TechWoven: Apple's new functional fabric under the microscope
Apple's new leather replacement material resists stains and scratches better than its predecessor. However, the fun may be short-lived.
TechWoven in detail: Pixel-like look.
(Image: heise medien/Sebastian Trepesch)
FineWoven was a fiasco for Apple: the material for iPhone cases and other accessories disintegrated after a surprisingly short time, was susceptible to scratches, and quickly looked very ugly—despite high prices. Apple finally pulled the ripcord and (almost) discontinued the material. The successor has now appeared with the iPhone 17 models. It bears the name TechWoven, which Apple somewhat awkwardly calls functional fabric. The main question is: is this—also made of plastic—material now more durable than FineWoven? The answer is revealed by an initial closer examination by repair specialist iFixIt.
The good news
They examined the material under a microscope and also processed it with a knife. They also checked how well it handles stains and how abrasion-resistant it is. First the good news: the comparatively scratchy material, which is made up of a pattern of different threads of different colors, is generally more resistant than FineWoven. However, this is not only due to its structure but also to the fact that Apple uses a chemical coating.
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This ensures that drops cannot penetrate the material so easily. Even coffee stains could be removed in this way; some 90 percent isopropyl alcohol helped. Funnily enough, however, this did not (immediately) get rid of the coffee odor. Even oil stains did not penetrate the fabric at first and could be wiped away—with cleaning alcohol if necessary.
Expensive cover
However, the coating does not last forever. It resists coins or keys, as it is quite slippery. But if you scratch it with a knife, it can be penetrated—and even cut the threads. Liquid can then penetrate and stain the material permanently. However, it is unclear how quickly the coating will come off in everyday use. Also rather bad: According to iFixIt, the inside of the TechWoven cover—i.e., the area in which you insert the iPhone—has no coating. If something leaks in here, you won't see it at first, but it is still unsightly. The areas between the cover and the edges also appear to be less well protected.
All in all, it can be said that Apple has made TechWoven much more durable than FineWoven—but it is not a “leather substitute” like the latter material. The prices per case are also steep: a case costs 69 euros each, regardless of whether it is for the iPhone 17 Pro or 17 Pro Max.
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