The iPhone Air I have been using for more than a month still looks brand new
And here is one other strange new development — iPhones now have excellent scratch-resistance on the screens. And that was the problematic part! Now, it seems much easier to scratch the aluminum frame than it is to scratch the display.
Unless Apple’s trying to make “worn-out chic” the next big aesthetic trend, this new aluminum finish feels like a design misstep. A $1,200 flagship shouldn’t need a case just to survive normal life.
Is aluminum really the problem?
The reason for that might be the choice of color and finish. Aluminum is a material with a natural silvery tone, so if you opted for a silver iPhone 17 Pro, chances are those scratches won’t be that noticeable.
Scuffs are not quite as noticeable on the Cosmic Orange model, but not invisible either (Image by PhoneArena)
But a bright silver scratch on a dark, navy blue iPhone? Very obvious! Similarly, the Cosmic Orange version of this new iPhone is only a slight improvement, as you can see the scrapes easily there too.
Other materials
Titanium and aluminum are not the only game in town. Nope, we are not going back to plastic iPhones, but some of the best-feeling, most durable phones ever made were ceramic. Xiaomi, Oppo, and even OnePlus have flirted with ceramic back models that look pristine for years. These ceramic finishes also resist scratches, and feel nice in the hand.
The downside is a bit of added weight and higher cost. But when you’re charging over $1,200 for a “Pro Max” device, that shouldn’t be a viable excuse.
Ceramic also has that luxury feel that aluminum simply just can’t match. And worse yet, Apple knows this very well. The company used ceramic materials in the Apple Watch Edition for years, making a point about its “durability and elegance.” Yet when it comes to the iPhone, we are back to weight savings and thermals.
Premium should mean lasting
Right now, there is one solution to this problem: carry your brand new iPhone 17 Pro device in a case. Or wear velvet gloves when you touch it.
Apple has jumped between two extremes, once with a titanium phone with poor heat dissipation and then to an aluminum phone with bold colors that show scratches too easily.
We need to find that happy medium, so that our $1,000+ iPhones live up to the Pro name in durability.
