It feels like a lifetime ago. 2017. Phil Schiller stood on stage at the Steve Jobs Theater and showed us the future of the smartphone. But honestly, while everyone was obsessing over the notch and the death of the home button, the real story was happening on the flip side. iPhone X the back wasn't just a design choice; it was a massive technical gamble that redefined how we hold, charge, and—all too often—break our devices.
Glass. Pure, polished glass.
Apple hadn't used a full glass back since the iPhone 4s, and going back to it was a polarizing move. It looked stunning. It felt premium. It also became a magnet for fingerprints and a nightmare for anyone prone to the "dropsies."
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The engineering behind the iPhone X the back panel
Why go back to glass after years of durable, matte aluminum? One word: induction. You basically can't do wireless charging through metal. Aluminum acts as a shield, blocking the electromagnetic fields needed to juice up your battery. So, if Apple wanted to join the Qi wireless charging party, they had to ditch the metal shells of the iPhone 6 and 7 eras.
The construction of the iPhone X the back was surprisingly complex. It wasn't just a sheet of glass glued onto a frame. Apple used a strengthening layer that was, at the time, touted as the most durable glass ever in a smartphone. They reinforced it with a laser-welded steel and copper structure. It was dense. You could feel that weight immediately. It made the phone feel like a solid jewel rather than a hollow piece of tech.
Seven layers of color
People forget that getting the "Space Gray" and "Silver" to look right through glass is incredibly hard. Apple used a seven-layer color process. This gave the back a depth that metallic paint couldn't match. In certain lighting, the Silver model looks almost like ceramic, while the Space Gray shifts from a deep charcoal to a misty obsidian. It’s subtle. It's purposeful. It’s very Apple.
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Here is the kicker. If you cracked that beautiful glass, you were in for a world of hurt. Because the iPhone X the back was fused to the internal frame with permanent cold glue and dozens of tiny welds, Apple couldn't just "swap" the glass. They had to replace the entire chassis.
If you didn't have AppleCare+, a cracked back cost about $549 to fix. That was more than the price of a brand-new iPhone 8 at the time! It was an absolute PR nightmare. You'd see people walking around with shattered spiderwebs on the back of their $1,000 phones because they couldn't justify spending half a grand on a cosmetic fix. This led to a massive boom in the third-party repair industry, specifically for "laser back glass removal" machines that could burn away the adhesive without melting the internals.
- The glass is brittle compared to the 7000 series aluminum used previously.
- The camera bump is integrated into the glass structure, making it a point of tension.
- Cold-press glue makes DIY repair almost impossible for the average person.
That iconic vertical camera bump
We have to talk about the orientation. Before the iPhone X, the dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus were horizontal. With the iPhone X the back, everything went vertical.
Why? It wasn't just to look different. It was a space constraint. The top of the phone was packed with the "TrueDepth" sensor array (the notch tech). To fit the front-facing sensors, the rear camera module had to be flipped vertically and pushed to the corner. This "traffic light" design became the visual shorthand for a premium iPhone for years. Even today, if you see a vertical dual-lens setup, your brain instantly thinks "iPhone X."
It also made the phone wobble like crazy on a table. If you're a "naked" phone user—someone who refuses to use a case—you know the pain of trying to text while the phone is laying flat. It’s annoying. It’s the price you pay for that glass aesthetic.
How it holds up in 2026
Surprisingly well, actually. Even in 2026, the iPhone X still looks modern. While the screen technology has moved on to ProMotion and higher brightness levels, the physical design of the iPhone X the back set the template for the iPhone 12, 13, and beyond. We are back to flat edges now, sure, but the glass-and-steel sandwich is still the gold standard for flagship phones.
If you’re looking at a used one today, you've gotta check the edges where the glass meets the stainless steel. Dust gets trapped in there. Over time, that dust acts like sandpaper, scratching the finish from the inside out. Also, check for "delamination," where the color layers start to peel away from the glass. It’s rare, but it happens on older units that have seen a lot of heat.
A note on heat dissipation
Glass is a terrible thermal conductor. Compared to the old aluminum phones, the iPhone X gets hot. Fast. If you're gaming or filming 4K video, the glass back holds onto that heat, which can lead to thermal throttling. It’s one of the reasons why modern iPhones have such massive internal cooling plates now—they had to compensate for the insulating properties of that pretty glass.
Practical steps for iPhone X owners
If you are still rocking an iPhone X, or if you just picked one up for the nostalgia, there are a few things you should do to keep that back panel pristine.
First, ignore the "9H Hardness" screen protector claims for the back. Most of them don't fit right because of the slight curve at the edges of the iPhone X the back. Instead, look for a high-quality TPU skin or a slim case that has a microfiber lining. The lining is crucial because it prevents grit from rubbing against the glass.
Second, if you do break it, don't go to Apple. At this point in 2026, the phone isn't worth a $500 repair. Find a local shop that uses a fiber laser for back glass removal. They can usually swap the glass for under $100. It won't be "official," and it might lose its water resistance, but it beats having glass shards in your palm.
Third, clean the camera bezel with a wooden toothpick. The vertical bump on the back is a magnet for lint. Don't use metal, or you'll scratch the sapphire crystal lens covers.
The iPhone X was a turning point. It ended the era of "utilitarian" metal phones and started the era of "luxury" glass slabs. Whether that was a good thing for our wallets is up for debate, but there's no denying that the iPhone X the back is one of the most influential pieces of industrial design in the last decade. It’s fragile, expensive, and beautiful—the ultimate Apple trifecta.
To maintain the value of an iPhone X, treat the back glass with more care than the screen. Screens are easy to swap; the back is part of the soul (and the skeleton) of the device. Keep it covered, keep it clean, and maybe don't use it as a coaster for your coffee. It’s a piece of history, after all.