Apple redesigned the iPhone 17 Pro series with an Aluminum frame this year, but it’s causing more problems than it solves. Recall the “Scratchgate” when people complained about the 17 Pro duo easily picking up scratches. Turns out, that’s the least of their worries, as these iPhones are now showing signs of discoloration.
Only a handful of iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max users took this issue to Reddit in the beginning. They saw a strange discoloration of the camera island at first, and then it slowly spread to the whole metal body. Only the middle section with matte glass was safe.
This issue is spreading, and suddenly there’s an influx of complaints from buyers seeing this decolorization phenomenon, though it’s mostly prevalent on the Cosmic Orange iPhones. There are some with the Deep Blue iPhone 17 Pros who had the same complaint, but they are a minority.
Looking at the images, it’s not hard to understand how worrisome this issue can be for Pro and Pro Max users who paid over $1000 to buy Apple's new iPhone models. And these complaints are certainly rubbing the potential buyers the wrong way. If you were hoping to buy one of these phones, consider this a warning.
So what’s causing this decoloration? There’s no official comment on it yet. But, the iPhone 17 Pro users say that this new aluminium chassis is likely affected by UV rays. They say the color started fading when their iPhones were exposed to the sun for short periods.
If what the users report is true, then it’s only a matter of time before all iPhone 17 Pros are affected. And this is not something a simple OTA update can fix. So here are your options if you are still adamant about buying these new iPhone 17 Pros.
You can buy the iPhone 17 Pro, but keep its body out of direct sunlight, and possibly wrap it in a case as soon as you take it out. We don’t think this color change is reversible in any way. The case might save it from decoloration and even scratches that it so easily picks up. Or you can wait for Apple’s response to this mess. We hope they’ll recall the damaged iPhone 17 Pros and send replacement units.