Updated

Updated · CNET · Sep 7

CNET Finds iPhone 17 Pro Max Withstands 11 Months Caseless, Showing 3x Better Scratch Resistance

Updated

Updated · CNET · Sep 7

CNET Finds iPhone 17 Pro Max Withstands 11 Months Caseless, Showing 3x Better Scratch Resistance

Q: Did the iPhone 17 Pro Max truly defeat early scratch fears, or is a hidden cosmetic flaw lurking on its unibody chassis?

Yes—on the main issue, the iPhone 17 Pro Max largely put the early scratch fears to rest, especially for the display. The strongest evidence is CNET’s 11-month caseless test, where the phone endured repeated drops and daily pocket wear yet kept its screen intact and mostly free of visible scratches. In side-by-side use against an iPhone 16 Pro exposed to similar treatment, the 17 Pro Max’s Ceramic Shield 2 showed clearly better scratch resistance. The early “scratchgate” reaction also appears to have been overstated. Apple said at least some of the marks seen on store demo units came from worn MagSafe risers transferring material onto the backs, not from the phones permanently scratching unusually easily. Separate testing of the Cosmic Orange finish also did not find a broad manufacturing defect tied to discoloration. But there is a cosmetic weak spot, and it is not the screen. Long-term use showed slight fading of the Cosmic Orange finish on parts of the unibody chassis, along with a persistent silver mark and some color chipping around the camera island. The reporting suggests this wear came from ordinary friction and contact with another phone rather than from the attached ring stand. So the hidden flaw is real, but limited: the iPhone 17 Pro Max did not prove immune to cosmetic aging on its body and camera area. What it did prove is that the major early worry—easy scratching, especially on the front—was mostly not borne out in real-world use.

1 articles · Updated · CNET · Sep 7

11 months of caseless use left CNET’s iPhone 17 Pro Max with no screen damage and only minor scratches, despite repeated drops onto bus floors, marble and concrete.
Side-by-side use over 10 to 11 months made Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2 upgrade stand out: the iPhone 17 Pro Max screen looked largely pristine, while a similarly used iPhone 16 Pro was covered in minor and deep scratches.
Cosmetic wear was still visible on the newer phone, with dents from drops, color chipping around the camera island and some fading of the cosmic orange finish on curved corners.
That wear did not match early online fears about scratching and discoloration; CNET previously reported Apple blamed some store-unit marks on worn MagSafe risers, and another test found discoloration was unlikely to affect most owners.
CNET said the display protection was the clearest durability gain and suggested future Pro models with the same shield could be easier to recommend without screen protectors.