Memories of the iPhone 6
The all-new iPhone 17 line made its debut recently, but there are already issues being reported with the devices being prone to scratches.
Demo unit iPhone 17 Pro scratches on day 1… (it’s not even 24 hours yet)
Use a case immediately if you don’t wait to experience this kind of issue. I’m very disappointed with the quality here pic.twitter.com/zRjIQrl3zA
— Bradley (@VerdeSelvans) September 19, 2025
As demo units are starting to roll out in display units all across the country, customers and reviewers are already noticing scratches appearing on the demo units across the iPhone line, with the most prominent being on the Deep Blue, Cosmic Orange, and the black colour on the all-new iPhone Air. These appear within a few hours after being put on display.
As expected, this issue has already gained traction on social media, with users on Reddit and Twitter (now X) sharing their photos of the scratches on both demo units and actual devices. The most prominent example is the durability test of the iPhone 17, which shows a large number of scratches.
Bruh, why are all the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max/Air retail demo units so scratched already? They have been on display for just a few hours🥲 pic.twitter.com/yyxXLNp2rK
— Kevin (@KTZ_KTechZone) September 19, 2025
This isn’t the first time that an iPhone has struggled with launch day issues; As Android Headlines pointed out, the iPhone 5 struggled with what was referred to as “scuffgate,” the infamous iPhone 6 “bendgate” issue (mine used to get small marks thanks to dust, believe it or not), alongside the iPhone 4’s antenna issues.
Interestingly, one user on the r/iPhone17 forum has pointed out that with the device being made of aluminum, a notoriously softer metal, the scratches on the device were expected to happen.
One common fix for the phone that users are sharing online to prevent scratches is using a clear case. This way, you can still see the colour without risking the device getting scratched.
Source: Android Headlines
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