A strange and concerning trend has begun to emerge surrounding the new iPhone 17 series, specifically the Pro models. Dubbed "Scratch Gate" by early observers, the issue involves what appear to be hairline scratches and scuffs appearing on the devices' frames. The most peculiar part of this phenomenon is that the scratches have only been reported on demo units in select Apple Stores, with no widespread consumer reports from new owners yet. This has led to speculation about what could be causing this unique and localized problem.
The Materials Behind the Mystery
The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max bodies are made with aerospace-grade 7000 series aluminum, Ceramic Shield, and Ceramic Shield 2. The Pro models have an aluminum unibody frame, which means a lot of the back is no longer made of glass.
While some on social media point to the new aluminum chassis as the problem behind the demo-unit damage, multiple videos show the scratches on the Ceramic Shield back panel on the dark blue iPhone 17 Pro (and on the black iPhone Air). There are even videos like this, where a person purposely scratches the back of their new iPhone Air only for the residue to wipe away, mostly clean.
Ceramic Shield, made of ceramic nano-crystals suspended in a glass matrix, covers most of the 17 Pro's back under the camera bar. Apple says it is four times more resistant to cracks than the back glass on the iPhone 16 Pro.
Then there's Ceramic Shield 2 on the 17 Pro's display, which Apple says is three times more scratch-resistant than the Ceramic Shield used on previous iPhone models (and the backs of the new Pro and Air models).
Apple's Response and the Search for Answers
In an official response to the controversy, Apple is now claiming that the scratches are not really scratches at all. According to Tom's Guide, the company places the blame on worn-out MagSafe risers used to display the new iPhones. Apple claims this is causing a material transfer to the back of both the new iPhone 17 models and older iPhone 16 models on display. More importantly, Apple states that this material transfer is not a scratch and can be easily removed with cleaning.
Our Experience So Far
We have been using the iPhone 17 Pro Max in cosmic orange for a week now and haven't noticed anything like this so far. For that matter, we used the device initially without any case.
The Materials Behind the Mystery
The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max bodies are made with aerospace-grade 7000 series aluminum, Ceramic Shield, and Ceramic Shield 2. The Pro models have an aluminum unibody frame, which means a lot of the back is no longer made of glass.
While some on social media point to the new aluminum chassis as the problem behind the demo-unit damage, multiple videos show the scratches on the Ceramic Shield back panel on the dark blue iPhone 17 Pro (and on the black iPhone Air). There are even videos like this, where a person purposely scratches the back of their new iPhone Air only for the residue to wipe away, mostly clean.
Ceramic Shield, made of ceramic nano-crystals suspended in a glass matrix, covers most of the 17 Pro's back under the camera bar. Apple says it is four times more resistant to cracks than the back glass on the iPhone 16 Pro.
Then there's Ceramic Shield 2 on the 17 Pro's display, which Apple says is three times more scratch-resistant than the Ceramic Shield used on previous iPhone models (and the backs of the new Pro and Air models).
Apple's Response and the Search for Answers
In an official response to the controversy, Apple is now claiming that the scratches are not really scratches at all. According to Tom's Guide, the company places the blame on worn-out MagSafe risers used to display the new iPhones. Apple claims this is causing a material transfer to the back of both the new iPhone 17 models and older iPhone 16 models on display. More importantly, Apple states that this material transfer is not a scratch and can be easily removed with cleaning.
Our Experience So Far
We have been using the iPhone 17 Pro Max in cosmic orange for a week now and haven't noticed anything like this so far. For that matter, we used the device initially without any case.
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