iPhone 17 Pro scratches on demo units spark debate in China

Sales of the iPhone 17 kicked off today, and the Pro models immediately found themselves at the center of a debate. On Apple Store shelves in China, visitors spotted numerous scratches on the displays and frames of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The marks show up most clearly around the camera module and along the lower edge. A trending topic stating that the iPhone 17 Pro’s screen looks covered in scratches when the display is off has already drawn nearly 18 million views, while bloggers continue to post photos of the blemishes.

Store staff offered a straightforward explanation, saying the MagSafe charging bases used for demo units were to blame. Yet such traces hadn’t been a common sight on previous iPhone displays or housings, which naturally fueled skepticism about that version of events.

Experts point to a change in materials as the likely cause. The iPhone 15 Pro line used titanium; this year, Apple returned to an aluminum alloy—lighter and easier to machine, but less resistant to scratches. Adding to the contrast, the more affordable iPhone Air retains a titanium body and may prove more durable than the premium Pro models. For devices sitting at the very top of the range, that juxtaposition is hard to overlook.