iPhone 17 Pro: Criticism of sharp edges and lack of scratch resistance
Now that the new iPhones have been on sale since Friday, we are beginning to see the first reports on their durability. These are not all positive.
iPhone 17 Pro with MagSafe marks: Less durable than expected?
(Image: heise medien/Mac & i)
Good news for Apple: despite its thinness, the iPhone Air is virtually impossible to bend. This was discovered by well-known YouTuber Zack Nelson, alias JerryRigEverything. He had to apply 97 kg of pressure using a machine—at a critical point on the device, which is unlikely to occur in practice—to break the titanium frame.
This should put an end to any potential “Bentgate” issues with the Air. However, there is criticism in another area: the susceptibility of one of the Air models to scratches and stains. In addition, there is an edge problem with the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, which Nelson revealed in another video. There is a risk of paint chipping here.
Scratch-resistant, but then again, not?
A visit to an Apple store (or any other store that already stocks the new Apple phones) shows that the darker models in particular—so the black Air and the blue 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max—tend to show signs of scratches and abrasion. This has also been reported by the financial news agency Bloomberg.
Videos by heise
There are both direct scratches and clearly visible round marks from the MagSafe stand used by Apple. However, this is significantly stronger than regular MagSafe charging pucks. Nevertheless, these problems are said to have occurred after “only a few hours.” Various pictures of this have also been shared on social media. Apple had chosen a new system design for the Pro models, combining an aluminum unibody case with a glass panel. The marks and scratches seem to occur mainly on the glass panel, which is actually coated with Ceramic Shield scratch-resistant material. In Nelson's tests, however, some of these marks could be wiped off, for example, when the case was treated with keys or coins. However, the devices in Apple stores are subject to greater wear and tear.
The problem with the aluminum edges
There is a problem with the new camera platform (aka "Camera Plateau") on the two Pro models that is difficult to fix. Apple has opted for sharp edges here, which have not been rounded off. This is precisely what can lead to the aforementioned paint chipping, as Nelson demonstrated—for example, when scratchy coins hit the area.
The reason: this area is only anodized with a very thin layer of paint, even though industry standards such as ISO and MIL-SPECs actually recommend avoiding such sharp edges. However, Apple's designers probably wanted it to remain more angular. The only permanent solution is to get a case for the iPhone that protects the edges.
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