Matte Polycarbonate

[bartekxyz]

Hi, question to all owners of matte Lumia 920 phones. I bought my phone 4 days ago and today I noticed that polycarbonate shell has some sort of blotches, some places are more shiny. It looks like some parts got matte polished away. Or maybe it's just greasy? I tried cleaning whole back with glassess cleaning cloth moistened with alcohol but no dice. Is there any way to clean away that blotches or is that polycarbonate so soft that 4 days of carrying it in my pocket polished some parts so they are no longer matte?

 

[JammyGitz]

Yes it seems to be just rubbing or whatever will 'mark' the back in a way.

 

[rider2040]

I am having the same issue on my matte black 920. It definitely takes away from the premium looks of the phone.

 

[anon(5352752)]

Just started happening to mine now. 2 weeks of owning.
Not off putting as I don't look at the back of my phone xD

 

[independentvolume]

That sucks. IF you guys wanted glossy phones you would of bought them that way.

 

[jmerrey]

Did you try a soft, damp cloth followed up by a soft, dry cloth? That's what I used to use on my black 900 and it seemed to clean up the smudging that I got on a pretty regular basis.

 

[anon(5352752)]

I have a faint line on the side of my 920 now but as I hold the phone, I'm not that fussed about it. I don't look at the back of the phone

 

[LordGreylock]

I haven't had any issues, mine still looks new and hasn't had a case on it...

 

[SteveISU]

Its the oils in your hands, lotion, ect. Only way your gonna eliminate it is keep your hands clean.

 

[I Unquello]

I'd get this too on my matte black phone. Hot breath and a microfiber cloth have done the trick so far...

 

[rider2040]

I've tried water and alcohol, but nothing will remove the stains. Plus, I can see residue around the camera and LED from the stickers that were part of the packaging.

 

[lordofthereef]

Same with mine. It's in an interesting place though, about an inch under the camera.

FWIW I don't think these are stains guys... they are literally a polishing of the polycarbonate.

 

[akiman911]

they are stains... the finish attracts grease from fingers like magnets... have not figured a way to clean it but try to stain it uni-formally then it is less noticeable

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

They are not stains, after i notice them i ran to the AT&T store and bought a Zagg invisible shield full body. I told the guy to clean the phone very well before applying it and i emphasized and pointed at the "stains" and they didn't go away after he cleaned it. It's seems that the matte finish fades away. It happened to me one day after buying the phone

 

[bartekxyz]

Those can't be polishing of a polycarbonate as shape and placement of those "things" are strange. I have one straight line across device 1 inch from the bottom and one small blotch near it. Places which have barely any contact with other moving surfaces. Maybe hot water will clean it away

 

[Derausgewanderte]

Mine has one or two areas and you can actually clearly see them when you run a wet cloth over it. Any grease and moisture will bring them back over time. After cleaning nothing can be seen when dry. I believe its from injection molding process and alignment and density of the PC was probably not uniform. Also possible that black paint in the pc melt was not uniform. This is then transferred through the matte finish. 2 cents from a chemist.

it gives my phone my own personal character - there - it's a feature

 

[lordofthereef]

Does anyone know if this was an issue with the 900?

 

[m0unds]

this same stuff (contact patches) happens with computer keyboards and other plastic products with a matte finish that you also touch with your hands or fingers. if you wipe the body of the device with a microfiber cloth like you'd use for cleaning glasses (but not one you'd use for cleaning glasses, as it's probably slightly oily), it'd likely remove most of the shine. my matte cyan device is still matte cyan with no really noticeable fingerprints or anything after 10 days of ownership.

 

[lordofthereef]

this same stuff (contact patches) happens with computer keyboards and other plastic products with a matte finish that you also touch with your hands or fingers. if you wipe the body of the device with a microfiber cloth like you'd use for cleaning glasses (but not one you'd use for cleaning glasses, as it's probably slightly oily), it'd likely remove most of the shine. my matte cyan device is still matte cyan with no really noticeable fingerprints or anything after 10 days of ownership.

I think the difference here is the speed at which this is happening. To see it rub off in a matter of two weeks is a little disconcerting. And no, it doesn't just wipe off unfortunately. I've noticed this on two devices now, both in the same general area.

 

[Mr37]

Dang It, I waited two weeks for my Cyan 920, and now it's arriving tomorrow and I find out that it will start looking like two year old keyboard in matter of days .... NOW on top of soft daylight pictures, battery issues, housing separation on top side, bricking and rattling, I have to worry about this .... OOOoooo NOKIA :crying: WHY do I LOVE you so much ?