Apple gives reason to reports of terrible scratches of the iPhone 17

You may have missed it, but the internet has had a mass meltdown over the rebrand iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Maxand iPhone Air Demo units appear scratched in stores. We finally have an answer. And no, phones aren’t actually made of butter.

Apple has officially considered “Scratchgate,” and the culprit isn’t a design flaw — it’s dirty display stands. Apparently, old, worn-out MagSafe holders were rubbing the back of the new devices, creating the illusion of a scratch.

The company says it repairs problematic screens, and the marks can simply be wiped clean. The great iPhone panic of 2025 ended not with a bang, but with a microfiber cloth.

Not all scratches are created equal, and the shape of your iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max may make the anodized layer vulnerable to chipping. People also interact with videos from iFixIt And Zach Nelson’s YouTube channel JerryRigEverything. Videos show a potential issue with the oxidized coating around the edges of the camera panel on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. In his video, Nelson takes a quarter and rubs it along the edge of the camera surface, causing the paint to crack.

Apple explained to CNET that the anodization process on the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max is just as durable as that found in other products. However, over time, small abrasions may appear with normal wear. The company said its anodizing layer is extremely hard and exceeds standard industry guidelines for microhardness.

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Concerns about scratching and durability come on the heels of one of Apple’s biggest iPhone redesigns in years. Although marks and scratches don’t affect how Apple phones work, no one wants a new $800 or more iPhone that looks as good as it can. The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro units that CNET tested over the past two weeks show no scratches, chips, or scuffs.

If you are worried about your new iPhone Get scuffed, you can always Buy a case and screen protector.

What does the iPhone 17 Pro consist of?

The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max’s bodies are made of aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminum, Ceramic Shield and Ceramic Shield 2. The Pro models feature an aluminum frame, which means much of the back is no longer made of glass.

While some on social media are pointing to the new aluminum chassis as the issue behind the damage to the demo unit, several videos show 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 thiswhere someone intentionally scratches the back of their new iPhone Air just to wipe off the residue, and most of it is clean.

Ceramic Shield, made of ceramic nanocrystals suspended in a glass matrix, covers most of the 17 Pro’s back below the camera strip. Apple says it’s four times more resistant to cracks than a back glass on a display 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 back of the new Pro and Air models).

During a press conference for the new iPhone models on the day they were announced, an Apple spokesperson noted that Ceramic Shield is focused on handling drops and crack resistance, while Ceramic Shield 2 is about crack and scratch durability.

JerryRigEverything video and oxidation on the edge

In his country iPhone 17 Pro videoJerryRigEverything’s Nelson performs his usual set of scratch, bend, and burn tests, but points out a potential issue with the anodized coating on the iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum.

“Apple forgot to do something really important. They ignored an international standard. This will haunt everyone who buys this phone,” Nelson warns in his video.

the ISO standard Nelson refers to decorative anodizing and recommends a specific radius threshold of 10 times the thickness of the finish, which the edge surrounding the camera strip does not seem to follow.

Apple explained to CNET that its anodizing process on the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max exceeds industry standards and that the edges of the camera plate have similar characteristics to the edges of anodized cases on other Apple products.

Nelson explains in his video that corners, like those around the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera plate, are weak spots for the anodized coating. Think of the anodized layer on aluminum like nail polish: it gives the phone its color but also helps protect it. If the paint is scratched very deeply, you can see the actual metallic color of the aluminum underneath. More people are likely to notice damage from darker colors than darker colors Cosmic orange.

In his video, Nelson explains how the corners around the 17 Pro’s camera plateau are a particular concern because they lack chamfers, fillets, or chamfers, which would normally help protect the edge from chipping the anodized coating. He admits that Apple used a tough coating and shows how it protects the back of a coin being slipped on or the key scratching on it.

But when he takes the same quarter and rubs it along the edge of the camera surface, pieces of the end fall off.

I should note that Nelson did all the scratches on the phone’s body with a knife, which leads me to suspect that someone may have intentionally scratched the demo units in the store, as well as Apple’s explanation about the MagSafe risers.

It’s also possible that people are holding multiple iPhone screens in one hand to take a photo or video, and that the sapphire crystal cover on the rear cameras is rubbing against the back of the other iPhone. Sapphire crystal is second only to diamond in terms of its hardness. As anyone with a retail job knows, in-store display units often experience some of the worst customer interactions.

“I’m a big fan of this new iPhone design,” Nelson says at the end of his video. “Less glass and more aluminum is always a good thing.”

iFixIt’s iPhone 17 Pro disassembly

In iFixIt Video of the iPhone 17 Pro disassembly processShahram Mokhtari, the company’s lead disassembly technician, confirmed Nelson’s discovery of a problem with the anodized coating on the edges of the camera plate. Mokhtari said that the problem does not lie in the aluminum body, but rather in the shape of the phone’s camera protrusion. Sharp plateau edges don’t adhere to the anodized layer, but flat surfaces, like the back of a phone, do.

Under the microscope, Mokhtari drags a hardener (equivalent to a penny) across the flat back of the camera plate. You can see where it was pulled off, but the anodized paint is still intact. He drags the same tool across the edge of the camera plate, peeling off paint chips, revealing the metal underneath. The technical term for this is fragmentation.

“When there is an edge to the oxide layer, such as on the edge of a camera plate, the brittle oxide withstands the pressure of your keys or coins rubbing against it. This is how it cracks,” Mokhtari explains in the video.

He also admits that iFixIt didn’t see the same level of vulnerability on the iPhone Air and standard iPhone 17 because their backs are made of Ceramic Shield and glass, respectively.

Are the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air durable?

In short, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air are durable, yes. But normal wear and tear on iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models may cause small abrasions. These issues won’t change how the phone turns on or is used, but putting a cover on the Pro models seems to be the only way to avoid any tearing.

The basic iPhone Air and iPhone 17 don’t seem to have the same shattering issue that the Pro models do because their backs are made of glass.

If you find that your new iPhone is scratched or has some chipped anodized coating, return it to where you bought it and see if you can replace it. If these scratches were made intentionally, you’re probably stuck with them.

If you’re worried about your new iPhone getting damaged, the best solution is a case. Fortunately, you have Lots of options.