Reports of a misaligned rear glass panel add to iPhone 17 Pro Max build-quality woes. See user reactions, return risks, and Apple’s possible response.
Apple’s new flagship, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which costs more than $1,000, has run into another build-quality issue. This time a user complained about a visibly misaligned rear glass panel. Reddit user Stark956 shared photos showing the panel sitting unevenly in the upper-left corner—hardly the kind of detail anyone expects at this price.
The episode comes on top of earlier troubles reported for the model. Users described oxidation of the body that turned the signature Cosmic Orange into a pinkish-gold shade, and said the paint could literally wear off when using wet wipes. Now a crooked glass panel joins that list.
In the Reddit thread, some commenters advised simply putting the phone in a case and moving on, while others argued that such lapses are unacceptable for a device of this caliber. A few recommended exchanging the phone, though that option carries risks of its own: a possible loss of trade-in eligibility and a $55 return fee.
It’s also notable that the problem may not be entirely new. At least one person said they had encountered a similar skew on the iPhone 13, which, if nothing else, raises the question of whether this quirk has been around for a while.
Against this backdrop, rumors that Apple is testing a new design for the iPhone 18—with a slightly transparent rear panel—feel increasingly relevant. Perhaps the company is preparing to rethink the construction to prevent such defects, or it may need to tighten quality control in the coming months. Expectations around fit and finish at this tier remain high.