There are concerns about the durability of the new iPhone 17 series. Reports say that these phones are more likely to get scratches and scuffs than older models.
In a video from the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything that tested the endurance of the camera bump, tech blogger Zack Nelson pointed out that the edges are especially easy to break. He says that the anodized aluminum coating is tough on paper—”second only to diamonds in hardness”—but the corners are left exposed, which makes it easy for the color to chip away.
Nelson added, “They ignored an international standard, and it’s going to haunt everyone who buys this phone. There’s no way to fix it.” He blamed Apple’s design choice for putting looks ahead of durability.
He said, “Apple didn’t add a chamfer, fillet, or radius around the camera plateau for some reason, and I think they did it on purpose to make it look cooler.”
Nelson utilized common things like keys and coins in his testing to simulate situations where phones are in pockets or bags with other things. These things clearly scratched the borders of the camera bump, showing the silver layer underneath.
Bloomberg’s news that users around the world have seen cracks and scuffs on the blue iPhone 17 Pro units and the black iPhone Air devices made people even more worried. People also saw that the MagSafe charger left round marks on the phones.
The results have led to a debate about whether Apple’s concentration on streamlined design has hurt the long-term longevity of its products.