iPhone 17 Pro Max Where are my dented or scuffed 17 pro/pro Max peeps at?

[Andeddu]

I don't pray I don't drop my phone. I literally don't think about it at all, and I've had a couple small drops from couch height on to wooden floors I guess a couple times a year and just never had a single instance of even cosmetic damage.



Well yeah, they stopped putting the premium materials in the Pro and put them in the Air instead.

I've been doing this tech thing for so long that my perspective has changed. I'm not looking for peak performance, I'm looking for the right performance. The difference in performance between the Air and Pro in a phone form factor, on a phone OS, makes 0 difference to me. There is no game or app or use case on a phone where that is going to make a practical difference. Both are so good that it's meaningless to me.

I still wouldn't mind the extra battery life or extra lenses though.

You can't really say that there are only two types of users and one type is served perfectly by the Air and the other is served perfectly by the Pro.

Well you’ve been lucky then not to drop your caseless titanium phone onto concrete, where it would sustain damage. The OP dropped his aluminium phone onto concrete also, you know. If it was a 1ft drop onto a wooden floor, like in your example, I doubt there would’ve been any damage.

Your use case and other people’s use cases are different though. Are you a heavy video editor? Do you play AAA games on your iPhone? Titles such as Resident Evil, Assassins Creed and Death Stranding make all phones throttle however the Air falls first and then continues under sustained load with a much lower down clock than the 17 Pro resulting in noticeably lower levels of performance.

So you see, there are apps which can make a practical difference to performance.

If I was a causal phone user, like I am with my 13, and had no intention of playing AAA games, I would just go with the Air as, like you said, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in performance.

 

[tolili alert]

Well you’ve been lucky then not to drop your caseless titanium phone onto concrete, where it would sustain damage. The OP dropped his aluminium phone onto concrete also, you know. If it was a 1ft drop onto a wooden floor, like in your example, I doubt there would’ve been any damage.

Your use case and other people’s use cases are different though. Are you a heavy video editor? Do you play AAA games on your iPhone? Titles such as Resident Evil, Assassins Creed and Death Stranding make all phones throttle however the Air falls first and then continues under sustained load with a much lower down clock than the 17 Pro resulting in noticeably lower levels of performance.

So you see, there are apps which can make a practical difference to performance.

If I was a causal phone user, like I am with my 13, and had no intention of playing AAA games, I would just go with the Air as, like you said, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in performance.

If you don't play those shi**y games... then you are a casual user?...

 

[teh_hunterer]

Well you’ve been lucky then not to drop your caseless titanium phone onto concrete, where it would sustain damage. The OP dropped his aluminium phone onto concrete also, you know. If it was a 1ft drop onto a wooden floor, like in your example, I doubt there would’ve been any damage.

But you said if you don't want any cosmetic damage on a caseless phone to buy something that isn't an iPhone.

I tell you I've had Pro iPhones for 7 years without a case and it's been fine.

Then you say you need to pray you don't drop it otherwise you get cosmetic damage.

I say I have dropped them a few times, no damage, and now you're saying I haven't dropped it to your liking and now you're back to OP dropping it on concrete.

Stop moving the goalposts. Just admit that the aluminium phones are quite a lot more susceptible to wear and tear than the previous Pro phones. You guys are going around in circles trying to talk around this fact - it's quite bizarre.

Doesn't mean they're bad phones.

Are you a heavy video editor? Do you play AAA games on your iPhone? Titles such as Resident Evil, Assassins Creed and Death Stranding

I don't find AAA games to be worth playing on such a small screen. Heavy video editing is not something you're going to notice the difference between titanium and aluminium phones with.

If I did do those things, the Air still outperforms the 15PM I came from, even in sustained performance, while being noticeably cooler to the touch.

 

[Andeddu]

If you don't play those shi**y games... then you are a casual user?...

So what do you use your Pro-level phone for that pushes it to the limit?

Are you a heavy video editor? Or are you just a casual snapper who takes photographs, makes light edits and does some web-browsing and instant messaging?

Most Pro users are casual phone users. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just that they’re not actually taking advantage of the hardware specs.

 

[Andeddu]

But you said if you don't want any cosmetic damage on a caseless phone to buy something that isn't an iPhone.

I tell you I've had Pro iPhones for 7 years without a case and it's been fine.

Then you say you need to pray you don't drop it otherwise you get cosmetic damage.

I say I have dropped them a few times, no damage, and now you're saying I haven't dropped it to your liking and now you're back to OP dropping it on concrete.

Stop moving the goalposts. Just admit that the aluminium phones are quite a lot more susceptible to wear and tear than the previous Pro phones. You guys are going around in circles trying to talk around this fact - it's quite bizarre.

Doesn't mean they're bad phones.



I don't find AAA games to be worth playing on such a small screen. Heavy video editing is not something you're going to notice the difference between titanium and aluminium phones with.

If I did do those things, the Air still outperforms the 15PM I came from, even in sustained performance, while being noticeably cooler to the touch.

I am not taking about you specifically, geez. I think you have to understand that most people do drop their phones on hard surfaces several times during the device’s lifetime. If the phone is not in a case, it’ll incur either cosmetic or critical damage.

Again, you appear to be moving the goalposts, I have given you an example of applications that require high-end performance and these examples are no less valid just because you do not have any interest in them.

AAA games push even the 17 Pro Max to its limit so there is a large differential between the entire 17 and Air line when comparing sustained performance. The Air does not perform anywhere near as well as the Pro line in such regard because of thermal limitations.

I have also said, in a separate thread, that the vast majority of users do not engage in intensive enough tasks to see a noticeable difference in performance between a Pro and Air.

I would see the difference which is why I am ruling out the Air as a possible option for my future phone.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I am not taking about you specifically, geez. I think you have to understand that most people do drop their phones on hard surfaces several times during the device’s lifetime. If the phone is not in a case, it’ll incur either cosmetic or critical damage.

I think you have to understand that the aluminium phones are more susceptible to wear and tear and visible damage than the previous years of Pro phones.

You seem oddly desperate to obfuscate that fact. You try to talk around that fact with every post.

 

[techspin]

So I’m eating my own words.

I was trying out the Nomad leather back at home and loved how amazing it felt. I was tapping away on the screen on the coffee table and then the phone fell off the edge and hit the leg of the table. Now there’s a 2mm dent

I have AppleCare+ and always have a case when out and about but obviously it’s not safe even at home with my clumsy hands.

It’s totally my own fault and I took the risk and suffered for it.

View attachment 2564194

It's not that noticeable, don't beat yourself up.

The leather back style is interesting. Guess it's about changing the look rather than protection, unless it also eliminates camera bump wobble.

 

[Andeddu]

I think you have to understand that the aluminium phones are more susceptible to wear and tear and visible damage than the previous years of Pro phones.

You seem oddly desperate to obfuscate that fact. You try to talk around that fact with every post.

No, I agree that aluminium is a softer metal which is more susceptible to cosmetic damage. I said it was a trade off to improve the Pro’s performance. I don’t own any new phone right now so I have no dog in the fight. Apple made their decision so you can either agree or disagree with it. I personally don’t mind as it won’t stop me from purchasing a 17 Pro should I go down that path in the near future.

 

[PhoenixDown]

Apple: We have made the strongest most scratch resistant screen ever!

Also Apple: Please ignore the aluminum case we stopped using five iterations ago because it gets scratched and banged up.

 

[thistleknife]

No, I agree that aluminium is a softer metal which is more susceptible to cosmetic damage.

Took forever for you to say this.

 

[NotApplicable]

aluminium was required for heat disippation

The marketing propaganda has succeeded!

Strangely, there are plenty of flagship Android phones with vapor chambers and titanium exteriors that thermally perform great. And we'll never know how an iPhone with something like last year's titanium design with the addition of a vapor chamber would've performed.

So instead, we get an Aluminum exterior (great for costs, yay shareholder value), and we have to then wrap it in rubber and plastic to prevent wear and tear that wouldn't happen with a naked titanium/stainless phone. Rubber and plastic are some of the best thermal insulators out there -- totally ideal for thermal performance!

 

[MarkX]

The marketing propaganda has succeeded!

Strangely, there are plenty of flagship Android phones with vapor chambers and titanium exteriors that thermally perform great. And we'll never know how an iPhone with something like last year's titanium design with the addition of a vapor chamber would've performed.

So instead, we get an Aluminum exterior (great for costs, yay shareholder value), and we have to then wrap it in rubber and plastic to prevent wear and tear that wouldn't happen with a naked titanium/stainless phone. Rubber and plastic are some of the best thermal insulators out there -- totally ideal for thermal performance!

99% of iPhone users slap on a case so titanium or aluminium is irrelevant imo. I couldn’t care less if it was made of wood!

 

[maka344]

The marketing propaganda has succeeded!

Strangely, there are plenty of flagship Android phones with vapor chambers and titanium exteriors that thermally perform great. And we'll never know how an iPhone with something like last year's titanium design with the addition of a vapor chamber would've performed.

So instead, we get an Aluminum exterior (great for costs, yay shareholder value), and we have to then wrap it in rubber and plastic to prevent wear and tear that wouldn't happen with a naked titanium/stainless phone. Rubber and plastic are some of the best thermal insulators out there -- totally ideal for thermal performance!

Exactly that. The switch was purely for cost purposes.

 

[aevan]

The marketing propaganda has succeeded!

Thankfully, we have experts here to spread the truth.

Strangely, there are plenty of flagship Android phones with vapor chambers and titanium exteriors that thermally perform great. And we'll never know how an iPhone with something like last year's titanium design with the addition of a vapor chamber would've performed.

No one says it’s impossible, just that aluminium is better at it. Because pyhsics. I wouldn’t be surprised that titanium + vapor chamber would’ve performed better than no vapor chamber. But you know what would perform even better? Aluminium + vapor chamber.

So instead, we get an Aluminum exterior (great for costs, yay shareholder value), and we have to then wrap it in rubber and plastic to prevent wear and tear that wouldn't happen with a naked titanium/stainless phone. Rubber and plastic are some of the best thermal insulators out there -- totally ideal for thermal performance!

If you view it so cynically, there is nothing I or anyone else can say to change your mind. So, I guess you continue to vent conspiracy theories online while I enjoy my phone. Everyone happy.

 

[aevan]

99% of iPhone users slap on a case so titanium or aluminium is irrelevant imo. I couldn’t care less if it was made of wood!

Not really, while a case does indeed contain a lot of the heat, having aluminium beneath it still helps spread the heat more evenly before it reaches a case. As long as the heat can be moved - even just a little - away from the silicon, it will help prevent throttling.

 

[aevan]

Exactly that. The switch was purely for cost purposes.

I sometimes forget this forum is a trust of world class computer scientists, engineers and economists. Independent thinkers all.

 

[NotApplicable]

99% of iPhone users slap on a case so titanium or aluminium is irrelevant imo. I couldn’t care less if it was made of wood!

It's closer to 70%. Still a majority, but the minority is pretty large

 

[Thor_9]

Well yeah, they stopped putting the premium materials in the Pro and put them in the Air instead.

The PM runs faster and runs cooler. The premium model is the PM.

 

[Antaris]

That’s great, drop it on concrete, like a lot of people have, and you’ll have bumps and scrapes like any other phone.

I guess we’ll never be sure to what extent the aluminium body assists in dissipating heat when compared with titanium. I do know the Pro runs a lot cooler than the Air when maxed out.

There are many benchmarks which show the Air throttling under sustained load whilst the Pro runs a lot cooler. This is obviously not a surprise to anybody given the design philosophy of both phones.

Here's a neat example of heat transfer, or lack thereof:

That poor titanium... now imagine if phones were encased in copper, which is better at transferring heat... but not as inexpensive...

The video only gets better from there, and he raises quite a few good points. It's one of the few channels that uses silly video effects that somehow don't detract from the presentation. My only quibble is the hardness of material, as is a piece of straw really weaker when a tornado can have it pierce a tree trunk just enough to have it stick and not plop out? (Generally, it can't, but tornados add other variables to the equation...)

 

[youchew]

Here's a neat example of heat transfer, or lack thereof:

That poor titanium... now imagine if phones were encased in copper, which is better at transferring heat... but not as inexpensive...

The video only gets better from there, and he raises quite a few good points. It's one of the few channels that uses silly video effects that somehow don't detract from the presentation. My only quibble is the hardness of material, as is a piece of straw really weaker when a tornado can have it pierce a tree trunk just enough to have it stick and not plop out? (Generally, it can't, but tornados add other variables to the equation...)

I think people are forgetting the titanium in the Air is ONLY on the edge of the phone for durability and appearance’s sake. The internal body of the phone is aluminum, just as the previous titanium Pro/Pro Max’s were.

 

[teh_hunterer]

The PM runs faster and runs cooler. The premium model is the PM.

OK but the premium material, titanium, is in the Air, not the Pros. I said they stopped putting the premium materials in the Pros and put it in the Air instead.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I think people are forgetting the titanium in the Air is ONLY on the edge of the phone for durability and appearance’s sake. The internal body of the phone is aluminum, just as the previous titanium Pro/Pro Max’s were.

Yeah I remember back when the 15 Pro came out how so many people were smugly parroting that titanium was 20x worse for thermal performance, as if the entire phone was made out of it instead of a small amount of titanium bonded to the aluminium underneath.

 

[ps4db]

Just remember for the person that goes caseless, accidents do happen, and it only takes one time for that to happen even after a number of years without doing so. 🙈

So true. After about 10 months, I dropped my 16PM onto the concrete parking lot! The Spigen case took quite a beating but the screen protector and the phone were both fine.

So yes, all it takes is just one incident. That being said, let’s see how my 17PM fares in this regard!

 

[ps4db]

I sometimes forget this forum is a trust of world class computer scientists, engineers and economists. Independent thinkers all.

Hey, don’t forget politicians! Love to argue till blue in the face and then come back for more 😂

 

[PaladinGuy]

I would prefer titanium, but I have to say that it’s getting a bit old seeing so many dang posts about the Air and aluminum on the Pros.

Buy it or don’t buy it. I doubt anyone is being convinced by all the posts about these things here.