iPhone 17 Pro Number of hardware issues on the Pros this year is unacceptable

[Hooyah]

It took ENORMOUS amounts of public shaming and articles and videos to get them to recognize the Butterfly keyboard had to go.

Thank goodness for Joanna Stern

That’s true. I made it just as much hell for Apple as I could given how much productivity I lost in 2018 / 2019.

Multiple 140 mile trips to the Apple Store. Leaving it for a week. Getting it back. Same issues (due to a design fault that were always going to repeat). Kept it up. Kept milking them for repairs - in fairness it was their own stupid policy to replace the battery and top case every single time. Eventually I got a call from the store manager offering me a full refund because of the hassle I had.

Of course, by then I had a bit more saved. Added some more money to the mix, bought the them higher spec quad core model. Same issue. Same process. Eventually returned it for a Mac mini but hopefully on some spreadsheet somewhere within Apple my numbers added to some statistic that decided to make them actually fix it.

 

[chmania]

I believe none of the iPhones can do this, even in the US. By the time Apple can get their so-called Apple Intelligence to work, they may need to go through this long video. It's in Hindi, so we can either read the subtitles or ask YouTube to auto-dub it to English. Tim Cook should watch this before discussing how good the iPhones are, the next time.

Aha, try to watch it, before commenting. You need ~43 minutes.

 

[jntdroid]

There isn't anything wrong with my silver 17 Pro 256gb. Day 1 phone. No scratches. No hissing. No misaligned panels. No nothing but a great phone so far.

I originally preferred the deep blue, but found it to look a little purple in a couple of the cases I use (that are black or gray). The silver looks excellent IMO, and I think I like it the best this year (to each their own!).

 

[turbineseaplane]

Aha, try to watch it, before commenting. You need ~43 minutes.

To quote Picard in the TNG episode The Defector, when Tomalok gives Picard 30 seconds:

"I do not require one, Tomalak"

 

[chmania]

By the time the iPhone 18 comes out, there could be another 30+ AI features in Oppo and OnePlus phones. All the while, Siri will still be asking ChatGPT for assistance. Gemini, being Google's, will be making significant strides toward the future. Android is open-source, and so is Gemini. The open-source community supports one another.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

The carrier and the shops give 14 day normal return window, Amazon gives 30 day return window. And, all of them give you 2-year warranty, which you don't have in your strange country. By the way, it's Apple that sells through Amazon.

My carrier has a 30 day return policy. I believe there is a charge if you return, and the device is not defective though.

 

[Xenomorph]

I mean Apple literally put silicone rings on the MagSafe stand chargers in Apple Stores because the phones were all scratched on the back in every store. Plenty of YouTubers have had scratches and dents within the first couple weeks of use. I’d say they’re definitely guilty of some more hardware quality issues than usual this year, but hey, you can have your own opinion too.

I was at the Apple Store again yesterday, trying on various cases.

Like my past several trips, I now pick up and examine phones, trying to find ANY apparent scratches these things are supposedly getting.

The iPhone 16 models I picked up had the SAME scuffs on their matte backs that people seem to think is some new issue with the iPhone 17 phones. I'm pretty sure all iPhone models with a matte back get the same exact scuffs from the magnetic rings.

Pretending it's a problem with just the iPhone 17 models is really weird.

Teal iPhone 16:

https://imgur.com/KZlBITi

 

[Allen_Wentz]

haha, that was my thread Didn’t want to revoke it, so asked people here as well. Smh youtubers seem not to notice the issue, but it is noticeable on photo samples on the web and even in videos.

I waited long for 17 Pro only to realize this phone has such an issue. I mean I can understand HDR and sharpening but there is something on the deeper level going on, maybe a bug or lens issue (which is worse)

Nonsense. Shoot RAW and use reasonable technique and your pix will NOT be "HDR and sharpening but there is something on the deeper level going on, maybe a bug or lens issue (which is worse)."

 

[uacd]

Nonsense. Shoot RAW and use reasonable technique and your pix will NOT be "HDR and sharpening but there is something on the deeper level going on, maybe a bug or lens issue (which is worse)."

But on the other hand I gotta waste a lot of time editing these RAWs.

Each and every time I make myself shoot in RAW (whatever device it is, iPhone or standalone camera), I rarely get the result I want or plan to, as well as whole process feels very exhausting.

I am used to SOOC ever since the first camera I used - Sony DSC N1. Although this is Sony and it was always a premium option to shoot, I loved the process: choose subject, zoom (or not), click shutter, enable or disable flash when needed. PERFECT!

Yesterday I tried to do real Bayer RAW once again on my iPhone and edited it in RAW Power. While it is indeed faster than doing same thing in Lightroom, I was very unimpressed with end result: pleasant noise but zero sharpness, at other times I would get an overexposure too.

As for ProRAW I had used it for a while on my gf’s 16 Pro but honestly, to my eyes it looked nearly identical to SOOC Jpeg output. Yes, these files let you edit white balance precisely, but I am not really fond of tweaking it after I take a photo! I would always set it according to weather on cameras that fail to recognize it properly or just leave to auto.

Level of details, noise profile - nearly same as in JPEG.

Here is a post that demonstrates what I am talking about. OP decided to take 5s for a photoshoot. And the issue is: I couldn’t take such sharp images of flowers ever since 5s. My 11 Pro just fails, 16 Pro too (and also those two will make ugly HDR mush from a beautiful flower).

I have old Nikon to shoot flowers, yep, but it is very sad that Apple has first hooked me on new workflow that I could take beautiful flower shots since 2012, and now I simply cannot. Skill issue? Not sure, for my liking I always use M mode on Nikon because in auto it would also make lackluster images. So yeah it is pretty sad all new iPhones take very blurry images despite having 48MP sensors (or simply 48MP Bayer filters)

 

[chmania]

I just ordered an Oppo Reno 14 Pro for my wife, who only uses Android phones. I'm fairly certain I won't be buying the iPhone 17 (or 18) in any variant. I don't see iPhones catching up with AI developments in the near future, especially without their own in-house AI and continuously relying on ChatGPT for guidance. I watched this event yesterday and found the people there much more natural and less artificial than at an Apple "event." You’d find they had everything Tim Cook was boasting about much earlier and done much better. It looks like Apple is playing catch-up most of the time.

 

[chmania]

I don't think Tim Cook's next iPhone 18 Pro Max can compete with the Oppo Find X9, which was just released about 7 hours ago in China. It will even be difficult to compete with the Oppo Find X9 Pro.

 

[jntdroid]

I don't think Tim Cook's next iPhone 18 Pro Max can compete with the Oppo Find X9, which was just released about 7 hours ago in China. It will even be difficult to compete with the Oppo Find X9 Pro.
View attachment 2568870

Do you have any context for that shot? How much zoom is used, how far away is the subject, which lens is used, etc?

The OPPO shot clearly looks cleaner, but if that person is 15 feet away, I could see the 17 Pro's shot actually looking better to the random person who isn't pixel-peeping (mainly due to lighting and software sharpening).

 

[chmania]

Do you have any context for that shot? How much zoom is used, how far away is the subject, which lens is used, etc?

The OPPO shot clearly looks cleaner, but if that person is 15 feet away, I could see the 17 Pro's shot actually looking better to the random person who isn't pixel-peeping (mainly due to lighting and software sharpening).

Watch this,

It's in Chinese, with only a few sentences being dubbed to English by YouTube.

 

[CloudChief]

But on the other hand I gotta waste a lot of time editing these RAWs.

Each and every time I make myself shoot in RAW (whatever device it is, iPhone or standalone camera), I rarely get the result I want or plan to, as well as whole process feels very exhausting.

I am used to SOOC ever since the first camera I used - Sony DSC N1. Although this is Sony and it was always a premium option to shoot, I loved the process: choose subject, zoom (or not), click shutter, enable or disable flash when needed. PERFECT!

Yesterday I tried to do real Bayer RAW once again on my iPhone and edited it in RAW Power. While it is indeed faster than doing same thing in Lightroom, I was very unimpressed with end result: pleasant noise but zero sharpness, at other times I would get an overexposure too.

As for ProRAW I had used it for a while on my gf’s 16 Pro but honestly, to my eyes it looked nearly identical to SOOC Jpeg output. Yes, these files let you edit white balance precisely, but I am not really fond of tweaking it after I take a photo! I would always set it according to weather on cameras that fail to recognize it properly or just leave to auto.

Level of details, noise profile - nearly same as in JPEG.

Here is a post that demonstrates what I am talking about. OP decided to take 5s for a photoshoot. And the issue is: I couldn’t take such sharp images of flowers ever since 5s. My 11 Pro just fails, 16 Pro too (and also those two will make ugly HDR mush from a beautiful flower).

I have old Nikon to shoot flowers, yep, but it is very sad that Apple has first hooked me on new workflow that I could take beautiful flower shots since 2012, and now I simply cannot. Skill issue? Not sure, for my liking I always use M mode on Nikon because in auto it would also make lackluster images. So yeah it is pretty sad all new iPhones take very blurry images despite having 48MP sensors (or simply 48MP Bayer filters)

Pro raw applies most of the processing that apple applies to jpegs. That’s why they look the same. Shoot the same picture using the same settings in Halide’s 12mp raw mode and you’ll see the difference in noise. I actually understand why they chose to default to 24mp SOOC instead of 48mp after seeing the raw output at 12mp as the smaller pixels at higher mp counts really hurt the quality

 

[chmania]

It will be officially opened in Barcelona on the 28th October.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

But on the other hand I gotta waste a lot of time editing these RAWs.

Each and every time I make myself shoot in RAW (whatever device it is, iPhone or standalone camera), I rarely get the result I want or plan to, as well as whole process feels very exhausting.

I am used to SOOC ever since the first camera I used - Sony DSC N1. Although this is Sony and it was always a premium option to shoot, I loved the process: choose subject, zoom (or not), click shutter, enable or disable flash when needed. PERFECT!

Yesterday I tried to do real Bayer RAW once again on my iPhone and edited it in RAW Power. While it is indeed faster than doing same thing in Lightroom, I was very unimpressed with end result: pleasant noise but zero sharpness, at other times I would get an overexposure too.

As for ProRAW I had used it for a while on my gf’s 16 Pro but honestly, to my eyes it looked nearly identical to SOOC Jpeg output. Yes, these files let you edit white balance precisely, but I am not really fond of tweaking it after I take a photo! I would always set it according to weather on cameras that fail to recognize it properly or just leave to auto.

Level of details, noise profile - nearly same as in JPEG.

Here is a post that demonstrates what I am talking about. OP decided to take 5s for a photoshoot. And the issue is: I couldn’t take such sharp images of flowers ever since 5s. My 11 Pro just fails, 16 Pro too (and also those two will make ugly HDR mush from a beautiful flower).

I have old Nikon to shoot flowers, yep, but it is very sad that Apple has first hooked me on new workflow that I could take beautiful flower shots since 2012, and now I simply cannot. Skill issue? Not sure, for my liking I always use M mode on Nikon because in auto it would also make lackluster images. So yeah it is pretty sad all new iPhones take very blurry images despite having 48MP sensors (or simply 48MP Bayer filters)

No. Do you even own an iPhone 17 Pro? I do not understand what you are talking about when you state "I gotta waste a lot of time editing these RAWs."

I shoot RAW every day and I very seldom "waste a lot of time editing RAWs." I often do crop, but that takes little time and is the nature of my work, not the camera. The only time heavy editing is necessary is when lighting is really poor, and then I am editing to make a bad pic less bad (in my work sometimes a bad pic is better than no pic).

Seriously: just have an iPhone 17 Pro set to RAW, have decent lighting, and hold the iPhone still; no editing, no Halide, etc. needed. You will find that your statement that "all new iPhones take very blurry images" is flat wrong.

 

[uacd]

No. Do you even own an iPhone 17 Pro? I do not understand what you are talking about when you state "I gotta waste a lot of time editing these RAWs."

I shoot RAW every day and I very seldom "waste a lot of time editing RAWs." I often do crop, but that takes little time and is the nature of my work, not the camera. The only time heavy editing is necessary is when lighting is really poor, and then I am editing to make a bad pic less bad (in my work sometimes a bad pic is better than no pic).

Seriously: just have an iPhone 17 Pro set to RAW, have decent lighting, and hold the iPhone still; no editing, no Halide, etc. needed. You will find that your statement that "all new iPhones take very blurry images" is flat wrong.

I don’t, but have 24/7 access to 16 Pro. Their cameras are nearly identical (minus the telephoto). I’ve tried ProRAW and honestly had not seen much difference in processing and rendering. I was eyeing at 17 Pro at first and as it turned out, many units have some sort of manufacturing defect with their lens and images come out blurry. If your unit is unaffected then probably you got a good one

 

[zenmacx]

I wish people understood that "you not having a problem" is indicative of nothing in the broader scope of a potential issue with a given product.

Please try not to be so dismissive when people report having issues.

It's highly unlikely that folks are making things up, as it provides no joy to come and post about things and then be told "who cares" - "doesn't exist" - "you're being a karen" - "no problems with mine . NUFF SAID" - "you sound like you're trolling" - etc etc etc

Well said, I concur.

Apple is known for being a market leader making excellent premium products. They advertise their devices as such and rightfully so.

In turn Apple is not shy about charging premium prices and that's to be expected as long as said products perform as advertised.

However when said products fail to live up to Apples typically high standards, buyers who report issues should not be criticized. Nor should Apple be forgiven for not taking ownership of the issues. Buyers are entitled to get what they paid for.

Apple has vast resources and the engineering expertise to make things right. It's simply a matter of doing the right thing and taking care of the customer.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Well said, I concur.

Apple is known for being a market leader making excellent premium products. They advertise their devices as such and rightfully so.

In turn Apple is not shy about charging premium prices and that's to be expected as long as said products perform as advertised.

However when said products fail to live up to Apples typically high standards, buyers who report issues should not be criticized. Nor should Apple be forgiven for not taking ownership of the issues. Buyers are entitled to get what they paid for.

Apple has vast resources and the engineering expertise to make things right. It's simply a matter of doing the right thing and taking care of the customer.

Sorry but statements like "all new iPhones take very blurry images" (especially when made by folks that do not even own iPhone 17 Pros) are not "buyers who report issues," they are simply sensational lies. Your words "when said products fail to live up to Apples typically high standards" also imply that there is some wholesale failure, when there is no such wholesale failure going on.

Meaningful comments are those from real buyers reporting their experiences after going through the return process that Apple makes so easy (at least in the USA). But the most noise seems to come from non-owners, perhaps wanting to justify their non-purchase to themselves, IDK.

Individual product failures of course will occur. And when millions of devices hit the street in 48 hours the number of expected defective devices is expected to be a significant number. The important question to me is how well the process for replacing those defective products does or does not work.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

performance is my biggest issue. My 14PM on ios 17 is way snappier that my 17PM ios 26. Hooefully its just sw issue that will be resolved asap.

IMO iOS 26 is still in beta but Apple acts as if it is not. Frankly it offends me that Apple forces buyers of iPhone 17s into effectively being beta testers. And it denigrates the great hardware of the iPhone 17 Pros.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I wish people understood that "you not having a problem" is indicative of nothing in the broader scope of a potential issue with a given product.

Untrue. Many posters imply or even claim directly that some [anecdotal] problem is widespread; e.g. comments like "all new iPhones take very blurry images." So it is very relevant for real owners with devices not presenting the alleged defect to speak up as "not having a problem."

 

[Contact_Feanor]

So far, all the hardware issues known with the 17 Pro series:

• Aluminum body dents and scratches upon impacts even when the phone is in a case
• Speaker makes buzzing/static noises when the phone is charging and/or listening to audio on very low volumes
• Back camera module makes a clicking sound whenever opening the camera app and/or switching lenses
• Front camera/Face ID sensors make a clicking noise when Face ID activates

Feel free to add any other issues you’ve experienced. This is a ridiculous level of hardware issues for a Pro phone.

If you seem to think none of these issues exist, refer to the links below:

iPhone 17 Pro Max – Static / hissing nois… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1nn8nev/anyone_with_an_iphone_17_pro_max_hearing

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-17-pro-camera-making-a-clicking-sound.2466702/

So basically you're a new user that started posting just a month ago and supposedly had many problems with the pro max you bought, you returned it, bought an air, think there's a "lottery" of good and bad displays, and only join in on threads to talk about the many problems you had with all these new phones... I don't think this thread is very serious.

 

[kulan]

So basically you're a new user that started posting just a month ago and supposedly had many problems with the pro max you bought, you returned it, bought an air, think there's a "lottery" of good and bad displays, and only join in on threads to talk about the many problems you had with all these new phones... I don't think this thread is very serious.

I just got a new Pro Max and it’s fine, I’m not looking for problems with it but I didn’t have to on the previous one. Maybe you could venture to tell me why you’re stalking my profile and how you came to the conclusion I’m “not being serious” after doing that?

Also, I’ve had no problems on my Air. So not sure what you mean by “only talking about problems”

 

[Radeon962]

Dropped on tile floor and no damage. Was in case.

Don’t have that issue.

Don’t have that issue.

Don’t have that issue.

Nothing will be perfect. There will be minor, isolated issues with all new things.

Same here. No issues with my 17 PM.

 

[chmania]

IMO iOS 26 is still in beta but Apple acts as if it is not. Frankly it offends me that Apple forces buyers of iPhone 17s into effectively being beta testers.

This is true with all Apple operating systems. The current "stable" OS becomes somewhat stable only when the next OS's public beta version is introduced, which is never stable with certain point releases following even after. It’s easy for Apple with so many believers around...