Does the new iPhone 5 from Apple get damaged by merely handling it? Well, no one is quite clear about this, and we will only know for sure when people have used this phone for at least two years.

The issue potentially lies in the phone’s case made of anodized aluminum. The main advantage is quite obviously the lightweight; however, when the anodizing wears off, it can cause issues of a cosmetic nature.

iPhone 5 Aluminum Case

In aluminum, you will not find the same rusting process as in iron. When iron rusts, the oxidized layer that forms on top falls off, and the rusting process starts for the layer underneath, and so on. In aluminum the oxidized layer does not fall off, which prevents the layer underneath from being oxidized. The fact is aluminum does rust, but the “rusting” stops with the initial layer.

The process of anodizing deliberately increases the oxidized layer, by about twenty to forty factors. This provides underlying layers much better protection from rust. However, my suspicion is that the iPhone 5 has been anodized to make the dying process easy, so that any color can be given to the phone. If aluminum is not anodized, you will be left with the natural aluminum color. Dying is only possible when the surface of aluminum is anodized.

It is however important to note that anodized layer can wear off in environments that are highly alkaline or acidic. According to industry experts, ph values in range of five and nine do not have much effect. However, going beyond this range, the wear will start, but nobody is sure how much.

Safely Handling the iPhone 5

The point to note is you get a ph range of 4.5 to 5.5 in human sweat. This being the case, the dyed layer of your iPhone 5 has a chance of wearing off when you handle your phone.

There are different common items that have anodized aluminum on them from laptops to frying pans. However, experts feel that none of them would be handled like a phone, and constantly exposed to human sweat. Therefore, the iPhone 5 will experience wear due to sweat, but the extent of wear is not yet clear.

After handling your iPhone 5 for a while, if you are aware that the exterior is getting worn out, you may be in need of repairs to ensure that the electronics are protected.  In this situation, don’t hesitate to contact professionals like iFixYouri who can determine how to fix any iPhone issue you face.