The iPhone 17 Pro has been on shelves for only a few weeks, but early buyers and store visitors have already raised concerns about durability. Some demo units have been spotted with visible marks on their aluminum frames, and the issue has quickly earned the nickname “Scratchgate” online.
The problem appears most often around the sharp edges of the new camera housing. This year, Apple replaced last year’s titanium frame with a lighter aluminum design to reduce weight and improve heat management. While that change has been welcomed by some, durability tests from iFixit and YouTuber JerryRigEverything have shown that the anodized coating on the aluminum can chip when scratched with metal objects, leaving bare spots.
Apple has pushed back on the idea that these marks are actual scratches caused by normal usage. In a statement shared with 9to5Mac, the company said the scuffs on demo units are caused by “material transfer” from the MagSafe stands used in retail displays. According to Apple, the residue can be wiped off and does not represent permanent damage. The company also noted that this kind of transfer can appear on older iPhones or any other Apple product with an anodized aluminum surface, not just the iPhone 17 series.
Not everyone is convinced. iFixit’s testing shows that normal use can wear down the paint layer around the sharp edges of the camera housing within days. Using the phone without a case — which Apple actively promotes — means everyday contact with pocket lint or dust on a table can cause visible marks, and that’s hardly unusual for most users. Not to mention this coating loss goes beyond the kind of removable residue Apple describes.
And for those curious about the new aluminum body’s durability, there’s also a drop test comparison with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
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