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Indeed, I am surprised some still MagSafe charge judging by how hot it makes the phone. I used MagSafe for the iPhone 12 and my battery health plummeted. Unsure whether it was definitely related but the 2 iPhones I have had since have been plugged in to charge and the problem hasn't reoccured. The only thing I use MagSafe for now is the holder on the dashboard of my car. No way I'm adding unnecessary heat to the internals of my iPhone.
I solely charge my iPhone 16 Pro Max, using MagSafe, on a nightly basis (Cycle count 245) and over 12 months, battery health has remained at 100%, dropped to 99% last week when I updated to iOS 26. On the other hand, my 15 Pro Max dropped to something like 93% over 12 months with the exact same charging behaviour on my part.
 
It's not like Apple haven't been using Aluminium in their iPhones since the iPhone 5 though, its not suddenly a return to the old days. The standard iPhones are aluminium every year and I haven't seen threads full of complaints about the issue. I will say the Pro's do not feel as refined in the hand this year, but in reality, don't the vast majority of users use cases anyway? I know some will come here and give a personal account of how they never use cases bla bla bla, but most do, so dents and scratches are less of an issue on the whole. My iPhone 16 Pro Max has a body made from aluminium with a very thin titanium frame around the outer edge. My only complaint about the new Pro's is the fact Apple have used aluminium around the camera lenses, when they could have used titanium rings there to add a layer of durability. There has already been reports of chipping here on the coloured Pro's. Hopefully they address that with the 18 Pro's.
They also had iPods with polished back that scratched like crazy from merely looking at them. You are supposed to be learning from all those past mistakes rather than repeat them though lol

iPhone 5 had issues with frame getting twisted, dents were a problem as well - less significant one due to small form factor and low weight but a problem nevertheless.
 
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Because different use cases means different priorities. MacBook processors are larger and produce more heat so concern about dissipation makes way more sense over a smaller pocket sized iPhone.

iPad Pro’s do feel very cheap in comparison to other apple products. They’re way too light for their size which makes them feel hollow.
What? iPhones aren’t much less powerful than MacBooks and are in chassis that are 5-6 times smaller.

Heat dissipation is much more important on the iPhone than it is on the MacBook!
 
The 17 Pro feels far less premium than the 16 Pro but is far more durable.

I reckon that’s a fair trade off.
Huh? I'm not really sure how you can call 17Pro durable anymore to be honest. Chipping paint, back glass very odd scratches (HOW?), edges getting messed up after a single drop. Yeah... not sure at all.
 
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Huh? I'm not really sure how you can call 17Pro durable anymore to be honest. Chipping paint, edges getting messed up after a single drop. Yeah... not sure at all.
Eh? Did you watch any of the drop test videos? The 16 Pro ends up completely destroyed at waist height drops while the 17 Pro requires drops at neck height to end up with critical damage.

I agree that the 17 Pro picks up bumps and scuffs (cosmetic damage) easier than the 16 Pro does.

I will be using a case anyway, like I always do, so the material the device is made of matters little to me.
 
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Eh? Did you watch any of the drop test videos? The 16 Pro ends up completely destroyed at waist height drops while the 17 Pro requires drops at neck height to end up with critical damage.

I agree that the 17 Pro picks up bumps and scuffs (cosmetic damage) easier than the 16 Pro does.

I will be using a case anyway, like I always do, so the material the device is made of matters little to me.
New glass is more resistant to cracking - yes. But everything around that glass is way less durable. I don't use any cases but I do have insurance (didn't need to use it yet). If I had 17Pro every single corner of it wouldn't be round anymore with it remaining functional enough (no cracked glass/screen) to deny any insurance claim 😂
 
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I don't understand so much criticism of aluminum, nor that it was plastic now.

Do normal iPhone frames not scratch if they do what they are doing to the iPhone 17 Pro? Aren't they dented? My partner and I have two iPhone 15 Pro Maxs and mine being white has scratches of use and that of my partner, who is black, has a part that "skipped the paint" on the frame.

I don't notice that there is an appreciable difference to the touch between titanium and aluminum. The steel felt more premium, but it's very heavy. A 2000-euro iPad Pro is aluminum, and I don't think people will complain that it's not premium.

The MacBooks 20 years ago were made of titanium and are now made of aluminum for decades, is there any significant difference?
 
New glass is more resistant to cracking - yes. But everything around that glass is way less durable. I don't use any cases but I do have insurance (didn't need to use it yet). If I had 17Pro every single corner of it wouldn't be round anymore with it remaining functional enough to deny any insurance claim 😂
That's probably Apple's aim. It'll be very difficult to meet the criteria for a replacement/repair via AppleCare+ as the 17 Pro is so durable and resistant to critical damage. I guess the 17 Pro is for case users and the Air is for non-case users. The 17 Pro isn't a particularly good looking phone anyway, I believe that using a case enhances its appearance.
 
Walked into the Apple Store and every Orange/Blue 17 Pro Max on display was already scratched up with MagSafe rings. I got the Silver, and honestly, the Pro feels ridiculously cheap in hand. This is the first iPhone Pro that doesn’t feel like a Pro at all. On top of that, Apple’s marketing is completely misleading they hype it as some kind of ‘invincible’ phone, but the reality couldn’t be further from that. Totally disappointed this year
Saw a phone that was ridiculously scratched up, bought it anyway.

Isn’t this on you OP lol
 
I don't understand so much criticism of aluminum, nor that it was plastic now.

Do normal iPhone frames not scratch if they do what they are doing to the iPhone 17 Pro? Aren't they dented? My partner and I have two iPhone 15 Pro Maxs and mine being white has scratches of use and that of my partner, who is black, has a part that "skipped the paint" on the frame.

I don't notice that there is an appreciable difference to the touch between titanium and aluminum. The steel felt more premium, but it's very heavy. A 2000-euro iPad Pro is aluminum, and I don't think people will complain that it's not premium.

The MacBooks 20 years ago were made of titanium and are now made of aluminum for decades, is there any significant difference?
The main thing is metal hardness. You would typically need a fairly substantial impact to chip paint from titanium rails. Drop on the concrete etc. With the same drop and aluminium, paint scuffing gonna be the least of your worries. Chassis deformation (significant dents altering the shape) and possibly even twisting will come into play. EAP got 17Pros bent from drop testing alone:
 
I don’t think the 17 Pros look or feel “cheap”, but the design is not pleasant to me. Whilst they don’t look cheap they also don’t look premium like the last several generations back to the X.

Part of that is the switch to aluminium, as well as the colour and finishing choices of said aluminium. Additionally, the back now has a lot more metal and a lot less glass. The cutout doesn’t look nice to me, and the choice to have such massive contrast in tone between the metal and glass makes it stand out too much. Then you’ve got the camera plateau also all in aluminium - it’s a bit too in your face compared to the prior generations having glass. Overall, the design is just not pleasant to me.

All that said, the 17 Pros are a major shift with going to unibody construction, and I think that’s a great engineering choice they’ve made both for rigidity and heat (along with the change back to aluminium). Apple have made the Pro line more “pro” and less premium. Like others have posited, I don’t think they’ll be walking back from a unibody form anytime soon, but I’m sure they’ll look to evolve/improve the design over time. Maybe next year the aluminium will be polished with the glass back plate having less contrast with the metal. Maybe they’ll have the plateau extend to the top and side edges along with the glass cutout for a more seamless look. We’ll have to wait and see.
 
It’s certain that titanium will return next year. There’s no way the 18 will have this cheap aluminum
It won't. The aluminium is fine, it's a strong enough material it seems the coating is the issue and how it's applied.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to make the same unibody design with titanium? It's fine in a straight line but curves are not easy.
 
I like how they have rounded off the edges, but the Max feels slippery in my hand.
I always have a case anyway and I will be collecting a silicone case this evening.

BTW I had considered the Techwoven case, but the estimated collection date yesterday was 28 Oct.
 
Glad there’s someone out there that doesn’t think I’m crazy haha. Every iPhone I have had since MagSafe was announced, would develop rings on them where the charger sat. It would happen just over night. You’d be able to wipe it off, at first at least. One trick I found works for whatever reason…I use an anker MagSafe having stand that I have confirmed in the past still leaves the marks…I covered the surface of the charger with a layer of duct tape, and now it doesn’t leave marks anymore.

This is super confusing to me, as I almost exclusively charge via MagSafe and my 15 Pro that I've had for 2 years until the Air came out looks flawless. No 'burn' rings on the back from wireless charging, or any real damage other than a few pin prick dings around the edge where the glass meets the case from a couple times it slid out of my pocket in the car and went under the seat. This thread is also the first time I've even seen anyone suggest this.
 
Running a 15PM right now and was considering upgrading to a 17PM. Went to the Store and agree that the new generation feels “cheaper” re materials used.
Walked out and will keep my 15PM another year.
 
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New glass is more resistant to cracking - yes. But everything around that glass is way less durable. I don't use any cases but I do have insurance (didn't need to use it yet). If I had 17Pro every single corner of it wouldn't be round anymore with it remaining functional enough (no cracked glass/screen) to deny any insurance claim

You hit the nail there. This is also Apple’s way to stop having to repair phones. I have a feeling many people will be told that it’s “just cosmetic”, and their AppleCare claims will get denied. The unibody design has made it now where there will be no way to repair anything about the external of the phone. This will also probably drive up Apple’s profits from AppleCare.

Some people just don’t care how beat up their things look. My wife wore a pair of glasses for years that had a scratch in the middle of a lens. That would have made me insane! She didn’t care at all. If you’re bothered by things looking scratched, dented, scraped, aluminum is a worse material. If you just care that your phone still functions, looks aside, I guess these drop tests might be a good thing for you.

I, for one, have loved the steel and titanium frames since the X. I don’t care if the titanium was a thin band on the shell. Titanium is still stronger than aluminum and doesn’t dent or gauge like aluminum.
 
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