Sometimes, it"s hard to imagine an Apple product launch without controversies. That"s why the company has publicly apologized on several occasions. The latest incident involves the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which made headlines after reportedly receiving numerous marks on their back.
Bloomberg was among the first to report on "scratchgate," with multiple examples of iPhone 17 Pro demo units placed in Apple Stores showing excessive wear and tear on the back, mostly around the MagSafe cutout.
The Cupertino giant acknowledged the issue and said in its response to 9to5Mac that these imperfections are caused by worn-out MagSafe chargers placed in some Apple Stores. In fact, Apple doesn"t consider them scratches but insists that it"s material transfer from the stand to the phone, which can be removed by cleaning.
While any device is prone to some level of wear and tear, it hurts more if you spent $2,000 to buy a maxed-out iPhone. Apple noted that the issue also affected other phones on display, including iPhone 16 models, and it will fix the problem in Apple Stores.
The issue has gained more attention because Apple traded titanium from last year"s flagship for its shiny new anodized aluminum, offering better thermal performance. The edges of the new camera plateau are prone to scratches, more because of the iPhone"s shape than the material.
iFixit explained in its teardown that the sharp corners of the camera plateau make for a poor surface for anodizing, suggesting that Apple could have "prevented this by making a more gradual curve and avoiding a relatively sharp corner."
Apple told the publication that the physical properties of iPhone 17 Pro"s camera plateau are similar to the anodized aluminum on other Apple products. The company subjects the edges to rigorous testing, but users may still notice minor abrasions and normal wear and tear over time, it added.
It"s worth noting that demo units are handled by a large number of users. Apple has improved the durability of its iPhone 17 Pro devices by adding Ceramic Shield to the back and flexed its design muscles this year with its ultra-thin iPhone Air. The company officials challenged on camera that the iPhone Air is hard to bend under normal pressure.