Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Other iPhone 17 Pro Scratchgate

Jeweller said:
from JRE comes the conclusion that Apple basically cheaped out on their aluminum anodization process
Click to expand...
That’s misleading. What he said in the video was that Apple didn’t follow industry guidelines specifically in relation to the edge of the camera plateau. His scratch testing bore out that, with the edge being a weak point while other areas of the aluminium withstood his testing. Your comment implies that the entire anodised aluminium frame is flawed which is simply not what was stated in the video.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thistleknife and klasma
dannyyankou said:
I’ve seen enough. I’ll wait until next year when they bring Ceramic Shield 2 to the back glass. And hopefully they find a different material than aluminum that’s less scratch prone. I don’t know if they can do some titanium-aluminum alloy or something like that to find a good balance between scratch resistance, weight, and heat dispersion.
Click to expand...
Aluminium is here to stay for at least two more generations. This was the pipeline plan for years.
 
maka344 said:
Aluminium is here to stay for at least two more generations. This was the pipeline plan for years.
Click to expand...
I know they’re not going to revert back to titanium or stainless steel. But they can improve the aluminum. Just like with the iPhone 6s when they responded to Bendgate by developing the stronger 7000 series aluminum alloy. Hopefully they can find a way to develop a more scratch-resistant aluminum, in addition to bringing the 3x more scratch-resistant glass to the back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wags
Sorry if I’ve missed it in this and other threads, but has anyone observed the scratched ceramic shields at third party stores, or is it only occurring at official Apple stores?
 
We need a thin Ti bumper CASE!

The new anodized finish isn't a cheap below industry standard finish. Its just not a great finish choice for sharp edges. Honestly that's the only real design flaw of the phone, the sharp edges of the camera plateau. You can't paint, coat, or anodize anything that can protect that. I don't even thing the design looks good either. Why not have it just smooth out into the phone unibody? The 16 Pro camera bump and back, which is very similar to the new AIR, is a much much better back design in general.

Personally I would prefer a thicker edge, or stronger aluminum alloy with a polished or satin aluminum color where there isn't a finish to wear off. What about a Ti alloy band, with a separation gasket from the aluminum unibody, that has shock absorbing qualities? One can dream.
 
pst23 said:
Saw it at Best Buy.
Click to expand...
Do Best Buy use the same/similar magnetic stands as the Apple Store with the metal ring around the edge? I might pop into Digibox here as they have their own style of stand - the piece that fixes to the back of the phone is magnetic and slots into the stand so the back of the phone isn’t getting constant contact. Curious to see how the phones there have fared.
 
aperfectcircle said:
Do Best Buy use the same/similar magnetic stands as the Apple Store with the metal ring around the edge? I might pop into Digibox here as they have their own style of stand - the piece that fixes to the back of the phone is magnetic and slots into the stand so the back of the phone isn’t getting constant contact. Curious to see how the phones there have fared.
Click to expand...
They have magnets on the back
Of the phone that connect to the stands.
 
Jeweller said:
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.
Click to expand...
I believe they are trying to save money since the phone prices have stayed the same during inflation etc.
 
maka344 said:
Aluminium is here to stay for at least two more generations. This was the pipeline plan for years.
Click to expand...
I mostly have no problem aluminum. Just as long as its Apple’s best to keep exterior from looking bad from just ‘normal’ use. Always trade offs. Seems like made decisions based on people mostly using cases and missed the mark on that too. Design or quality control.
 
aperfectcircle said:
That’s misleading. What he said in the video was that Apple didn’t follow industry guidelines specifically in relation to the edge of the camera plateau. His scratch testing bore out that, with the edge being a weak point while other areas of the aluminium withstood his testing. Your comment implies that the entire anodised aluminium frame is flawed which is simply not what was stated in the video.
Click to expand...

You cherry-picked one line from my post. I immediately acknowledge that in the next sentence. It's wild how defensive folks seem to be when it comes to the new Pro phones in particular. I also went on to say that: "I'm now interested in facts about their Ceramic Shield and what that jargon even really means," which I am. I could honestly care less about aluminum anodization industry standards. I'm sure the Pros are more or less fine when it comes to the durability of their main body but, as of now and based on what I've seen in person, not so much on Ceramic Shield as a rear MagSafe charging area replacement for the tinted glass they've used for years. I get that they likely switched to reduce cracked glass warranty claims. But it's looking like their execution may warrant a closer look.
 
H
richard371 said:
I believe they are trying to save money since the phone prices have stayed the same during inflation etc.
Click to expand...
As I mentioned in my original post….Timmy and Apple aren’t about to do anything that would negatively impact profit margins.
Apple, like every other product manufacturer, has to control costs and maintain margins…and that is done in one of three ways:
1 - Reduce quantity of a given product and sell for same price
2 - Reduce manufacturing costs…often at the expense of quality
3 - Raise prices

Being that two of those options don’t apply to the iPhone 17, were left with one…and it doesn’t take people complaining about scratches to know that Apple reduced manufacturing costs by switching to aluminum, amongst other “under the hood” changes and presumably, if not objectively, using a subpar coating and/or coating technique.
 
Jeweller said:
You cherry-picked one line from my post. I immediately acknowledge that in the next sentence. It's wild how defensive folks seem to be when it comes to the new Pro phones in particular. I also went on to say that: "I'm now interested in facts about their Ceramic Shield and what that jargon even really means," which I am. I could honestly care less about aluminum anodization industry standards.
Click to expand...
It’s not the anodization itself that’s somehow substandard on the Pro, however. It’s that they made the aluminum edges of the plateau so sharp that any anodization would be fragile there. It’s the design of the plateau that is the problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thistleknife, decypher44 and Wags
klasma said:
It’s not the anodization itself that’s somehow substandard on the Pro, however. It’s that they made the aluminum edges of the plateau so sharp that any anodization would be fragile there. It’s the design of the plateau that is the problem.
Click to expand...

Ok. Any thoughts on the new Ceramic Shield rear enclosures that replaced tinted glass and are now on all new phones besides the base? Which is the only one not seeming to exhibit any of the MagSafe related scuffing and scratching (I checked again today).
 
Jeweller said:
Ok. Any thoughts on the new Ceramic Shield rear enclosures that replaced tinted glass and are now on all new phones besides the base? Which is the only one not seeming to exhibit any of the MagSafe related scuffing and scratching (I checked again today).
Click to expand...
It seems that the color on the CS is a coating on top, instead of being infused into the glass as previously, and thus that Apple has opted for a more shatter-resistant material at the cost of being more prone to scratches and marks.
 
Went back to the Apple store today to pick up a bumper case. Looked at the Airs and the black was badly scratched. The white looked fantastic though. I’ll be putting a skin on mine when it arrives tomorrow.
 
The iPhone Pro is absolute garbage

And Apple needs to get the memo
 
UnjustifiedBot said:
Went back to the Apple store today to pick up a bumper case. Looked at the Airs and the black was badly scratched. The white looked fantastic though. I’ll be putting a skin on mine when it arrives tomorrow.
Click to expand...

They also need to bring back the glossy backs. Just look how good this looks compared to the garbage being served up in Apple stores today

hq720.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cattivik83, The Doctor11, Bstephens and 1 other person
klasma said:
It’s not the anodization itself that’s somehow substandard on the Pro, however. It’s that they made the aluminum edges of the plateau so sharp that any anodization would be fragile there. It’s the design of the plateau that is the problem.
Click to expand...
And the problem that Apple is okay with that. Looks good in marketing and opening the box but after that it’s down hill fast.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back