Apple responds to iPhone 17 Pro scratch and durability concerns

4 hours ago 1

It wouldn’t be a new iPhone launch without some drama. While the iPhone Air has impressed in all bend and scratch tests, some users have raised concerns over the durability of the iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum body.

I spoke to Apple about these concerns, and here’s what it said.

The “scratchgate” narrative first materialized in a Bloomberg story published on iPhone 17 launch day. The article highlighted several examples of wear and tear on iPhone 17 Pro demo units in Apple Stores and other retail partners. The marks were mostly contained to the back of the iPhone 17 Pro, especially around the MagSafe cutout.

Apple tells me it has determined these imperfections are caused by worn MagSafe stands used in some stores. It also clarifies that the marks aren’t scratches, but rather material transfer from the stand to the phone that is removable with cleaning. The company says it is working to address these problems at the stores, presumably by replacing the worn MagSafe stands. Other iPhones on display are also affected by this, including iPhone 16 models.

JerryRigEverything highlighted another durability concern in a video over the weekend. In his testing, he found that the raised edges around the camera plateau on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro are particularly susceptible to scratches. He explained that this is largely because Apple didn’t add a chamfer, fillet, or radius around the camera plateau.

Apple tells me that iPhone 17 Pro’s camera plateau edges have similar characteristics to the edges of the anodized aluminum cases on other Apple products, including other iPhone models and MacBooks. While those edges are durable and undergo Apple’s rigorous testing, the company says users may see normal wear and tear, including small abrasions, over time.

9to5Mac’s Take

Broadly speaking, however, the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 lineups have impressed in durability testing. For example, the iPhone Air is remarkably strong and will not bend under normal pressure despite its ultra-thin frame. Testing also shows that the Ceramic Shield 2 front cover on all four new iPhone models is significantly more scratch-resistant than before.

JerryRigEverything also found that the iPhone 17 Pro is impressively scratch-resistant outside of the camera plateau edges. This includes the body of the phones, which shouldn’t show any damage under normal usage, as well as the camera plateau itself. It’s just the edges of the camera plateau that are weaker.

When Apple announced the iPhone 17 lineup, it touted that the phones use a “lightweight aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminum alloy.” The anodization layer on the phones also exceeds industry standards for microhardness. Apple emphasizes that its products undergo rigorous durability tests during development, including scratch tests. The goal is to make sure the products withstand normal, real-life use.

I’d also encourage some skepticism when you see images of scratched or damaged iPhones on social media. I’ve seen multiple posts where the damage was clearly intentional, but the person tried to pass it off as normal use. I also don’t think demo units in Apple Stores are a great gauge of durability in general, as they are handled by hundreds, if not thousands, of shoppers every day.

Durability concerns aside, there are significant benefits to the new aluminum design of the iPhone 17 Pro. The phones have noticeably better thermal performance than prior iPhone models, which also leads to better efficiency and battery life. It’s also a unibody aluminum design, which, as I wrote in my full iPhone 17 Pro review, feels remarkable in the hand.

After two weeks of intense use, my iPhone 17 Pro (in cosmic) and my iPhone 17 Pro Max (in deep blue) both look as good as new — and I’ve been going case-less the vast majority of the time. What about you? Let us know down in the comments.

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