The iPhone's glass back is heavy, fragile, and ruins otherwise great colors. So why does Apple keep making them?
I Hate Doing This Repair – iPhone 11 Back Glass Replacement – This Phone Is Back For Repair
In the early years, the back of the iPhone was made of aluminum and plastic. Then came the iPhone 4, with its steel bezel and glass back, which set the standard for today’s heavy, fragile iPhones. Apple saw this with the iPhone 5, 6, and 7, which were made of light, thin, sturdy aluminum, but since the iPhone 8, we’ve had to live with this nonsense.
The biggest problem with glass is that it’s fragile. If your iPhone screen cracks, you’ll see and feel it every time you use your phone. If the back cracks, you can just tape it up and ignore it, or put your iPhone in a case. But wouldn’t it be better if it didn’t break at all?
Replacing a glass back panel is also tricky. Depending on the iPhone model, you may have to completely disassemble it to get to the back (unless you have access to a special Back Glass Separator machine).
