Apple’s shiny new iPhone 17 faces “Scratchgate” as early buyers spot marks on day one

Just days after Apple launched its latest flagship handsets, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, the company is facing extreme criticism from early users. A growing wave of complaints from buyers,  shoppers heading to pick up the new Pro iPhones, and tech reviewers who are putting the devices through their paces suggests the premium models may be unusually vulnerable to scratches and scuffs. The controversy has already earned the nickname “Scratchgate.”

A durability test from Zack Nelson of the popular JerryRigEverything YouTube channel shows that the sharp, unprotected corners around the camera bump scratch very easily. According to Neslon, the issue boils down to Apple’s design change. The anodized aluminum coating on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max “does not stick to corners very well,” Nelson noted. This leaves the phones’ edges exposed to damage.

“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,” the YouTuber said. “But that decision to look cool out of the box is going to plague everyone who owns this phone down the road,” he warned.

Nelson claimed that everyday pocket contents like coins and house keys could quickly chip away at the coating, leaving visible scars on the new iPhones.

Nelson’s findings are also being echoed by consumers worldwide. According to Bloomberg, Apple Store demo units in cities from New York to Hong Kong showed scratches within hours of being put on display. Shoppers observed that the deep blue variants of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max were particularly prone to scratching, while the black iPhone Air and Apple’s statement Cosmic Orange iPhone Pro also displayed visible wear.

Bloomberg also noted that Apple’s own MagSafe charger leaves very visible circular imprints on the back of the new Pro models.

Apple switched to a new aluminum shell for the Pro iPhones this year to improve heat dissipation and reduce weight. However, early evidence suggests that the new build may be less resilient to real-world use.

In China, one of Apple’s biggest markets, the backlash about scratches on the new iPhones is already trending on platforms like Weibo. Photos of scratched iPhone 17 models are also flooding social media platforms like X.

For now, Apple has not officially responded to the complaints. But with buyers paying premium prices for the company’s Pro lineup, pressure is mounting on the Cupertino company to address the issue.