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I went to a Best Buy yesterday to check out the 17 Pro Max and they were also scratched and the scratches would not come off when rubbing. Even with a case, the camera area is still exposed and yes, as someone that carries their phone in their pocket with other things this is a concern of mine. My 15 Pro Max doesn't have any scratches on it.

I know how I get about scratches on new devices and I don't even want to cause myself any unnecessary annoyance with the 17 pro max.

It is just disappointing to see people try to explain why this isn't an issue. Perhaps this wasn't the best design choice for Apple - but these devices being scratched on day one is VERY concerning.
Yup, I went to the Apple Store this morning and this was exactly what I saw too.
 
What I am loving here in this thread so far:

  1. A days old iPhone's paint chipping away
  2. On an iPhone Apple designed no one asked for
  3. An iPhone Apple made thin (but bigggg) and put the worse battery in it while pricing it much higher than the base phone which is actually more powerful
  4. It was so absurd that they audaciously released a battery pack just for this iPhone
  5. ….and ..and people are still bought it
On top of that, people here are saying:

...Oh that's why I am not buying that colour...

So in a way:

Some are saying: .. it's your fault i.e the classic "you are holding it wrong".
Some: .. but it's gonna be in a case anyway.
Some: .. must be your fault, you would have done something to it.

Those people never said - Apple sold them a pathetic phone (and not just the software) :D
Many people voiced their opinion Apple should just give us the opportunity to buy a thicker phone with better battery and heat management…
Many might not like the design, but it is what it is.
 
I would take the trade-off of scratches but the phone screen and internals are still operational. Also, I don't think you can return or exchange for minor cosmetic damage.

See this drop test video, where yes, the phone gets scratches but survives way longer than last year's 16 pro model.

 
I would take the trade-off of scratches but the phone screen and internals are still operational. Also, I don't think you can return or exchange for minor cosmetic damage.

See this drop test video, where yes, the phone gets scratches but survives way longer than last year's 16 pro model.

I appreciate these drop test - however in all the years of having an iPhone, I have never had a broken screen.
 
Nope. I’ve had it for 8 hours. I’ve barely transferred the data over to it lol

Well..... I think you have reason to have it exchanged if the phone came straight out of the box that way. People hating on you in this thread accusing you of dropping your phone can say what they want. But I'd be damned if I'm going to keep a $1000+ phone that came damaged out of the box.

Screw that sh*t. I paid full price for something it better be in 100% perfect shape. Some people might settle for less but I ain't one of them.
 
I’m picking up my blue Pro today. I put all my phones in a case. Can someone explain how you can feel this phone is less premium when you hold it in the hand? I remember people thought the iPhone 5 felt less premium because it was much lighter than the 4 (about 25g) but the 17 Pro is heavier than the 16 Pro.
 
Just a case rubbing the sides will scratch it. Go look at the sides in a week with flashlight. 🤣
I kind of feel this way too - and I can see the post next year, people posting their scratched phones asking if they think they will get their full trade in value.
 
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I appreciate these drop test - however in all the years of having an iPhone, I have never had a broken screen.

The big difference is that you won’t be able to replace the back of the iPhone 17 Pro. Once it gets a big dent in it, you’ll have the pleasure of dealing with it for the life of the phone. I think the phone is now much less repairable. Replaceable black glass and camera island is much better for repairability.
 
I’m really thinking this is why we have no black phone. There are black dummy units, there’s always been black, so many case makers were showing their cases with black phones. Maybe it was an educated guess as it’s previous been the first colour on the team sheet, but I wonder if it’s because it was even more susceptible to marking, so got dropped late on in the process?
 
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Every year.

Yes an aluminum anodized finish is not going to hold up to scratches and chips like natural full titanium edges. No surprise there. Anodized, and other coatings on Ti don't hold as well to general wear, and scratches either. Just ask AWU owners of the black finish. Its probably a big reason they don't offer a lot of black phone options. Its shows scratches worse than any other color.
 
The big difference is that you won’t be able to replace the back of the iPhone 17 Pro. Once it gets a big dent in it, you’ll have the pleasure of dealing with it for the life of the phone. I think the phone is now much less repairable. Replaceable black glass and camera island is much better for repairability.

Most people will never pay to have just the glass replaced. If you make an apple care claim, they don't replace just the back glass they replace the whole phone. Have you seen the repair to replace the back? They have to chip out all the pieces, bit by bit, prep and glue and all kinds of stuff. The only thing that a replaceable back does, is allows some more options for second hand refurbish shops.... This is a non issue for 95% of the market.
 
It is just disappointing to see people try to explain why this isn't an issue. Perhaps this wasn't the best design choice for Apple - but these devices being scratched on day one is VERY concerning.
We aren't saying it isn't an issue. It sucks that a new product that costs over a thousand dollars minimum is getting damaged. The point I was trying to make is that it isn't unusual given the materials. People need to adjust their expectations. I wish they still used steel from the iPhone X-12 Pro as it felt far more durable and "premium". Anyway, the issues i'm seeing are:
  • Previous iPhones didn't have this problem
    • Yes, they did. Look at the iPhone 5 Slate black model that was such a disaster they went to Space Grey for a years. Look at the iPhone 7 black and jet black polished models.
  • Previous Apple products didn't have this problem
    • Titanium Powerbook paint failures, iPod Classic steel back scratching the second you touch it, Apple Watch aluminum case damage, Black Macbook Pro scratches and blemishes out of the box, etc. As long as Apple has used metal housings, especially vibrant anodized aluminum, they have been beautiful out of the box and get damaged if you breathe on them.
  • It shouldn't get damaged so easily if you drop it
    • It's a heavy aluminum bodied phone. I don't know what you expected.
  • It isn't anodized, it's painted (or something)
    • Everything points to it being anodized, including Apple. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. What proof of this is there?
 
Love the phone so far, but I will definitely keep it in a case since the body is so fragile, I wonder if they will go back to titanium or stainless steel in the future since reviewers are making such a big deal about how easy this scratches and dents...
 
So
Most people will never pay to have just the glass replaced. If you make an apple care claim, they don't replace just the back glass they replace the whole phone. Have you seen the repair to replace the back? They have to chip out all the pieces, bit by bit, prep and glue and all kinds of stuff. The only thing that a replaceable back does, is allows some more options for second hand refurbish shops.... This is a non issue for 95% of the market.
So in essence the 17 pro max is much less repairable than the 16 PM? Didn’t Apple make the 16 PM easier to repair?
 
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