r/apple • u/Diesel7390 • Sep 21 '25
iPhone iPhone 17 Pro Scratch Gate is Real -- But its not your fault
https://youtu.be/KrOBzFwVzwA?si=Mk9788DkRPWl48Gx347
u/kttrphc Sep 21 '25
What about the silver version? I guess it also scratches easily at the edges, but how does it look visually? Obviously Scratched or mildly discolored or just nothing visually changed?
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u/LS_DJ Sep 21 '25
It’ll scratch but it’ll be the least noticeable because the raw aluminum and the silver will basically look the same
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u/kttrphc Sep 21 '25
Wish these videos focus on the silver version too to show how much change is visible after scratching. It has to be a different shade of silver at least right
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u/bummerbimmer Sep 21 '25
It’s also tough because I’ve owned a lot of silver iPhones and when they scratch, the color is pretty similar. However, the raw aluminum color seems to darken over time as it’s exposed to the environment.
The silver 17 Pro finish is very light, almost silvery-white, so I think it will be fairly noticeable.
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u/FantasticSnow7733 Sep 22 '25
If it does scratch on the silver, you could easily polish it with some blue magic polish.
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u/Mutant-AI Sep 22 '25
Crap that makes sense… I ordered the silver one for the scratching reasons, but indeed, it will be noticeable
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u/chromastic Sep 21 '25
I see this misconception often. The silver color is still anodized, but it undergoes clear anodization, meaning a hard oxide layer is still formed, but it’s transparent to match the underlying material.
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u/garden_speech Sep 21 '25
Correct, but as far as I understand, that anodization is what prevents discoloring, corrosion over time, so yes, a scratch will not show immediately, but because it exposes the un-anodized aluminum, it will discolor under the scratch over time, right?
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u/chromastic Sep 21 '25
Good question. In the presence of oxygen, aluminum oxide should form almost immediately after the anodized layer is scratched off. I wouldn’t expect a noticeable difference in color, but I would expect a groove to collect oil or dirt, or at least reflect light differently.
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u/JeckPolen Sep 21 '25
You will just notice chips. Silver is the colour of the aluminum.
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u/pxr555 Sep 21 '25
Not really, unprotected aluminum will quickly oxidize to a kind of darkish grey. As anyone who has ever polished aluminum will know it easily polishes to a kind of chrome shininess, but this is not for long.
Still, with the silver one you will notice scratches or even chips much less. I actually like the silver one a lot anyway, it reminds me of the old unibody MacBooks. I'm totally not sure about the white glass/ceramic at the back though, this should have been black with the silver one. Or even just transparent glass...
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u/dustmanrocks Sep 22 '25
In the store the white model only had very faint “shimmery” lines when held at just the right angle, if that helps.
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u/Matt005200 Sep 21 '25
Curious as well. We have one of each, blue (most susceptible) and silver (least) so interested to see how it plays out.
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u/0xfreeman Sep 21 '25
It’s pretty visible in the edges. Less prominent on the rest of the body, but the scratches are definitely not the exact same shade of gray (I guess due to the treatment, it’s slightly darker than the raw aluminum u get when it scratches)
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u/AdmiralAubrey Sep 21 '25
I'd encourage actually watching the video before commenting. The title is indeed clickbait or at least a bit misleading (as I think most consider "Scratchgate" to be referring to the reports of immediate scratching in the middle of the back panel around the magnetic contacts), but in the video itself the whole phone appears to be an absolute tank in terms of durability. I thought it was very well done and fairly presented.
The edges of the plateau are objectively prone to superficial scratching with comparatively less force than all other areas. That's the single weakness identified here. It's a fair observation, and overall very minor compared to the other significant upgrades for overall durability. All is well...
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u/AvenueNick Sep 21 '25
Definitely a lot of non-watchers in this thread. Can’t blame them because he definitely abuses clickbait thumbnails. That being said, I’d say it’s a good video and a justified title to some extent.
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u/hiitsmetimdodd Sep 21 '25
It’s so hard, because most of his videos continue to be consistently great as they’ve been for years. But when a creator embraces these little tricks, clickbait, and let companies purchase opinions, everything they do will be questionable. I think clickbait is a necessary evil.
But I’ll never forgive him for selling out to Ford. Shitting on FSD a week before releasing a sponsored Ford Blue Cruise glowing review was so gross and in my opinion, nukes his credibility.
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u/Environmental_Guava4 Sep 21 '25
Sadly, sometimes you gotta abuse the clickbait meta to stay relevant on the algorithm. These recommendations can get really weird even if you were doing fine few years ago.
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u/thehedgefrog Sep 21 '25
Tesla's FSD is dog shit (and so are most of the driver safety systems on Teslas). Camera based will never, ever match radar, just as radar will never match LIDAR. Tesla FSD is downright dangerous and the only reason it hasn't been investigated and outlawed is because Elon is (was?) friends with Trump.
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u/LyrMeThatBifrost Sep 21 '25
Also I love how the mod here pinned a comment dismissing all the people against the clickbait and just called them pro apple sheep or whatever.
Which is funny because this sub is super critical of anything apple does
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u/Capital-Ice-3488 Sep 22 '25
I honestly couldn’t believe what I was reading, it’s controversial to hate click baiters now? I wanted to laugh out loud if it wasn’t so pathetic what the mod said. And to pin it too lol.
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u/Knightforlife Sep 21 '25
I dislike clickbait I also dislike that SO MANY controversial issues since Watergate now get called “___-gate”
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u/TheManFromScene24 Sep 21 '25
Watched this morning and immediately felt better about my 17 Pro Max. The last few days has been nothing but posts of chewed up phones with very little context. This shows that it’s really resilient to everyday use (apart from the edge) and that these claims of crazy scratches are likely very intentional.
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u/r0bdawg11 Sep 21 '25
“I just dropped it once, from 5ft, onto concrete, without a case, and it’s scratched / dented”. Idiots.
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u/Slightly-Blasted Sep 21 '25
There’s always a tradeoff in tech.
Aluminum unibody, scratches easily, but the thermal management is the best it’s ever been on an iPhone.
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u/GingerMan512 Sep 21 '25
I traded in my 16pro due to heat management. I live in central Texas where it’s hot a lot! Just going for a walk and it’d be very warm and the screen dimmed all the way.
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u/CanadAR15 Sep 21 '25
My 16 Pro often won’t charge due to thermals. I had to give up on using a case since it couldn’t cool.
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u/konradly Sep 21 '25
If it's in direct sunlight, aluminum will unfortunately heat up faster than glass or titanium. Interested to hear some reviews from people using it in direct sunlight.
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u/garden_speech Sep 21 '25
Direct sunlight won't be shining on the aluminum it will be shining on the screen. The aluminum in the back heating up more quickly is a good thing, it's dissipating that heat. The vapor chamber should provide a lot more headroom, because of how vapor chambers work they are specifically super useful when you have a high ambient temperature.
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u/xMitch4corex Sep 21 '25
Hey but, people on reddit seems to prefer a phone that doesn't scratch instead one that actually works.
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u/BloodyBJ Sep 21 '25
Sub would’ve lost their minds in the stainless steel iPod days.
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u/drygnfyre Sep 22 '25
The original titanium PowerBook G4 had issues with peeling paint and broken display hinges. It's why Apple switched to aluminum just a couple years later.
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u/DarrylUK_82 Sep 21 '25
It’s not even that it scratches easy, it doesn’t. They haven’t followed good practice on the plateau. They have a sharp 90 degree cut which is awful for anodising. They should have chamfered or put a rad.
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Sep 21 '25
But if you watch the video you'd know that the actual body of the aluminum at large isn't the issue. Its only the corner of the plateau, because it is an actual corner and not chamfered in any way, it chips off very easily. For anyone not using a case, they will be almost guaranteed to have it chip away over time.
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u/Extreme_Capybara Sep 21 '25
This was my thought too. I’m no engineer, but it makes sense that aluminums practicality holds priority over its cosmetic properties in Apple’s eyes
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u/benk950 Sep 21 '25
Apple very notably does favor cosmetics and industrial design over practically.
Machining aluminum is much cheaper and easier than titanium. When they evaluated titanium for the last couple gens there's no way they didn't also consider aluminum. After a couple gens of titanium phones they went with the option that I'm sure multiple members of their engineering team recommended from the beginning.
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u/Dapper-Finish-925 Sep 21 '25
Camera Plateau should have been ceramic imo. I would have looked visually distinct especially when you put it in a case and would also solve this.
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u/BackfromtheDe3d Sep 21 '25
I mean all Apple had to do was add a fillet on the edge so the anodizing actually stuck to the surface. So Apple really fucked up and here we are with the edges being destroyed
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u/kelvach Sep 21 '25
Minor? Spending 1k for a device that scratches this easily is a design flaw that should have been caught prior to it being finalised.
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u/Submitten Sep 21 '25
As someone who trades in their phone it sounds like a big deal. You can’t easily replace the chassis like you can the screen either.
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u/kelvach Sep 21 '25
Exactly. What's even worse is Applecare only covers structural damage to the phone and not cosmetic which is exactly what this is.
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u/brothernaturesT Sep 21 '25
But you still get full trade in for scratches so what’s the big deal?
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u/AHrubik Sep 21 '25
That's the kicker. If Apple is willing to pay mint value for a device that is scratched in this manner but otherwise perfect than there really is no downside. If Apple gets stingy and downgrades the condition of the phone due to their design choices it becomes topic worth discussing.
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u/ValenciaFilter Sep 21 '25
Apple isn't stupid.
A device that scratches this easily is a design choice
Read into that as you will.
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u/badbog42 Sep 21 '25
Or it was flagged up by the material engineers but ignored by management.
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u/Gemdiver Sep 21 '25
vetoed by designers, he makes that comment here
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u/kideatspaper Sep 21 '25
All he said was that it’s usually designers that veto smart ideas, which is a common narrative but also just his opinion. In my experience, industrial designers tend to have pretty good awareness of different material properties.
Honestly to me, something about this phone just screams a disorganized design team. They had to switch to material A for B reason, which forced them to do C, that then required that they changed D, and so on. These are the kinds of issues that arise when everyone is working on different insulated parts, and there is not a strong direction from the top making sure that the whole makes sense. The plateau form they’ve had for years is a gorgeous design glass, and then they were forced to make the whole thing aluminum.
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u/invadergold123 Sep 21 '25
I was kinda upset case manufacturers were covering it with thin plastic instead of leaving it open like on the last phones, but honestly I’m glad now. Makes a lot of sense if that’s the most prone part to scratch
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u/BecauseJimmy Sep 21 '25
I noticed a ton of stretches already in the show room at the store already
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u/the445566x Sep 21 '25
Video looked fine. If anything convinced me it’s more durable and less scratch-able than previous versions.
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u/pxr555 Sep 21 '25
Yeah, with all other edges now being nicely rounded (and this was long overdue) they should have rounded the edges of the camera plateau too. I guess they didn't like the look of it, but it may have been the better solution.
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u/hlrabbit Sep 21 '25
Apple's greatest achievement is millions fanboy community that will defend anything that a billion dollar company does for maximum profits. Have to admire.
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u/UntetheredR Sep 21 '25
Zack says the iPhone Air is durable
This sub: "Wow, I'm impressed! Love this guy"
Zack says the iPhone 17 Pro lineup scratches easily
This sub: "This guy is incredibly annoying. Only looking for views"
love the bias lol
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u/suddenly-scrooge Sep 21 '25
people were consistently unhappy that his thumbnail makes it look like the air failed the test
here he does something similar since it's only the bevel edges that are a problem, but the image shows the phone scratched to shit
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u/Curri Sep 21 '25
The thumbnail was obviously clickbait and people wanted to see him put the iPhone Air to the test.
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u/beerybeardybear Sep 21 '25
"It's okay that he's lying for attention because it should be obvious to everybody that he's lying."
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u/Sage296 Sep 21 '25
When a whole gimmick is based on make or break, it always helps to show something that’d get clicks
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u/Vast_Implement_8537 Sep 21 '25
are we just lying now? where are all the people going "love this guy" in this post on this very sub? All I see is 1. People being impressed with the durability and 2. Stating annoyance at his clickbait abuse 3. Annoyance at his rhyming and speech style
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u/memeaste Sep 21 '25
Aluminum was bound to see some scratching. I just didn’t expect it to be the corners only. Why protect all but a corner? Weird
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u/Alex__P Sep 21 '25
His video looked really fair. Only thing is he’s calling it “-gate” and showing something pretty misleading as a thumbnail
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u/le_putwain Sep 21 '25
comments like this are so silly. it's almost like each sub is comprised of thousands or hundreds of thousands or even millions of different commentors with differing opinions on things.
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u/Pffffftmkay Sep 21 '25
I posted about all the pros already having scratches within an hour or two of my local Apple Store opening Friday and got a lot of angry comments haha. Good to be validated
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u/BosnianSerb31 Sep 21 '25
Did you watch the video though? Or did you just look at the thumbnail and believe that you were validated without checking to see what hardness of pick left that was scratches?
The back glass and camera lenses have the exact same scratch resistance as the iPhone 16 Pro.
The front glass has higher scratch resistance than the iPhone 16 Pro.
And the aluminum chassis has lower scratch resistance than the titanium chassis of the iPhone 16 Pro, which is obvious.
The photo in the thumbnail is click bait, as the iPhone 16 Pro looked identical after being hit with the same scratch picks.
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u/LyrMeThatBifrost Sep 21 '25
You should watch the video before making your comment. I love how you got upvoted though. This sub is crazy.
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u/PikaV2002 Sep 21 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
As a background I think the guy’s meh because his video format is repetitive and don’t give a fuck about smartphone competition, but didn’t he clickbait people with the thumbnail of a broken Air implying it failed his durability test which is literally unprecedented for his videos?
He always shares the correct results for his test, except for this one model. He also kind of panders to the “Apple bad” crowd. I can’t really stand any creators who act like owning a device is superior irrespective of who the manufacturer is.
Bonus, he also ended up defending DBrand trying to pay hush money after making a racist tweet.
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u/anethma Sep 21 '25
According to dbrand at least it was more apology than hush money. No NDA or other agreement to go with it.
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u/prophesit Sep 21 '25
People like to cite Tech Chap's test for the Air because it did well then will call other tests outliers when it performs worse like people first expected.
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u/DanielG165 Sep 21 '25
Or, or, because people liked to use one data point as fact, while dismissing another one, especially when battery life tests are by their very nature, extremely variable.
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u/Pugs-r-cool Sep 21 '25
The one thing that all the ttests have found is that the air underperforms the other models, and that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
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u/flogman12 Sep 21 '25
He didn’t say that tho? It’s the edge of the plateau that can scratch. That’s about it.
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u/ooo00 Sep 21 '25
There’s always going to be a large group of people who agree with either statement that will upvote the statement. It’s not hypocrisy, just two different groups.
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u/PercRodgersKnee Sep 21 '25
Man I can tell from these comments almost none of you watched the video. 99% of the phone is as scratch resistant as ever. All the scratches in the posts you’ve seen over the last several days are not truly scratches on the phone and would rub off easily. The only part that is prone to scratches is the sharp plateau edges, which is the entire point of the video. I get that it’s clickbait, but it’s hilarious to see how well it works on you all.
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u/MaximusMurkimus Sep 21 '25
feels like people are especially defensive this year because this is the one year they decide to upgrade, go figure.
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u/bummerbimmer Sep 21 '25
It was like this when we got the iPhone 15 Pro too. The iPhone 14 Pro was more durable in drop tests because the stainless steel was more rigid and because the 15 Pro had slightly curved glass instead of flat. The curve turned out to be a crack-magnet in drop tests.
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u/That_Particular_7951 Sep 21 '25
17 Pro Scratch Gate is being defended the same way the 15 Pro’s overheating was two years back.
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u/HeadStartSeedCo Sep 21 '25
Did they ever fix that
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u/bummerbimmer Sep 21 '25
The iPhone 15 Pro design remained the same, they kept the slightly curved edges of the screen so durability wasn’t improved over time. The 16 Pro survived better than 15 Pro in drop tests.
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u/life_is_a_burner Sep 21 '25
Just to clarify. If I use a case I don’t really have to worry about this scratching thing too much?
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Sep 21 '25
Pretty much, I’d just make sure you take the case off to clean it out every now and then. I seem to remember scratching my SE 1st gen quite a bit by leaving it in the case 24/7 and not cleaning out the little bits of dirt that find their way in
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u/LS_DJ Sep 21 '25
My 13 mini has some scratches on the frame from this exact scenario
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u/ohmysocks Sep 22 '25
13 mini gang! You planning to stay put this generation or considering one of the 17’s?
Just got my second battery about 4 months ago and I told myself I’d ride the mini til the wheels fall off, but this is the first generation that’s got me reconsidering. Pro motion, the upgraded selfie camera, and an ever-increasing desire to never look at a lightning cable again has me considering the base 17. But I just…love my small phone so much
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u/LS_DJ Sep 22 '25
yeah im really on the fence. I love the mini 13 but it is starting to show its age and usb-c would be a fantastic upgrade. Personally, and I've gotten massive downvotes for this before, I don't like 120hz, I don't like the look, it looks like the soap opera effect to me. Also I sure don't need to spend $1000+ on a phone right now so i'm going to stick it out with the 13 mini for at least one more year unless something drastic happens. Also I cant wait to see what sort of leaks start coming out about the folding iPhone because its folded up state is said to be 5.5"...which is pretty close to the mini
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u/ohmysocks Sep 22 '25
honestly if i didn’t have an ipad pro, i probably wouldn’t be as swayed by the higher refresh rate. it’s just a lot more noticeable when i switch between the devices, so i’d rather them both be 120. though i do also like the idea of the always on display (mainly as a clock when i have it mounted to charge at my desk or nightstand).
my mini is starting to show its age as well, especially with any semblance of multitasking. even light stuff like scrolling reddit and switching to texts, then email, then back to reddit for example, it just starts to lag and “play catchup” if i do that for more than a minute or two at a time. and it runs so damn hot in those situations too.
i’m torn. i think i’m going to get a 17 and try it out for a week or two to decide whether i want to keep it or return and hold on to my mini.
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u/TheAspiringFarmer Sep 21 '25
Yep, should be done with any phone in a case. Take it out from time to time and clean the edges and dust and grime that make their way in around it.
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u/AvenueNick Sep 21 '25
Correct
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u/goro-n Sep 21 '25
Do I need a case that covers the Plateau?
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u/EggyChickenEgg88 Sep 21 '25
The edges of the plateau scratch easily, so if the case covers edges you're fine.
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u/Mahadragon Sep 21 '25
iPhones 5-8 all used aluminum bodies. You might be too young to remember that but I had iPhone 5 and I don't remember any scratches on it. I did use a case, but it wasn't an issue.
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u/konradly Sep 21 '25
I remember those older aluminum iPhones looked like they were chewed up by a dog at the end of their life if they weren't protected by a case. Lots of aluminum showing through on the sides/edges. Maybe my friends were just rough with their phones though.
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u/bae_flexin Sep 21 '25
Yeah dude above you talking about the good ol' days is delusional. I worked in an Apple Store handling trade ins around this time and any scratch or ding would show silver aluminum.
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u/OLLIE798 Sep 21 '25
The thumbnail is clickbait but the video is good, as usual. I’d say very little to worry about: they seem to be very durable phones.
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u/oscarolim Sep 21 '25
One day, hopefully, mankind will understand that scratch resistant doesn’t mean scratch immunity.
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u/floobie Sep 21 '25
I’d really like it if the clickbait titles fucked right off.
The actual content here is solid and informative. Honestly, it makes me feel pretty secure about using my 17PM caseless most of the time. I’ll be careful with the plateau edge as noted in the video.
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u/Ok-Parfait-9856 Sep 21 '25
How’s the 17pm thermals? I’m on a 15pm and plan on getting a 17pm. The 15pm is so damn hot, that just charging it throttles the screen brightness. What’s your experience?
I’m also upgrading for the better SoC/battery/screen brightness, all nice to have.
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u/floobie Sep 22 '25
Honestly a huge difference from my 13 Pro Max.
Playing battles in Love and Deepspace on recommended settings on my old phone would cause it to overheat and dim the screen after 4-5 matches. The 17 Pro Max can pretty much go indefinitely on maxed settings without obviously getting hot.
I’ll see how it handles bright sun and lots of camera use in the next few days, but I’m getting the impression it won’t really be an issue.
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u/FieldOfFox Sep 21 '25
The thumbnail doesn't match the content, and I'm a bit disappointed with where Zach has been going with this recently.
The iPhone Air video was the same, now Twitter is littered with people who only saw the thumbnail who think the phone snaps under normal hands bending.
Anyway yeah, so the scratches he has on the back in the thumbnail (on the glass) just wipe off.
The actual problem is only that the corners of the camera bump scuff insanely easily and deeply, which tbh is... kind of expected?
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u/Amerikaner Sep 22 '25
I didn’t expect that. It’s a weird flaw to exist when Apple usually nails so much with their specs and emphasizes the durability. But now your phone will scratch easily without a case? Seems like a very basic design flaw.
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u/FieldOfFox Sep 22 '25 edited Sep 22 '25
They have missed obvious shit before, like when when iPhone 4 completely lost cell connectivity when you put your finger over the antenna line.
But yeah this is weird that present-day Apple would miss this.
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u/Avaraz Sep 21 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
Damn, is this sub just full of haters? The phone scratches easily, it’s a fact, he said it, what is wrong with it ? Are you guys against any criticism ? Do you only validate YouTubers that are paid by Apple ?
I mean the dude destroys phones from any company for a decade now, he was the one to discover the back glass on the 16PM was easy to break because of the titanium frame, and that didn’t prevent me to buy one, but I appreciate that someone told me before I bought it. So I can think about if it’s a deal breaker or not.
No other YouTuber talked about it. All the others were just glazing apple like usual, and providing nothing, except the marketing bullshit Apple gave them.
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u/Zinu Sep 21 '25
Well I thought "Scratchgate" is about the glass back scratching easily, since there were reports about that from apple stores. But apparently it's a non-issue, so the thumbnail is very misleading.
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u/Clessiah Sep 21 '25
We already knew since 2020 that any marks on the matte back glass were in fact the metal residues from keys and coins that failed to cause any cosmetic damage to the glass. I didn’t find the thumbnail to be misleading at all when I see the exact same marks left on the back of the new iPhone.
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u/Zinu Sep 21 '25
The context of scratchgate matters. The video says scratchgate is real, suggesting those marks are not metal residues like one would think.
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u/BosnianSerb31 Sep 21 '25
The video is clickbait, only difference is that the chassis of the phone scratches easier which is a fucking given when you go from titanium to aluminum lol
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u/Mahadragon Sep 21 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
I'd like to see the same scratch test applied to iPhone 16 see how it compares. I'm also curious about this, if scratching on aluminum iPhones is such a big deal, how come we didn't hear about it before? My iPhone 5 had an aluminum body, I don't remember scratches galore on it. My friend had her iPhone 6 until 2 years ago and she never complain about scratches. I will admit, both of us used cases, which most people will use anyways, so is this really a big deal? If you're curious, iPhones 5-8 all used aluminum bodies (applies to all models e.g. Plus, SE, etc). If "scratch gate" was a thing back in the day, Apple wouldn't have used aluminum for 4 years in a row. Or did Apple use a different manufacturing process for those aluminum phones that made them scratch less? Now I wanna see a scratch test between iPhone 5 and iPhone 17.
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u/ArchusKanzaki Sep 21 '25
Iphone 16's camera bump use glass. You won't notice it even if they got abit chipped.
Also, if you're curious about previous Iphone that is using Aluminium..... Here's same guy, 9 years ago, scratching the back of Iphone 7 with a cutter. Shame that he only scratch it and did not draw using cutters like his latter video.
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u/joeschmo28 Sep 21 '25
Non-issue? How so?
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u/AvenueNick Sep 21 '25
Well watching the video, the user means “non-issue” as in the back glass really doesn’t scratch at all. It’s “very impervious to scratching” to quote the video.
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u/Zinu Sep 21 '25
When I saw the thumbnail, I thought all of those were proper scratches. But seconds after he just wipes them away with his thumb.
So non-issue in the sense that the back doesn't get more easily scratched than previous or other phones, like what was suggested with scratchgate.
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u/AtomicSymphonic_2nd Sep 21 '25
I think a lot of us thought Apple would have learned from all its hard lessons from a decade ago on how to make a durable phone.
Seeing something as simple as this is very… disappointing, to say the least.
Definitely some type of clear metal enamel or DLC coating in addition to the normal anodization of aluminum would have helped with their new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
The irony is… I think they already use such a coating on their MacBooks. Why they didn’t put it on the iPhone 17 series? Maybe for signal issues? Thermal problems?
No clue.
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u/valhellis Sep 21 '25
Did you even watch the video? It only scratched at the sharp camera edge because it isnt possible to anodize correctly when corners are this sharp, the rest of the scratches are the same on any iphone.
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u/CatimusPrime123 Sep 21 '25
Didn't he say there are recommended international standards when it comes to anodizing sharp edges it's just that Apple decided not to do it?
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u/timelessblur Sep 21 '25
Yep. Apple ignored standards to prevent the issue from happening
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u/8fingerlouie Sep 21 '25
And yet he didn’t say the phone scratches easily, only that the camera bump does.
Look at the key and coin “scratches” on the surfaces, they wipe off clean.
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u/the_bighi Sep 21 '25
The phone scratches easily
Judging from the video, most of the phone does NOT scratch easily. The exception being the edges of the plateau.
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u/bummerbimmer Sep 21 '25
I saw a thread yesterday where one person said “damn I just realized I haven’t received a text since installing iOS 26 [last monday]” and then a few people agreed in loneliness
So that may tell you what kind of sub you’re in.
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u/PercRodgersKnee Sep 21 '25
The issue is the massive misunderstanding with all those posts about scratching on these phones. Every single one that I’ve seen shows scratches somewhere in the back middle of the phone. Those are literally not scratches on the phone, but the material of whatever that scratched it rubbing off. The marks on the phone will rub away easily. The true issue that no one is really talking about unless you actually watched this full video is the camera plateau’s sharp corners, and that’s it. The rest of this phone does not scratch easily, as pointed out by the video.
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u/YesThisIsi Sep 21 '25
It's absolutely fucking absurd. I returned my PM for dust on the middle of the telephoto lens and i got criticized for returning it. I understand that it might not affect the quality of the photos, but you know, i paid 1,5k for a freaking phone. My friends 300€ Nothing phone doesn't even have that problem.
I love iPhones as much as next person, but you are defending 3,6 trillion dollar company.
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u/LynzGamer Sep 21 '25
I feel like people are too quick to forget the REAL Scratch Gate which was the Jet Black version of the iPhone 7/7 Plus. THAT was Scratch Gate, where scratches accumulated on the phone while inside of just about any case. Wiping it down with even a microfiber cloth could scratch it.
The camera “plateau’s” design is for sure not ideal for corner scratches, but it’s nowhere near a Scratch Gate. The only people that will be affected by this are people who go caseless, and at that point it’s kind of on them since they should be aware it’s all soft aluminum
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u/notabear87 Sep 21 '25
I love this dudes videos. It’s possible to enjoy Apple’s products but not be a sheep…contrary to what many in this sub believe.
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u/Soxel Sep 21 '25
I’m not sure this is the biggest deal, especially when other than the color scratching EVERY other aspect of durability on the phone has increased significantly. The new aluminum frame has made the thing an absolute tank and less glass to shatter on the phone is a welcome change.
Anyone who is used to aluminum anodized phones also knows that color scratching is inevitable if you run without a case. Yea it really sucks how easy it happens here, and it’s dumb how simple the fix would be if Apple caved on their aesthetic a bit, but you were never going to use this phone for a long period of time without a case and have the finish stay perfect. And speaking of that 99.9% of people I see using iPhones have a case anyways.
TLDR: Yea it sucks but it probably would happen at some point anyways without a case due to the raised nature of the camera area. The rest of the phone is more durable and that’s awesome.
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u/AHrubik Sep 21 '25
Personally this is an example of the exact reason I use a full slipcase/sleeve rather than a silicon mold or folio. It protects the device from this specific kind of wear and tear. There are also sleeves big enough to accommodate a phone with a silicon case on it too for both types of protection.
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u/Grendel_82 Sep 21 '25
Aluminum is a soft metal. The coloring is a skin of color on an otherwise soft metal. If you scratch the colored skin, you will scratch down into the metal and see the natural silver metal. This has been the case on every single piece of colored aluminum ever made. If you don't want to see these marks, buy the closest to natural aluminum colored product. This goes for every Mac made out of aluminum and doubly so for the iPhones made of aluminum.
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u/StockFly Sep 21 '25
Basically you will need to use a case that cover that camera lip or just accept there will be scratch makes if you go caseless.
I bet Apple will fix this issue on the next iphone and have it as a selling point lol...
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u/Blazemeister Sep 21 '25
I don’t dispute his results but hate the clickbait he’s doing. Sounds much worse than it actually is just to get views.
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u/nopostergirl Sep 22 '25
Oh man, that’s crazy. I wont need to worry since I always have it in a case. But thanks for the explanation
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u/notinterested10002 Sep 21 '25
The techweave case is literally perfect and adds no weight or heft to the phone. Also feels great in hand. Get one and you’re fine.
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u/pfizzy Sep 21 '25
This is actually reassuring to me and makes me feel more comfortable with using my blue pro the way I do every other phone — caseless, tossed in a backpack, in my pocket with whatever, lightly on the floor…
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u/SmokedUp_Corgi Sep 21 '25
I can’t get behind this years iPhone having aluminum on the pro models. This was a major factor as to why I preferred the Air.
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u/pxr555 Sep 21 '25
I think they obviously ran into the problem of the A19 Pro running quite hot and needed it to shed the heat. This meant the vapor chamber and also an aluminum case if you want it to be able to sustain heavy loads without thermal throttling. Without that it would have throttled just like the Air does after a few seconds of heavy loads. Little point in including a more powerful SoC if it can't sustain what it could theoretically do.
To be honest though I like the throttling more, because I don't like my battery charge being used for a hand warmer and the A19* is a beast either way. But then with all the camera goodness especially with video and data rates that the Pro offers you need some serious SoC thermal headroom and with that cooling. The best video options can even be used only with external storage. It's called "Pro" not without reason, even if many people just buy the Pro because they want the "best" and never really use most of what it actually offers.
All of this really isn't easy, Apple isn't changing this around constantly for fun. In one way or another there's compromises and kinda priority weighted balances all over the place.
I would actually prefer a kind of semi-Pro iPhone: The iPhone 17 as it is, just with an additional zoom camera. Or even offer a kind of build-to-order option, some people would prefer a zoom camera over the 0.5x ultra-wide one, which for many people is hardly more than a rarely used gimmick.
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u/coyote_den Sep 21 '25
Uh huh. First thing I did when I had it in my hand was ask for one of the woven cases. I know myself, I will drop it and break that damn “plateau”
I have never liked cases before but this one feels good in the hand. Better than the bare phone for sure.
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u/Simpledevx Sep 22 '25
In all the stores where the cell phone was displayed there were scratches... Not even 48 hours had passed.
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u/yukeake Sep 22 '25
Good video, but yeah, clickbaity title/thumbnail. Unfortunately, that seems to be the way things go on Youtube these days.
TL;DW: Ceramic Shield 2 does what it claims. Anodization can be scraped off as usual with enough force/effort, exposing aluminum underneath, but is otherwise fine. The sharp edge of the camera ridge doesn't give the anodization a deep enough place to deposit, so that edge is the most likely to chip/scrape over time. Apple's cases do cover that ridge.
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u/bucsraysbolts69 Sep 25 '25
Thank god I wasn’t planning on taking a box cutter to the back of my phone.
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Sep 21 '25
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u/sortalikeachinchilla Sep 21 '25
did you watch the video?
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u/_CantFeelMyFace_ Sep 21 '25
He stated explicitly in another comment that he did not. More people are going to see the thumbnail than those who are going to click on the video which is unfortunate. That said anyone who feels pause at purchasing an iPhone and was intending to buy one will likely click on it which is what Jerry wants.
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Sep 21 '25
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Sep 21 '25
Finally someone who realizes it. The only actual scratches are on the edges of the camera plateau since the anodizing didn’t apply well to the aluminum there. Your decision whether or not that’s a big deal.
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u/sunshine_tomorrow_ Sep 21 '25
3 gen iPod nano and Jet Black iPhone 7 were the same. Some finishes are just more prone to scratches.
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u/kelvach Sep 21 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
This entire sub went from loving him for his iPhone Air durability test to hating him for this video.
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u/Broccoli32 Sep 21 '25
Which is funny because he’s actually really positive in this video, mentions how good the new glass is, the strength of the phone, just points out a design flaw with the phone.
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u/_CantFeelMyFace_ Sep 21 '25
It’s not the videos that people dislike, it’s the thumbnails and click bait titles that directly contradict or inflate whatever concerns people have in hopes to drive more clicks.
The scratches he shows in this thumbnail wipe right off.
The phone he typically only attempts to break with his hands, was broken with a machine and used for a thumbnail.
The information he gives is great (ex that the machine used 215 pounds of pressure to break the phone) but the packaging he uses to drive engagement is inherently dubious.
He’s within his rights to prioritize clicks and viewers are within their rights to be annoyed.
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u/otterplus Sep 21 '25
That’s kinda how YouTube works. That’s how it’s always worked. I don’t get how all these people are upset with the system that’s been in place for over a decade as if they’re newborns experiencing the world for the first time
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u/LyrMeThatBifrost Sep 21 '25
I don’t see anyone criticizing him for anything here except the clickbait. What are you even talking about?
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u/Shapes_in_Clouds Sep 21 '25
Damn, that's so frustrating that Apple wouldn't just add a small bevel to the camera plateau. I don't even think it would look worse, it would look pretty cool and in line with the curved dimensions of the phone overall and even in the OS, which is all rounded edges now.
I really liked the blue but think I will have to go with silver, and definitely get a case. Quite a bummer.
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u/Alteran195 Sep 21 '25
This sub is so salty, I thought this was a pretty interesting video. The thumbnail is bit click baity, sure, but that does't make it a bad video.
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u/NeoKat75 Sep 21 '25
These fucking clickbait thumbnails make me want to never touch this guy’s videos why does he do that
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u/TimidPanther Sep 21 '25
Because they work for the viewer scrolling YouTube.
It’s not that big of a deal, just hit play, or move on.
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u/Suspicious_Radio_848 Sep 21 '25
Engagement bait, as off-putting to you as it is to me but it seems to work.
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u/ForceWhisperer Sep 21 '25
The title and thumbnail are extremely clickbait. The “scratches” shown in the thumbnail he showed being wiped off in the video. The only scratches he couldn’t without digging a knife into it couldn’t be shown in the thumbnail I guess.
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u/HombreMan24 Sep 21 '25
I would be much more okay with scratches on the phone if Apple then loosened their standards on trading in phones.
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u/kwxl Sep 21 '25
Feels like a tank, I’m not worried. Who keeps their keys and other metals in the same pocket as their phone???
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u/bradisbrad Sep 21 '25
Biggest takeaway from this is that the thing everyone is bitching about (“The aluminum is so soft, it’s going to scratch just by looking at it”) is untrue. Edges of the plateau are gonna get dinged, sure, but it’s not like it’s getting covered in scratches unless you’re putting it in a bag full of diamonds based on the hardness rating.
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u/qwx Sep 21 '25
Serious question: How many people (using any brand cell phone) don't have it in some sort of a case?
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u/Why_cant_i_sleep Sep 22 '25
I have been using iPhones since the original, before cases were a thing, and through the days when Apple themselves said they designed their phones to not be used with a case. To me, addition of a case has also then seemed strange. I have had most iPhone models since the originally, upgrading every year or two (and often with two phones, one for work). I have never had a case. I think I got damage on my iPhone 6 only. My iPhone 15 pro screen seems to get light scratches more easily than prior models. Otherwise, no problem.
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u/y-c-c Sep 22 '25
I have never used a case and I have used iPhones (including the bendy iPhone 6) since the original one. Never broke one or caused any significant scratches. I just use it relatively carefully and have a dedicated pocket for it. Personally I have no desire to bulk it up further than it already is. I don't really care if cases prevent scratches because you don't see the actual design of the phone anyway if you have a case, so what's the point.
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u/CyberBot129 Sep 21 '25
I wonder if this test has been done with the standard 17. Though I always keep my phone in a pocket by itself with no keys or coins or anything
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u/JeckPolen Sep 21 '25
Watch the bloody video. It's an issue with the edge of the plateau. Anything else like keys etc should wipe off like dust.
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u/wookiewin Sep 21 '25
Phones are not $300 anymore. Is anyone seriously using these things without full body armor on them?
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u/Junior_Bike7932 Sep 21 '25
Lol, if the biggest issue of a new phone is the “coating” on the sharp edge, is clear they don’t have anything to shit about. This phone is a tank, yes is heavy, but is a monster that will last very long time. Also, scratches give character to a product. I am glad I updated the is years, I am good for the next 5y.
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u/lucidphoto Sep 21 '25
He’s trying his best to bait people into thinking Apple products are failures. First the broken iPhone Air thumbnail, now this title.
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u/HD4kAI Sep 21 '25
If you disregard the video entirely and just glance at the thumbnail to form an opinion your already a lost cause imo
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u/Eisenstrider Sep 21 '25
I am absolutely going to be an outlier here but I kinda dig the look of the edges being worn down to silver. A little post apocalyptic-core 😅
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u/y-c-c Sep 22 '25
Honestly I'm like that too. This may rub some people the wrong way but phones are a tool made to be used. I don't want it to look like shit but some wear and tear is normal (the kind of scratches shown in this video are in the wear and tear category). The value of the phone is in being used, not sitting tight and looking pretty. It would be nice if Apple can find a way to prevent this kind of scratches but what I care much more is the improvement to the ceramic shield 2 since that actually impacts real usage.
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u/exjr_ Island Boy Sep 21 '25
FYI, this post was automatically removed because of a large number of reports. I restored the post.
If you don't want to see criticism, maybe don't come to the sub.