iPhone 17 Pro Max
Look, I’ll be straight with you right from the start. I was absolutely hyped when Apple announced the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Like, genuinely excited. The redesign looked gorgeous, the specs were mind-blowing, and those new camera features? They seemed like everything a mobile photographer could dream of.
But here’s the thing – and this is why I’m writing this today – the iPhone 17 Pro Max has some pretty concerning issues that Apple definitely isn’t putting on their fancy billboards. I’m talking about real problems that actual people are experiencing, not just theoretical concerns or nitpicking.
After spending weeks digging through Reddit threads, YouTube comments, tech forums, and talking to people who actually bought this phone, I’ve discovered some defects that honestly shocked me. Some of these issues are so bizarre that I had to double-check whether people were joking. Spoiler alert: they weren’t.
So before you drop over a thousand dollars on this thing, let me walk you through everything I’ve found. Trust me, you’ll want to read this.
The Cosmic Orange Disaster – When Your Premium Color Literally Changes
Okay, this one’s wild. When Apple revealed the Cosmic Orange color variant, people absolutely lost their minds. It was fresh, bold, and totally different from the usual safe colors Apple goes with. I personally thought it looked incredible in their marketing photos – that rich, warm orange with subtle metallic undertones? Chef’s kiss.
But then reality hit, and it hit hard.
Within just a few weeks of regular use, people started noticing something really weird. Their gorgeous Cosmic Orange iPhones were… turning pink. Not like a subtle shift that you’d need perfect lighting to notice. I’m talking about a clearly visible change from orange to this washed-out pinkish tone that honestly looks kind of cheap.
At first, I thought maybe it was just a handful of unlucky users who got defective units. But then more reports kept flooding in. Reddit threads started popping up with side-by-side comparisons of brand new units versus two-week-old phones, and the difference was honestly shocking.
So what’s actually causing this color-changing nightmare?
From what I’ve gathered after reading through countless forum posts and some insights from materials engineers (yes, I went that deep), there are two main culprits:
First up, our own skin. Sounds weird, right? But apparently, the natural oils from our hands, combined with everyday things like hand lotion, sweat, and even just environmental humidity, are reacting with whatever coating Apple used on the Cosmic Orange finish. It’s basically a chemical reaction happening in slow motion on your expensive phone.
The second issue seems to be with Apple’s protective coating itself. Word on the street is that they used an incredibly thin nano-layer over the color to keep that matte premium feel. The problem? It’s so thin that normal friction – and I mean really normal stuff like putting your phone in your pocket or setting it down on a desk – is slowly wearing it away. As this coating degrades, you’re left with this faded, pinkish mess that looks nothing like what you paid for.
The color shift usually starts showing up first around the edges and corners of the frame. Then you’ll notice it creeping around the volume buttons and that new action button. Some people have reported it appearing around the camera island too, which is particularly frustrating since that’s such a visible part of the phone.
Here’s what really gets me: if you’re using your phone without a case (because, let’s be honest, these phones are designed to be beautiful and hiding them feels wrong), this discoloration becomes super noticeable within just three to four weeks. That’s not okay for a flagship phone in 2025.
The Scratch Situation Is Genuinely Disappointing
Apple made this huge deal about their new 7th-generation Ceramic Shield Ultra. They literally used the words “strongest glass ever” in their presentation. I remember watching the keynote and thinking, “Finally, maybe we can stop worrying about scratches from just existing.”
Yeah, that didn’t age well.
The reality is that the iPhone 17 Pro Max scratches way easier than you’d expect from something marketed as ultra-durable. People are finding micro-scratches from completely normal, everyday activities. We’re talking about just keeping your phone in your pocket with nothing else in there. Or sliding it across a wooden table. These aren’t extreme scenarios – this is basic phone use.
And it gets worse with the camera bump. The lenses themselves are picking up these hairline scratches that catch the light at certain angles. For a phone that’s supposed to be a photography powerhouse, having scratched lenses is a dealbreaker for a lot of folks.
The titanium ring around the cameras sits slightly higher this time around, which means it’s making more contact with surfaces than previous models. This design choice might look sleek, but it’s causing these circular abrasion marks that are pretty much impossible to polish out.
What frustrates me most about this is the gap between Apple’s marketing and the actual product. When you spend this much money on what’s supposed to be a “Pro” device in 2025, you shouldn’t have to worry about visible scratches appearing within days of normal use.
That Titanium Frame? Softer Than You’d Think
Let’s talk about titanium for a second. Apple switched to titanium and made it sound like they were basically building phones out of tank armor. Lighter weight, incredible strength – the whole pitch sounded amazing.
Except here’s what they didn’t emphasize: titanium can actually be pretty soft depending on the specific alloy used. And it seems like Apple went with a lighter-grade titanium to keep the weight down, which unfortunately means it’s more susceptible to dents and dings.
I’ve seen photos of iPhone 17 Pro Max units with visible pressure marks along the sides just from being in a tight jeans pocket. Some people have reported tiny dents on the corners from drops that wouldn’t have damaged their previous iPhones. There are even cases of the frame getting slightly deformed just from regular daily handling and being in bags.
One reviewer I follow showed visible denting after just two weeks of what he described as “normal careful use.” That’s concerning, especially when you think about how much you’re paying for this phone and how long you’re probably planning to keep it.
Display Problems: The Green Tint Nobody Asked For
Alright, so this issue is a bit more technical, but it’s definitely noticeable if you get an affected unit. A good number of users have been reporting this green tint that appears on the display, particularly when you’re using your phone at lower brightness levels.
It’s most visible when you’re in dark mode (which let’s face it, most of us use), on grey backgrounds, or when your brightness is somewhere between 10-20%. The tint also tends to show up during app transitions, which makes it even more distracting.
Apple has pushed out some software updates that have helped a bit, but the problem is that this seems to be a calibration issue at the actual OLED panel level. That means no amount of software patching is going to completely fix it if you have a problematic unit.
On top of the tint issue, some users are experiencing faint flickering. It’s not constant screen seizure-inducing flickering or anything that dramatic, but it’s noticeable when you’re scrolling through content, watching HDR videos, or even just pulling down the control center. It’s subtle enough that you might not catch it immediately, but once you notice it, you can’t unsee it.
Overheating During Camera Use Is a Real Problem
The A19 Pro chip inside this thing is an absolute beast in terms of performance. On paper, it’s incredible. But all that power generates heat, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max seems to struggle with thermal management, especially when you’re pushing the camera system.
If you’re shooting 4K at 120FPS, recording in ProRes RAW, doing long cinematic takes, or using heavy zoom while photographing, expect your phone to get uncomfortably warm. And I don’t mean slightly warm – I mean actually hot to the touch.
This isn’t just uncomfortable. The overheating causes real functional problems: the camera app starts to lag, the screen automatically dims to protect the components, your battery drains at an alarming rate, and in some cases, the flash gets completely disabled until the phone cools down.
For content creators, vloggers, or anyone who bought this phone specifically for its pro-level camera capabilities, this is a massive issue. You shouldn’t have to worry about your flagship phone overheating during the exact tasks it was designed to handle.
Edge Touch Sensitivity Issues Are Frustrating
This one’s more subtle but genuinely annoying in daily use. The edges of the display sometimes feel less responsive than the center, which creates problems with gesture navigation and typing.
The back swipe gesture – you know, the one we all use constantly to navigate – sometimes just doesn’t register when you start from the very edge of the screen. If you’re typing and hit keys on the far left or right of the keyboard, you might notice missed touches. And if you’re into mobile gaming where controls are often positioned at screen borders, you’ll probably find delays or complete input failures.
This appears to be a digitizer calibration issue affecting certain units. It’s the kind of problem that might not seem like a big deal until you’re living with it every single day.
USB-C Port Quality Control Seems Inconsistent
Everyone was excited when Apple finally switched to USB-C. About time, right? But the implementation seems rushed on some units.
People are reporting that charging cables feel loose in the port, there’s a slight wiggling or rattling sound when the cable moves, fast charging randomly drops for no apparent reason, and some cables disconnect with even minimal movement.
This isn’t happening to everyone, which suggests it’s a manufacturing tolerance issue rather than a design flaw. Still, for a company known for precision engineering, having inconsistent port quality is pretty disappointing.
Random Back Glass Cracks (Yes, Really)
This one’s less common, but it’s serious enough that it deserves mention. Some users have discovered hairline cracks forming near the edges of the back glass, with fractures spreading over time even without dropping the phone.
The really concerning reports are from people who swear their phones haven’t been dropped or impacted, yet cracks still appeared. The likely explanation is thermal stress – the internal components generate heat, materials expand and contract, and with the thin back glass layering, stress fractures can develop.
It’s not affecting a huge percentage of users, but when your phone spontaneously develops cracks without any accident, that’s a serious quality concern.
Speaker Distortion at High Volume
If you like listening to music, podcasts, or gaming with your volume cranked up, you might notice that the bottom speaker produces distortion at anything above about 85% volume. It’s particularly noticeable with bass-heavy music, gaming audio, and high-frequency sounds like alarms.
This seems to be a hardware tuning issue in early production batches, so hopefully later units won’t have this problem. But if you already have your phone, there’s not much you can do about it except keep the volume lower.
Battery Health Degradation Is Faster Than Previous Models
Here’s something that concerns me for long-term ownership: battery health seems to be declining faster than we saw with the iPhone 14 or 15 Pro Max.
Users are reporting battery health dropping to 96-97% within just two months of normal use. Heavy users are seeing it fall to 94% in the same timeframe. That’s a steeper decline than we typically see with flagship iPhones, and it raises questions about how these batteries will hold up after a year or two.
So Should You Actually Buy This Phone?
Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do with your money. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is still an incredibly powerful device with a stunning display, phenomenal performance, and camera capabilities that are genuinely impressive when the phone isn’t overheating.
But – and this is a big but – the durability concerns are real and they’re significant. The Cosmic Orange color-changing issue alone would make me hesitate, and that’s before we even get into the scratch-prone glass, easily dented titanium, overheating problems, display tints, touch sensitivity issues, and inconsistent build quality.
If you absolutely need the latest and greatest Apple device and you’re planning to keep it in a case anyway (which will hide most of these issues), then go for it. The raw performance and features are undeniably top-tier.
But if long-term durability, finish stability, and build quality consistency matter to you – and they should at this price point – then I’d seriously consider either waiting a few months to see if Apple addresses these issues, or maybe even looking at the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which honestly seems like a more reliable device overall.
Want to see a complete comparison chart of the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 17 Pro Max? Read the full post here
Final Thoughts
Writing this wasn’t easy because I genuinely love Apple products and I was rooting for this phone to be amazing. But the reality is that the iPhone 17 Pro Max has enough real-world defects that potential buyers deserve to know about them before making such a significant purchase.
Apple’s push toward lighter materials and experimental finishes has clearly introduced some problems they didn’t fully solve before launch. Maybe future revisions will fix these issues. Maybe software updates will help with some of them. But right now, today, these are the problems people are experiencing.
My advice? Do your research, read experiences from actual owners, and maybe wait a bit before jumping in. And if you do buy one, seriously consider AppleCare+ because based on everything I’ve seen, you might actually need it this time around.
Whatever you decide, at least now you know what you’re potentially getting into. And honestly, that’s all I wanted to accomplish with this article – giving you the real story, not just the marketing hype.
For official details on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, visit Apple’s website here
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