The matte-black iPhone 7 is better than the jet-black one
Jet black, the shiny new premium finish for the 128 GB or 256 GB iPhone 7, appears to be Apple's choice as its new flagship color. It really is striking to look at. It's so reflective that you can literally see your reflection in it.
The new matte black color marks the return of a darker anodized aluminum variation of the iPhone. It's also an attractive option.
So, which one should you get?
I've been lucky enough to test both, and I have the only correct answer. Matte black is the best color for the iPhone 7.
Let's start with why not to get Jet Black though. First of all, it's a fingerprint magnet. The jet-black iPhone may look nice and shiny when you take it out of the box, but it becomes covered in smudges as soon as you touch it. In fact, Apple had workers buffing the jet-black iPhones clean during the demo portion of the iPhone 7 launch event last week.
Then there are the scratches. I haven't dropped my jet-black iPhone 7 once, but after just a week of keeping it on a table, in my pocket, or in my laptop bag, it's accumulated lots of scratches. If it's this bad after a few days, I can only imagine how many scratches this thing will have over its normal two-year lifespan.
Apple already warned customers about this. There's even a disclosure on Apple's website that says the jet-black iPhone could show scratches easily and recommends buying a case, which of course defeats the purpose of showing off your shiny new iPhone 7.
Apple also says the jet-black iPhone finish doesn't technically scratch easier than other iPhone finishes. It's just the shiny nature that makes it appear to have more scratches. Either way, it's going to be a bother for people who want to keep their iPhone 7 in pristine condition.
The matte-black option does scratch, but it's not as noticeable as it is on the jet-black finish. You also don't have to worry about fingerprint smudges ruining the look.
And to top it all off, matte-black just looks plain cool, like Batman's phone or something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie.
Matte-black is the best new color option for the iPhone 7. That's objectively true. It not only looks better, but it'll also last longer than the jet-black finish. All the attention may have been on jet black last week, but matte black is the real winner.