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iPhone 17 Pro Max iPhone 17PM frame soft?

DaveS86

DaveS86

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 11, 2022
204
274
Hey Guys and Gals,

Happy New Year!

I’ve just taken my month old 17PM out of its Supcase UB Pro and found a dent near the charger where the case grips. It was immaculate when I bought it and went straight in to the case when it came out the box.

My question is, is Aluminium on the frame really so soft, mines never been dropped or anything. Insane that putting it in a case can dent the frame. Should I have a chat with Apple?
 
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The aluminum casing of the new 17 Pro/Pro Max are a softer metal as compared to the titanium frames used by the Air and older 15/16 series Pro iPhones. Scratches and dents will come much easier to the new frame in favor of thermal dynamics so to speak. Not surprised to hear this unfortunately.
 
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DaveS86 said:
Hey Guys and Gals,

Happy New Year!

I’ve just taken my month old 17PM out of its Supcase UB Pro and found a dent near the charger where the case grips. It was immaculate when I bought it and went straight in to the case when it came out the box.

My question is, is Aluminium on the frame really so soft, mines never been dropped or anything. Insane that putting it in a case can dent the frame. Should I have a chat with Apple?
Click to expand...
Aluminium is indeed softer than titanium, that being said, it doesn't just magically get a dent without being knocked or dropped!

Just being in a case hasn't dented the aluminium, that just hasn't happened!
 
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You must have dropped it and caused the damage somehow. I’m a bit surprised though, as the case you’ve shown looks like it offers a high level of protection.

I’ve dropped my 17 Pro onto concrete and hard floors three or four times. I’ve shattered two Spigen screen protectors, and I’m only using a TechWoven case to protect the phone, yet the device itself is still in pristine condition. I also have no issues with aluminium. I’ve owned three previous aluminium phones and all of them still look immaculate.
 
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Macdctr said:
The aluminum casing of the new 17 Pro/Pro Max are a softer metal as compared to the titanium frames used by the Air and older 15/16 series Pro iPhones. Scratches and dents will come much easier to the new frame in favor of thermal dynamics so to speak. Not surprised to hear this unfortunately.
Click to expand...
This is the reason why as a 15 pro user I am not upgrading to any aluminum iPhone ever again.
 
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Andeddu said:
You must have dropped it and caused the damage somehow. I’m a bit surprised though, as the case you’ve shown looks like it offers a high level of protection.

I’ve dropped my 17 Pro onto concrete and hard floors three or four times. I’ve shattered two Spigen screen protectors, and I’m only using a TechWoven case to protect the phone, yet the device itself is still in pristine condition. I also have no issues with aluminium. I’ve owned three previous aluminium phones and all of them still look immaculate.
Click to expand...
Exactly this.
I have dropped my 17 Pro Max so many times now in this ZAGG case and it is spotless, same as any other phones I have had that are aluminium, stainless steel and titanium.
 
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Although the case is strong but there are particles which are harder than aluminum and they get between the case and phone and depending on the pressure caused by dropping or knocking they can easily scratch or dent the frame. No cover can protect against this unless they are fully sealed from every side.

I have seen this in several phones with aluminium frames.

Dust or particle usually gets from the areas which are not covered like empty space between buttons cutout of a case.

Titanium is better in preventing this issue, but there are few phones with titanium frame.
 
Titanium or stainless steel would have been better for durability. However with aluminum, I am worried about possible dents that can happen if the device falls down.

Have always used a case with my iPhones and the 17 Pro Max was no different. Upon unboxing, decided to use only with Spigen clear case and screen protector.
 
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goldmac2006 said:
Agreeable, right? Why did you upgrade from your iPhone 15 Pro Max? Was it cos the iPhone 17 Pro Max appears to be a better fit for you?
Click to expand...
Yep, the 17 Pro Max improved on a number of things that I appreciate:
  1. Heat dissipation - I live in South Africa, it gets incredibly hot around this time, I do a lot of driving as well, I had a few times where the 15PM got so hot it turned off to cool down while I was using it for GPS, it didn’t happen often, but when it did it was incredibly frustrating.
  2. Ergonomics - the 17 Pro Max feels so much better in my hand, with or without a case, I like big phones especially if they are correctly designed, the 15 PM was an AMAZING step forward with Apple rounding of the edges, the 15 PM itself is an ergonomic masterpiece, the 17 PM dials that up to 11, I personally am very happy with now Apple has evolved iPhone design between 15 PM, 16 PM and 17 PM, no more sharp edges.
  3. Battery life - 15 PM didn’t struggle here but the 17 PM has certainly been a worthwhile upgrade in this area, I usually used to top up my 15 PM at set time, but with the 17 PM I tend to just plug in as and when I want to, I could just charge up to 80% and know I will be good for the rest of the day even if I am going to a festival.
  4. Camera - the 17 PM feels significantly faster all round here, I think the upgraded memory with higher read/write speeds along with more RAM has greatly improved the overall camera experience especially when wanting to do a lot between modes etc…the 17 PM flys effortlessly.
  5. Handling iOS 26 - the 15 PM handles it well but there is a definite difference, you can tell the 17 PM was designed around Liquid Glass, I think the 15 PM A17 Pro chip does struggle on and off here.
 
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goldmac2006 said:
This is the reason why as a 15 pro user I am not upgrading to any aluminum iPhone ever again.
Click to expand...
I completely understand being a 15 Pro Max user. Part of the reason I daily my Air and only occasionally take out my 17 Pro. For me the 17 Pro is a nice to have, not a necessity device for my current use case. I prefer using my Air on a daily basis with my 13 mini as my backup iPhone. For me this works best for how I enjoy using my iPhones.
 
Not just soft. VERY soft…

But the change in build materials dramatically helps with cooling and general performance, so I get why they did it.
 
Macdctr said:
The aluminum casing of the new 17 Pro/Pro Max are a softer metal as compared to the titanium frames used by the Air and older 15/16 series Pro iPhones. Scratches and dents will come much easier to the new frame in favor of thermal dynamics so to speak. Not surprised to hear this unfortunately.
Click to expand...
You’re not surprised that a phone dented „literally by being in a case“ and nothing else?
Interesting.
You should be.
 
Parowdy said:
You’re not surprised that a phone dented „literally by being in a case“ and nothing else?
Interesting.
You should be.
Click to expand...
No I’m not really surprised by this. Aluminum unibody framing has always been easier to dent and/or scratch by being dropped or carelessly handled or having a case that is a very tight fit. iPhone cases are all not made equal. Some will scratch the metal surface and some won’t affect the finish. YMMV . . .
 
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MarkX said:
You could have your 15 pro quite some time then!
Click to expand...
Exactly. I’m not the type to upgrade every year.

Did all my upgrades of AirPods, iPhone and Mac in 2025 and leaving it there until they feel like they are done!
Macdctr said:
I completely understand being a 15 Pro Max user. Part of the reason I daily my Air and only occasionally take out my 17 Pro. For me the 17 Pro is a nice to have, not a necessity device for my current use case. I prefer using my Air on a daily basis with my 13 mini as my backup iPhone. For me this works best for how I enjoy using my iPhones.
Click to expand...
With the iPhone air being the only titanium iPhone released in this year’s iPhone series with the 17s, it’s pretty cool but we do have to deal with only a single camera and single speaker. 🔈


Tsepz said:
Yep, the 17 Pro Max improved on a number of things that I appreciate:
  1. Heat dissipation - I live in South Africa, it gets incredibly hot around this time, I do a lot of driving as well, I had a few times where the 15PM got so hot it turned off to cool down while I was using it for GPS, it didn’t happen often, but when it did it was incredibly frustrating.
  2. Ergonomics - the 17 Pro Max feels so much better in my hand, with or without a case, I like big phones especially if they are correctly designed, the 15 PM was an AMAZING step forward with Apple rounding of the edges, the 15 PM itself is an ergonomic masterpiece, the 17 PM dials that up to 11, I personally am very happy with now Apple has evolved iPhone design between 15 PM, 16 PM and 17 PM, no more sharp edges.
  3. Battery life - 15 PM didn’t struggle here but the 17 PM has certainly been a worthwhile upgrade in this area, I usually used to top up my 15 PM at set time, but with the 17 PM I tend to just plug in as and when I want to, I could just charge up to 80% and know I will be good for the rest of the day even if I am going to a festival.
  4. Camera - the 17 PM feels significantly faster all round here, I think the upgraded memory with higher read/write speeds along with more RAM has greatly improved the overall camera experience especially when wanting to do a lot between modes etc…the 17 PM flys effortlessly.
  5. Handling iOS 26 - the 15 PM handles it well but there is a definite difference, you can tell the 17 PM was designed around Liquid Glass, I think the 15 PM A17 Pro chip does struggle on and off here.
Click to expand...
I’ve only noticed my 15 Pro overheating on Apple Maps during the summer. However, iOS 26 introduced a change that makes it ridiculous to show the map on high temperatures.

Is it because of the unibody design that the curvature of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is easier to hold onto, even with its flat sides?

Regarding the cameras, I only find the 8X zoom and the center stage to change orientation to be significant changes. Everything else is minor.

The only significant change in the battery life of the iPhone 15 Pro with iOS 26 is the adaptive power feature. What’s the point of that?
 
You realize that even titanium iPhones are mixed with aluminum right? in earlier models most of the metal is aluminum mixed with a bit of titanium. In fact iPhone 15 pro got crushed in the break tests compared to iPhone 17 Pro. iPhone 15 Pro line was probably only series that failed strength test in last few years.
 
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TechnoMonk said:
You realize that even titanium iPhones are mixed with aluminum right? In fact in earlier models most of the metal is aluminum mixed with a bit of titanium. In fact iPhone pro got crushed in the break tests compared to iPhone 17 Pro.
Click to expand...
Really? I’m not sure it’s an alloy, though.
 
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