there
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
I have films on the back and front of the device myself!
I honestly do not know where these came from. It's been on my desk or on the floor by my bed. Hasn't left the house -- maybe just once..
Anyway I attached another saddening photo. This was taken with my old Atrix.
I'm thinking that this may have been a result of missing the charging port and accidentally sliding the micro usb plug into the front of the phone while I was half asleep...
Anyway, I'm sitting here and there's much greater things to worry about. It could have been much worse... A random scratch on the screen or a deeper nick...
Besides, the bottom speaker grill is a separate piece and if it continues to get scratched up and continues to bother me, I'll just see if i can get it replaced..
Hope I actually move on. This is the same feeling as when I found a dent on my $700 guitar.. I got over that. So ill probably get high over this
Aha I'm wondering what it'll feel like when I find a small scratch on my first new car -_-... Boy will I be a mess!
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Aluminum is a soft metal, unlike titanium or other harder metals. They chose aluminum because it is light weight.
So do you think black is more durable? I'm going to buy One today so I might considering buying black instead if thats the case.
Btw usually stratches goes away when wiped properly. At least do on my black One S. Dents, however, stays forever.
muayyadf1 said:
Aluminum is a soft metal, unlike titanium or other harder metals. They chose aluminum because it is light weight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. But I'm hoping that maybe next year they make the switch to a harder metal like steel... The OPPO Find 5 allegedly has a steel frame construction. Sure it's heavy, but if they get the right look, whatever! Durability should be of more importance than weight..
Now if it does weigh too much, maybe implement the steel construction only around certain areas...
I'm aware this will pull up costs, but the device would be that much better!
Dharkan said:
So do you think black is more durable? I'm going to buy One today so I might considering buying black instead if thats the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's another thread about scuffs on the black edition. Maybe I've got too far... You can't see this if you're not looking for them, but to me they'll always be there.
I've seen multiple accounts of folks on here see through their black paint into the aluminum underneath.. You'd want to avoid that.. So I don't regret having the silver edition.
They both scratch the same amount, but the black shows more..
Good luck and I hope you enjoy your One just as much as I am!
Choose the device that also to you more! If you like the stealthy black, but that! But if you do, go for the Poetic Atmosphere case.. Looks pretty nice on the black variant.. The silver one.. Not so much.
Still going to look for a case, but it isn't my priority.. I'd rather keep the phone naked and enjoy the cool feel everyone I touch it in the morning!
Dharkan said:
Btw usually stratches goes away when wiped properly. At least do on my black One S. Dents, however, stays forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've wipes this, took a moist set of wipes below the actual holes, but nothing. There is a scratch, not a surface scratch, it's slightly deeper.
100% sure this ain't going away.. But i haven't lost all hope! As this phone e grows in popularity, some ebay sellers will manage to get their hands on some grills and they should be replaced rather easily since they're in there only via an adhesive. Would have been more ticked off if it was on the screen, on the chamfered edge off of the back, or even on the back itself..
Here's hoping the grills are replaceable and I can do something about it in maybe 6 months!
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
I had mine with no case for almost 1 week and not a single scratch
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
No idea what to say. I'm keeping it naked. Maybe this was from the factory.. I don't see how you can get a scratch from the bottom to the top of a grill without taking your phone out much...
Maybe I didn't notice this before, but i still am worried about the durability of the device. If pocketnow reports bad durability, then I've got no option but to go with a case. Right now i dont even know where these came from.. No sand in my room, no hard metals that would easily scratch anodized aluminum..
It really IS a mystery...
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
yes the part which worries me the most is the possibility of hardshell covers actuall doing damage as you attempt to place them
this is why HTC's own double flip / dip are actually a lot softer to install
this exactly why im sticking to slim transparent rubber covers
hamdir said:
yes the part which worries me the most is the possibility of hardshell covers actuall doing damage as you attempt to place them
this is why HTC's own double flip / dip are actually a lot softer to install
this exactly why im sticking to slim transparent rubber covers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me about it! When I bought snap on cases for my Atrix, the plastic around the phone was soo scuffed it actually looks nasty without a case. Definitely not making that mistake again!
I don't think tpu or hardshell plastic cases can really damage the aluminum bezel as aluminum is harder..
But it's still something I worry about and a case like the one you linked to is just perfect.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
WolfDale7 said:
Tell me about it! When I bought snap on cases for my Atrix, the plastic around the phone was soo scuffed it actually looks nasty without a case. Definitely not making that mistake again!
I don't think tpu or hardshell plastic cases can really damage the aluminum bezel as aluminum is harder..
But it's still something I worry about and a case like the one you linked to is just perfect.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not the aluminum i'm worried about
hamdir said:
it's not the aluminum i'm worried about
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh Crap. Overlooked that!
Wow..
Kay so time to look for a similar case to the one you've got
I want to keep the beauty of the HTC One visible while still protecting it from further scratches...
Everything over on the accessories forum doesn't really cut it go me :/...
I'll go to this mall that pretty much just sells phone cases and phones. Hopefully I find a store that has what I want for a reasonable price
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
WolfDale7 said:
I agree. I guess it's just that I'm bummed it happened so soon!
I'll learn to live with this. I don;t think I'm ready for a case just yet. The cases I've seen so far don't look too good and add way too much bulk. The slimmer ones don't cover the top and bottom chamfered edges...
I'll keep looking. I do have full body screen protection, except it only covers the screen itself and the rear of the device. Speaker grills (understandably) are left to be in the open
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the thinnest, plastic case around. does not add bulk like otter cases do. you should check it out...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Platinu...&st=platinum series case htc one m7&cp=1&lp=1
Also, it's aluminum. Whoever thinks aluminum, a softer metal, won't scratch, is lying to themselves.
hamdir said:
yes the part which worries me the most is the possibility of hardshell covers actuall doing damage as you attempt to place them
this is why HTC's own double flip / dip are actually a lot softer to install
this exactly why im sticking to slim transparent rubber covers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel you but the cheap TPU's will scratch phones too. Only cases I have found to never ever scratch a phone are Otterbox has a combo silicone tpu which is very soft and nonabrasive unlike normal tpu. Capdase Aluminum cases they are soft touch silicone on the inside will never ever scratch. And last my old friend Incipio their double layer cases have a soft touch silicone also that will not scratch the phone.
nullkill said:
I feel you but the cheap TPU's will scratch phones too. Only cases I have found to never ever scratch a phone are Otterbox has a combo silicone tpu which is very soft and nonabrasive unlike normal tpu. Capdase Aluminum cases they are soft touch silicone on the inside will never ever scratch. And last my old friend Incipio their double layer cases have a soft touch silicone also that will not scratch the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how will a rubbery cover scratch it? you mean if it falls?
hamdir said:
how will a rubbery cover scratch it? you mean if it falls?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No TPU is not rubbery its more like flexible hard plastic. If the case fits well the TPU material will scratch the phone from taking it off putting it back too much. If anything get in between the phone and the case game over it's almost worse than naked. It's sold as rubber like or soft but I have 20 different TPU cases and all are the same crap. Otterbox and the others I mentioned use silicone which is like a soft rubber. TPU is a cheap is injected crappy material that is why you will find cases as low as $5 or lower.

Painted bezel / Zero-gap: Like? Dislike? Scrape it off?

The Moto X has an interesting glass front. The glass actually covers the entire face and "wraps" around the sides of the phone to the equator of the entire phone. This was commonly referred to as the "zero-gap" or "magic-glass" technology when I was first reading about the phone.
The bezel that we have appears to be painted onto the glass itself. Especially for people like me with the white face, the painted bezel effect really shows off a rather unsightly vertical gap between the painted bezel and the surface of the digitizer, which rests about .5 mm under the glass itself.
I wonder what the glass looks like under the painted bezel. If it was scraped off, do you think it would just be smooth glass enveloping the front of the phone? If so, I wonder why Motorola felt the need to paint the bezel on. That painted bezel looks really cheap to me.
I read rumors that it was wrap around glass but I really don't believe that to be the case - when tapping on it with a metal object, the "wrap around" area sounds distinctly plastic and on the top, you can actually see a distinct area where the plastic is taller than the glass that meets it.
It would be a lot more expensive to create a wrap-around glass piece than it would be to simply do some good plastic forming create tight bezels. I don't think it's glass at all - it's just plastic that's assembled with the glass to some tight tolerances.
Look here:
https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/KidY6tB4P22vESDH.huge
Looks/sounds/feels like plastic to me.
binary visions said:
I read rumors that it was wrap around glass but I really don't believe that to be the case - when tapping on it with a metal object, the "wrap around" area sounds distinctly plastic and on the top, you can actually see a distinct area where the plastic is taller than the glass that meets it.
It would be a lot more expensive to create a wrap-around glass piece than it would be to simply do some good plastic forming create tight bezels. I don't think it's glass at all - it's just plastic that's assembled with the glass to some tight tolerances.
Look here:
https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/KidY6tB4P22vESDH.huge
Looks/sounds/feels like plastic to me.
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I disagree. While the teardown picture shows what appears to be plastic, there appears to be an additional layer of something covering the outer rim. Check the bottom right (and even bottom left) corner(s) shown in the picture. In the alternative, the "wrapped" portion of the glass simply doesn't go as far as the equator.
I'm virtually certain there is some "wrapping" going on, largely due to the fact that I'm dealing with a white face. I will stake my life on the fact that there is no horizontal meeting between the glass and the bezel (on the flat portion of the face). I can actually see under the painted bezel and see no leading edge of plastic. The glass just goes until I can't see any further. I agree with you that it sounds like plastic when tapped with metal (I just tested it myself), but that can be easily explained by the mere fact that it is painted with some plastic-like substance.
Finally, I think your statement that the bezel is raised only supports the idea that the bezel is painted atop the surface of the glass. If it weren't, you could theoretically have it be level with the glass, though not necessarily. I really wish someone's teardown would show a close picture of the glass.
its not painted glass or wrap around glass. its a plastic bezel. i know becasue i can lift mine up with my fingernail
I have a white front too. At first I was too a bit angry about that shadow where glass touches the plastic/color, but I learned to live with it I don't really think it is just color. Maybe it's some really thin plastic bezel on top of the glass, but certainly not color. Try to look at some crashtests of Moto X. If you look at damaged bezel, you can see it's not just color but something more solid
eyc said:
I agree with you that it sounds like plastic when tapped with metal (I just tested it myself), but that can be easily explained by the mere fact that it is painted with some plastic-like substance.
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No, it wouldn't. Painting a glass surface with plastic doesn't make it resonate like plastic. Especially not at the thin layers we're talking about.
Finally, I think your statement that the bezel is raised only supports the idea that the bezel is painted atop the surface of the glass.
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To raise that tiny little piece of bevel on the top and bottom of the phone, and do all of this wrapping, would be very expensive since it would be pretty sophisticated forming, and from an engineering standpoint, it's a bad idea.
I'd lay money on it being plastic. Easy test, though - go ahead and scrape off your paint and we'll see. I'm not going to do it on mine, though, since it's plastic and will look like hell after that
murso74 said:
its not painted glass or wrap around glass. its a plastic bezel. i know becasue i can lift mine up with my fingernail
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Well, then. I stand corrected. What do you see when you lift it up? Does the glass extend a tad past the plastic bezel? I guess the plastic bezel is just really thin and tapers off into paper-thinness at the very edge where you see the glass.
eyc said:
Well, then. I stand corrected. What do you see when you lift it up? Does the glass extend a tad past the plastic bezel? I guess the plastic bezel is just really thin and tapers off into paper-thinness at the very edge where you see the glass.
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Honestly I can't really tell... Seems like plastic. I can slip my thumb nail between the side glasss and the plastic bezel, but I don't really want to pull to hard. I've been meaning to call moto about a replacement
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This was one of their marketing things at launch it's zero gap where they "fused" the plastic bezel to the glass for that zero gap feel. The problem is that the bezel doesn't come all the way to the edge of the display so it does create an odd line. This is far more obvious on white than black on black it can only really been seen in direct sunlight.
"Motorola’s unique materials story continues on the front with a fused glass-plastic layer. The front glass and touch panel are fused into the plastic lip which rings the top side of the Moto X. They’re not separate parts, but literally fused together into one. Motorola is very proud of this feature since it results in one unbroken surface instead of the usual pressure-fit plastic ring affair with a raised section or gap."
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7235/moto-x-review
It's plastic. I'm actually quite surprised it's being debated.
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