Apple, after a really long while, has fallen into a “gate” controversy with its iPhone 17 Pro models. Users are reporting that the Cosmic Orange (which was this year’s showstopper) and the Deep Blue variants (the darkest colour in the lineup) of the iPhone Pro are surprisingly prone to scratches—scratchgate, if you will.
This has come as a shock to many, especially since the design was a major highlight for this release. Even the display units at the Apple Store are exhibiting this flaw. Experiencing wear and tear at such an early stage – when there has hardly been any real use of the device – is certainly unexpected.
The majority of complaints focus on the edges surrounding the camera plateau, with experts pointing to the anodized coating as the culprit, struggling to maintain its integrity. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I’m spending over a lakh for a flagship device, I’d at least expect it to maintain its pristine appearance for a while. Perhaps that’s just me. But iPhone users are anyway used to settling for the bare minimum at a high price, so, not their first rodeo. Yes, I’m an Android user!
There’s even a popular theory among the fandom suggesting this scratchgate issue could be the reason behind the absence of a black color option for the iPhone 17 Pro Max this year – a decision that didn’t sit well with many. They say beauty comes at a price, but Apple users paid that price and got… scratches instead. Not exactly what they signed up for.
So if you were expecting to show off your premium phone, in all its beautiful glory, you can scratch that thought and invest in a good back cover—the real MVP this launch season.
