iPhone 5C may be coated in Apple-owned LiquidMetal scratch-resistance tech

That plastic iPhone 5C may be tough as nails if a new leaked video is any evidence, pointing to use of LiquidMetal technology Apple acquired back in 2010.

CNET Australia's sister site ZDNet has spotted a report from Taiwan's Apple Daily that shows a rumoured iPhone 5C casing being tested for scratch resistance. It passes with flying colours, pointing to the possible use of a special scratch-resistant technology Apple acquired in 2010.

One test showed the iPhone 5C getting a casual pocket-drop test. The second, embedded below, shows the iPhone 5C being tossed into a bag of keys, screws, coins and other bits and pieces before being shaken like a Polaroid picture. Plus a little extra key scraping for good measure. The case emerged looking unscathed.

Apple has in the past had complaints over plastic casings with highly scratch-prone surfaces, most notably the original iPod Nano back in 2005.

Apple acquired a company named LiquidMetal three years ago this month, a company that had developed a new nitride-based coating, which, according to ZDNet, has twice the strength of titanium, but the workability of plastic.