I’m not sure if you’re responding to me or not here. While I agree that aluminum is a downgrade for the Pros, I don’t think daily MagSafe charging causes any permanent cosmetic damage to any of the iPhone models, now or in the past, from base to pro. So if the new pros are actually damaged by MagSafe, that’s new. But I suspect they aren’t, as they use Ceramic Shield 2 just like the other iPhone models on the back, and my experience with damage-less MagSafe was on “easier to scratch” variants of the treated glass.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 17 Pro Can’t believe Apple released an iPhone Pro that feels this cheap.
- Thread starter Ravox
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That’s exactly the point being made. They said that we should be satisfied with aluminum this year because Apple used aluminum 11 years ago in the iPhone 6. We aren’t allowed to think it’s cheap now because of what they used in that phone, and heck, even in the 1st gen iPhone.
Nobody minded the 1st gen iPhone having a home button. So by the same logic as above, and what I proposed to you, we should be happy with the iPhone 17 Pro having a home button.
The member was pointing out that aluminum wasn't seen as inferior but, now without any degradation to performance and handling, it is seen as such by the 17 crowd, even though they knew this months ago. Your reply here proves the point I have been making. A lot of people here are complaining just to complain. Same thing happens every year.
I am happy with my phone thus far. If that changes in less than 2 weeks, I will gladly return and either keep my 16PM or get another phone.
I also think many who are complaining won't return the 17 p/PM. They will just keep complying until next years hone when they can rinse and repeat.
I did.Nobody had an issue with iPhone 6/7 being made out of aluminum. Now it’s “cheap”
I was in Apple Store today to see and feel the new iPhones 17 pro and Air ..... but I was a little disappointed on the Pro models that feel's cheap compare to the Air model. To be honest the 6.5 (Air) feels more premium and comfortable in the hand.
What I heard about Pro models that scrachGate is on the move ....
What I heard about Pro models that scrachGate is on the move ....
I didn't move anything. People are complaining about the aluminum (just because) when the previous version had titanium. I think many of the pro / Pro Max crowd are having a hard time with their Apple egos because of all a sudden, the phone is feels and looks cheap, even though 90+% will have the phone covered with a case.
It's the same crap we read on here every year with the MBP. Same type arguments.
People are welcome to feel and think how they wish. I don't agree with the complaining here with cheap type rhetoric. It isn't worth my time to keep debating the matter further. We will agree to disagree.
For me, the most important question when considering features of a new “Pro” phone is: Does the new thing/change make the phone overall a more robust product?
When they switched from Stainless Steel to Titanium the answer was No. The titanium on the 15/16 Pro is just a <1mm layer fused to the outside of the outer band which is otherwise aluminum, fastened to the internal frame which is also aluminum. The change from steel bands saved weight, but that little sliver of titanium was basically a decorative veneer and not doing much for the structure of the phone.
The unibody frame in the 17 Pro is something never done in the iPhone. The entire body of the phone is milled from a single piece of metal. More structurally durable than any other way they’ve ever made an iPhone while also bringing huge benefits to the thermal design. It makes the phone much more robust overall. The only thing lost is the ‘exotic’ material label.
And no, they couldn’t do the unibody with titanium, the raw material alone would cost more than the phone itself. Steel would be too heavy. And in both cases, most of it would get milled away and both are much more difficult to recycle/reuse the waste than with aluminum.
If we were talking about a luxury car maker that made a change from using steel for a major component to aluminum because it brought major performance gains at the expense of a slight loss to cosmetic durability in the long run, would we still be having this argument?
It is more robust to bending, sure. But overall it’s more prone to damage of the metal. Have you seen the pictures of the corners of the 17 Pro being pushed in, even going as far as wrapping around the glass screen?
That’s because aluminum is highly malleable. It just crushes, think like an aluminum soda can.
The titanium phones (and stainless steel) did not do this. They’d get scratches/scuffs, but not indented.
There’s no freaking way they’ll stick with cheap aluminum! They would’ve ditched it in the new Air already. Titanium HAS to come back…
The 17 Pro has objectively better performance than the 15 Pro. This is not debatable. You do not have like the look of the 17 Pro, that is true, but it betters the performance of the 15 Pro in a number of areas.
As for the so called "premium feel" I am sure Apple, like many other people, have probably come to the sensible understanding that most people these days uses cases, or at the very least bumpers. So the feel of the phone loses most of its relevance. If you put your new iPhone in a case, the feel of titanium vs. aluminum becomes irrelevant, because you can no longer "feel" the phone - only the case.
We are already seeing widespread tests and reports that show the new iPhone 17 Pro is much more durable as it relates to drops, specifically as it pertains to protecting the screen from cracks and breakage than past Pro models. While that might not fit everyone's definition of durability, it will probably cover the vast majority of peoples definition.
Every design of engineering involves some tradeoffs. Apple wanted to make a more durable phone, that is bigger, yet lighter than it would have been with other materials such as stainless steel, that dissipates heat better, while be more powerful in terms of processing and GPU performance and yet still maintain the more mainstream definition of a Pro iPhone. I think they have, for the most part, accomplished that.
It's aluminium for a reason. It dissipates heat better, meaning the phone stays cooler and therefore less throttling and better performance. It's a Pro phone after all. It's the same direction Apple took with M1 MacBook Pro's, making it loads thicker than the previous intel generation. They did it for a reason. Better heat management, better battery life etc. Apple is doing the same thing with iPhone Pro's now. Performance over looks.
Last year's 16 Pro Max titanium can also be scratched just as easily as aluminum, FYI, but the hate mob ignores that. Same with the 15 Pro Max.
It's like a fever dream. Was I the only one here two years ago with the 15 Pro Max and everyone crapping on Apple for moving away from stainless steel and said titanium felt cheap. Also, remember the meltdowns over this video below? I would rather deal with a slight paint chip than an easily broken screen, back panel, or internals.
Why?
Of course it could, if a better way to cool the device is found. I'm sure you have a good design to share with Apple so they can get it done.
15 pro max here. Two years in no cracked front or back. So I want that same experience without chipped paint.
Same, I had a 15 Pro Max for two years and upgraded to the 17 Pro Max. My 15 Pro Max had no cracked front or back, and I had dropped it a few times over the two years I had it. Yet, at launch, when Jerry's video hit, everyone was saying similar things to what they are saying about the 17 Pro Max.
With cheap aluminum that scratches so easily, sales are bound to drop. Apple bring back proper materials very soon
I won't spend $1,000+ on an aluminum iPhone Pro after having stainless steel and titanium.
You keep saying that. They used it for a reason. You think they chose it to cheap out. They say it is to dissipate heat that can be a big problem for sensitive electronics. Back in the days when I supervised employees, I had a simple rule: if you have a complaint or criticism, bring with it a potential solution. Show some initiative of thinking beyond a complaint.
The vast majority of people who will own the phone will consider it a great device.
All of you bemoaning "cheap" aluminum don't realize it's been the stuff of aircraft for decades
