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Other iPhone 17 Pro Scratchgate

I'm still perplexed about this scratch gate. If it's the ceramic glass back, that's one thing, but on the aluminum itself that's suspect to me. Apple's had various dark anodized finishes over the years & I haven't seen any scratches on demo units in the store — sans an occasional tiny nick along the edge. I have the Deep Blue iPhone 17 Pro after years of my MacBooks being silver, so we'll see how it goes! And I don't like the MagSafe charging puck so I'm charging via USB-C.
 
Was speaking to a guy at the Apple store today about scratches on both the Air (Titanium) and the Pro (Aluminium).

Apparently the reason most of the store models look beat up is because people are constantly bringing two phones together to compare the size/thickness and literally pressing them together back to back (e.g. the Pro pressed against the Air).

Also, interestingly (and this only applies to the black Air), the Ceramic Shield on the back of the Air has a thin superficial coating which scratches easily - HOWEVER - if you wipe it over with a 70% isopropyl wipe it will remove pretty much all of the superficial scratches on the Ceramic Shield area. He showed me this himself and it did appear to work. Doesn't work with aluminium though.
 
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magicschoolbus said:
im enjoying my titanium phone
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What phone are you using?

Apple_Robert said:
There is no scratch gate. What is happening is a small vocal minority of iPhone users are obsessing over normal life events. Nothing new here, on Reddit, or elsewhere.
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Snot Rox said:
And it just becomes an echochamber, unfortunately.
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Isn't life an echochamber?

Apple_Robert said:
I agree with you that what we are seeing has happened before. If it is proven to be a defect, then I will stand with others and call on Apple to correct it forthwith.
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But you are saying there is no scratchgate (quoted above).

ddavid said:
Those “scratches” are from some clown using their keys on the back of the display models to scratch it, likely to post the resulting photos for clout. It looks to me like the brass of the key rubbing off on the harder glass, but either way, it’s intentional.
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If so, these clowns are organized globally and they have decided to take to Apple stores, and new iPhones specifically, on day one. Reporting from a small country in the EU.

Bethanie21 said:
And I’m enjoying my aluminium phone 😉
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And what phone are you using?

ozapple said:
I don’t think anyone is suggesting there is a manufacturing defect on the 17 series, merely that the quality of the coating is poor.
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Of course we are suggesting it's a manufacturing defect, how else would iPhones be scratched worldwide on day 1?

Besides, isn't poor coating a manufacturing defect?
 
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What has me paranoid is the exposed area around the camera bump. Most cases leave the unprotected. Feels like that will look awful after being in a box or setting the phone down repeatedly during normal use.
 
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TitleistGolfer said:
What has me paranoid is the exposed area around the camera bump. Most cases leave the unprotected. Feels like that will look awful after being in a box or setting the phone down repeatedly during normal use.
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There's already some glass "plateau" protectors on Aliexpress, bought some to have them when my phone arrives..., maybe you can also apply an skin on the camera bump, so you can protect it against any sharp objects...
 
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captrlp said:
Scratchgate 17
We know it’s coming…so I figured I’d get the thread started so users have a place to post photos of and “complain” about scratches in the new…”for heat dissipation” aluminum frame of the 17 Pro series!!😉…
Who knows, maybe Timmy will see the thread in a few days😜 when it’s loaded with photos and feedback…and he’ll spend an extra $1.56 on the 18 Pro series and use SS or titanium again🤷‍♂️
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It’s not a scratch gate, it’s aluminum. Find new purpose in life
 
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eckomania said:
I think people are getting way too focused on the aluminum on the 17 Pros when the Airs appear to have similar issues.

It doesn’t make any sense that the black iPhone Air is having the same scratch problems when it’s made out of titanium.

This appears to primarily be a coating issue and possibly an issue with the aluminum.
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While the aluminum seems by all accounts to be way less durable than the titanium band around the Air, or perhaps any prior aluminum iPhones, bear in mind that there are a lot more sharp angles and exposed surface area on the Pros. Also, as I've now stated repeatedly, this is a moot point as it's the rear Ceramic Shield shell of the Air (and MagSafe square on the Pros) that is the primary area exhibiting damage. There is no exposed titanium on the back of the Airs, just the thin polished band around the edge. I believe that the relatively less durable aluminum of which the Pros are constructed and whatever likely cheap anodization process Apple has employing (read: easier scratch- and chip-ability) is getting lumped in with the actual issue, the durability of the ceramic back on ALL new iPhones. The more I think about it, I'm starting to wonder if that's not why Apple made the rear shell of three out of four of the Air models white if not nearly white, in order to help mask whatever is happening when they're attached to MagSafe. What's more perplexing is why the Ceramic Shield back appears to scratch as if it were composed of the same anodized aluminum on the Pros, at least on the darker color phones, and why it does not seem to do so on the lighter options. This is all very confusing.
 
ISignedUpToAskThis said:
Was speaking to a guy at the Apple store today about scratches on both the Air (Titanium) and the Pro (Aluminium).

Apparently the reason most of the store models look beat up is because people are constantly bringing two phones together to compare the size/thickness and literally pressing them together back to back (e.g. the Pro pressed against the Air).

Also, interestingly (and this only applies to the black Air), the Ceramic Shield on the back of the Air has a thin superficial coating which scratches easily - HOWEVER - if you wipe it over with a 70% isopropyl wipe it will remove pretty much all of the superficial scratches on the Ceramic Shield area. He showed me this himself and it did appear to work. Doesn't work with aluminium though.
Click to expand...

Good to know. Kind of sounds like a talking point the employee was instructed to say though. By that logic, I can see a scratch or even chip or two here and there given careless customers knocking phones together, but nothing that would explain away the relative consistency of all the damage.

Side note, I need to return to the Apple store I purchased my Series 11 watch at tomorrow in order to exchange the XL band they inexplicably included for a regular sized one. Maybe I'll bring my own alcohol wipes and get to the bottom of this haha.
 
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FlyingTexan said:
It’s not a scratch gate, it’s aluminum. Find new purpose in life
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How about read the whole thread before rudely reacting to the initial post. Nobody is disputing that aluminum is more prone to scratches than say titanium, just that there may be an issue with not only said aluminum's cheap anodization process but also (and mainly) the Ceramic Shield rear enclosures.
 
NotApplicable said:
Huh? The back glass is Ceramic Shield 2 according to the keynote.
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Correct me if I'm wrong as I've only watched the keynote the one time but pretty sure it's not and they made a point of only mentioning that the front glass was Ceramic Shield 2. Still doesn't explain why the rear glass (whatever it is) seems so much more delicate than anything prior. My two year old 15PM rear glass looks brand new, for example.
 
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Jeweller said:
Correct me if I'm wrong as I've only watched the keynote the one time but pretty sure it's not and they made a point of only mentioning that the front glass was Ceramic Shield 2. Still doesn't explain why the rear glass (whatever it is) seems so much more delicate than anything prior. My two year old 15PM rear glass looks brand new, for example.
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In the keynote they definitely said the air and prep had Ceramic Shield rear glass. Though looking at the specs pages, it almost looks like it’s not 2nd gen Ceramic Shield on the rear (3rd one is standard iPhone - only Ceramic Shield front)
 

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NotApplicable said:
In the keynote they definitely said the air and prep had Ceramic Shield rear glass. Though looking at the specs pages, it almost looks like it’s not 2nd gen Ceramic Shield on the rear (3rd one is standard iPhone - only Ceramic Shield front)
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Thanks, that's interesting. It implies that the "color infused glass back" on the regular iPhone 17 as well as on all prior iPhones was in fact in some way superior and seemingly much more impervious to the aforementioned scuffs and scratches of Ceramic Shield. Apple obviously made the switch (to Ceramic Shield from regular glass) to reduce cracked rear glass warranty claims. That said, I thought I saw a lot of the same damage on the new regular 17's as I did the Air's and Pro's when I was at the store yesterday but I could certainly be misremembering since I don't really care (not buying a new phone) and was only there to pick up my watch. I have to go back to the store tomorrow and can verify one way or another. Anyway, the plot thickens haha.
 
For those of you who are interested in facts, rather than anecdotal evidence either way, watch this video from someone who actually understands metallurgy and the way things are put together.

 
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At this point I would implore the OP @captrlp rename this thread "Rear Ceramic Shield scratchgate" or something better and at least more specific. Feel like the point isn't exactly coming across here.
 
JasonHB said:
For those of you who are interested in facts, rather than anecdotal evidence either way, watch this video from someone who actually understands metallurgy and the way things are put together.

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Cool. That said, from JRE comes the conclusion that Apple basically cheaped out on their aluminum anodization process. There are established minimum standards they chose not follow, according to him. Thus why their color anodized Pro phones seem to be so fragile. But really that's beside the point. Everyone knows Apple doesn't go above and beyond when I comes to bottom line. I'm now interested in facts about their Ceramic Shield and what that jargon even really means.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
There is no scratch gate. What is happening is a small vocal minority of iPhone users are obsessing over normal life events. Nothing new here, on Reddit, or elsewhere.
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I disagree, pro users have become accustomed to the stainless steel and titanium sides. I go caseless almost every year but from what I’ve seen, my 17 pro will not hold up the way my 12, 14, 15 and 16 pros did.

This new aluminum unibody is nice, makes a world of difference for heat transfer, but will not hold up like the previous generations.

At the end of the day if you drop your phone what can you expect, but I don’t think going caseless is practical this year, even if you are an applecare+ frequent upgrader like me.
 
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roddyricchfan said:
I disagree, pro users have become accustomed to the stainless steel and titanium sides. I go caseless almost every year but from what I’ve seen, my 17 pro will not hold up the way my 12, 14, 15 and 16 pros did.

This new aluminum unibody is nice, makes a world of difference for heat transfer, but will not hold up like the previous generations.

At the end of the day if you drop your phone what can you expect, but I don’t think going caseless is practical this year, even if you are an applecare+ frequent upgrader like me.
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Agreed. Initial impressions of 17Pro being built like a tank are deceptive. Aluminum will absorb the impact and deform massively with permanent gauges. Was surprised to see it twist the entire frame from drops too:
 
JasonHB said:
For those of you who are interested in facts, rather than anecdotal evidence either way, watch this video from someone who actually understands metallurgy and the way things are put together.

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I'm conflicted about this. His video seems to suggest that the new back glass does not have scratching issue, but he didn't exactly go in depth on it either. Photos like these do not look promising:

1758529681803.png


If this wipes off clean, that's some black magic lol
 
Just put a cover on it and forget about it!

Last aluminium iPhone I had was the blue 12 in the Covid lockdown

That had a few cover marks on it when replaced it!
 
Kidder1994 said:
There's already some glass "plateau" protectors on Aliexpress, bought some to have them when my phone arrives..., maybe you can also apply an skin on the camera bump, so you can protect it against any sharp objects...
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Curious which camera protector did you end up buying?
 
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