What Is Ceramic Shield?
By WillItSnap Team · March 2026
Apple's proprietary screen material infused with ceramic crystals for improved drop performance on iPhones.
What Is Ceramic Shield?
Ceramic Shield is Apple's proprietary front-cover material, developed in partnership with Corning. Introduced with the iPhone 12 in 2020, it infuses nano-ceramic crystals into the glass matrix, creating a material that is significantly harder and more drop-resistant than standard glass.
Apple claims Ceramic Shield provides 4x better drop performance than pre-iPhone 12 models. The ceramic crystals are smaller than the wavelength of light, so they do not affect display clarity or color accuracy.
How Ceramic Shield Compares to Gorilla Glass
| Property | Ceramic Shield | Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple + Corning | Corning |
| Used By | iPhones only (12+) | Samsung, Google, OnePlus, etc. |
| Drop Resistance | Excellent | Excellent |
| Scratch Resistance | Good (improved with gen 2) | Very good |
| Still Need Protector? | Yes (for scratches) | Yes (for scratches) |
Do You Need a Screen Protector with Ceramic Shield?
Yes, we recommend a screen protector even with Ceramic Shield. While Ceramic Shield excels at drop resistance, it can still be scratched by sand, quartz, and other hard particles. Micro-scratches accumulate over months of pocket carry and are visible under direct light.
Apple improved scratch resistance with the second-generation Ceramic Shield on iPhone 16, but tempered glass screen protectors remain the best way to keep your display pristine. They are inexpensive and easy to replace.
iPhones with Ceramic Shield (27)
Every iPhone from the iPhone 12 onward uses Ceramic Shield. We track 27 Ceramic Shield iPhones in our database:
- iPhone 16e (2025)
- iPhone 17 (2025)
- iPhone 17 Pro (2025)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max (2025)
- iPhone Air (2025)
- iPhone 16 (2024)
- iPhone 16 Plus (2024)
- iPhone 16 Pro (2024)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max (2024)
- iPhone 15 (2023)
- iPhone 15 Plus (2023)
- iPhone 15 Pro (2023)
- iPhone 15 Pro Max (2023)
- iPhone 14 (2022)
- iPhone 14 Plus (2022)
- iPhone 14 Pro (2022)
- iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022)
- iPhone SE (3rd gen) (2022)
- iPhone 13 (2021)
- iPhone 13 mini (2021)
- iPhone 13 Pro (2021)
- iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021)
- iPhone 12 (2020)
- iPhone 12 mini (2020)
- iPhone 12 Pro (2020)
- iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020)
- iPhone SE (2nd gen) (2020)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What iPhones have Ceramic Shield?
Every iPhone from the iPhone 12 onward has Ceramic Shield, including the iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 series along with all their Pro, Pro Max, Plus, and Mini variants.
Is Ceramic Shield better than Gorilla Glass?
In drop tests, Ceramic Shield and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 perform similarly. Ceramic Shield may have a slight edge for face-down drops due to the ceramic crystal infusion. For scratch resistance, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 historically performed slightly better, though Apple improved this with the second-generation Ceramic Shield.
Can Ceramic Shield get scratched?
Yes. Ceramic Shield scratches at around the same Mohs hardness level as Gorilla Glass (6-7). Sand, quartz, and certain minerals will leave micro-scratches. A screen protector is still recommended.
Does the iPhone back also use Ceramic Shield?
No. Ceramic Shield is only used on the front display. The back of most recent iPhones uses a form of toughened glass, and the camera lens covers use sapphire crystal.
Will a Gorilla Glass screen protector work on Ceramic Shield?
Screen protectors are cut to phone dimensions, not glass type. Any tempered glass screen protector made for your specific iPhone model will work perfectly over Ceramic Shield.