iPhone 17 Pro durability test shows Apple’s flagship scratches easily – even from keys and coins
Apple made tall claims about the durability and scratch resistance capabilities of the Ceramic Shield 2 protecting its Pro model iPhones this year. Just a few days later, however, a new video has emerged that shows that the iPhone 17 Pro models are easily susceptible to getting scratches even by everyday objects like car keys or coins.
In a new video, YouTuber Zack Nelson, who runs the channel JerryRigEverything, demonstrated that the corners of the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera bump are prone to scratching, and it is due to a mistake that Apple made while designing the phone.
“As an Android user, I’m extremely jealous of how the iPhone 17 Pro is built. However, Apple forgot to do one really important thing. They ignored an international standard, and it’s going to haunt every single person who buys this phone, and there’s no way to fix it,” said Nelson.
Why do iPhone 17 Pro models may scratch easily?
Apple uses an anodized coating around the aluminum frame of the iPhone 17 Pro lineup which leads to creating a very hard layer around the frame. However, Nelson says that anodizing doesn’t cling as strongly around the sharp edges or corners, such as those around the camera bump.
“For some reason, Apple didn’t add a chamfer, fillet, or radius around the camera plateau, and I think it was intentional, so it looks cooler,” Nelson noted.
“The aesthetic design choice is going to end up looking worse in the long run because the anodizing just doesn’t stick to that spot. It’s a tad weird that Apple would do this. It’s a well-known phenomenon, and there are several international standards for anodizing sharp corners,” Nelson further noted.
Meanwhile, an earlier report from Bloomberg also revealed that iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max exhibited scuffs just after a few hours of being on display across various outlets across the globe. The publication also noted that even the iPhone Air showed itself to be prone to scratching.
Moreover, the iPhone 17 Pro models also reportedly left a visible circular mark on the back after connecting them to Apple’s MagSafe charger.
The iPhone 17 Pro models received a major redesign this year with the squarish camera module giving space for the horizontal camera island that covers the top region of the device. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro features an aluminum glass sandwich design, compared to the titanium design seen on its predecessor.
