Get a case for your iPhone 17 Pro because that scratch will cost you hundreds when it is time to trade the Apple device in.
For those of you focused on other, more serious, world events: early iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max adopters found that their new handset is prone to scratches. Specifically, the Deep Blue and Space Black colorways appear to be the worst affected. This has predictably been dubbed “scratchgate.”
The scratches are most prominent around the raised camera bar and the glass panel below it. Damningly, these scratches were spotted by shoppers in Apple Stores across the world, which some have speculated could be down to the MagSafe charging stands the demo units are resting on.
“Every single iPhone 17 Pro on display — and I mean all of them — already had visible marks from the MagSafe charging stands they use for display and charging,” one Redditor posted with a picture of a damaged iPhone 17 Pro. Others have posted similar images.
iFixit and Jerry Rig Everything also found that the new anodized aluminum finish on the Pro models is susceptible to scuffs around the sharp edge of the camera bump. This is because the “anodizing doesn’t adhere to as evenly as across the rest of the phone,” as iFixit explained.
Apple responded to these concerns, telling 9To5Mac that this is caused by “worn” MagSafe stands and that the marks aren’t scratches, rather “material transfer” from the stand to the phone. This, Apple says, can be cleaned. The other issue of scuff marks around the camera bump’s edge could be the result of normal wear and tear, according to the iPhone maker.
Whether the new iPhones are susceptible to cosmetic damage, or “scratchgate” has been a series of unfortunate events: If you plan to ever trade in your phone, any sort of visible damage will knock money off the final valuation.
“This is going to dent future value when you come to trade your new iPhone 17 Pro in for the iPhone 20. More consumers are conscious about their devices being durable.
“If you keep your device in a case, then this isn’t too much of an issue. But one deep scratch can take your device from a grade A to a grade C [when trading in]. That’s a problem.” Ricky Panesar, founder of iCorrect.co.uk told me.
Apple iPhone 17 Damage Will Cost You Hundreds
Exactly, how much value will your phone lose? Sarah McConomy, chief operating officer of trade-in comparison site SellCell, told me that used phones are graded on a scale: “mint,” “good,” “poor,” and “faulty”. The type of iPhone 17 Pro damage reported would move a phone from mint to good, resulting in a loss of around 7-10% in trade-in value compared to the best possible price. Heavier or more widespread scratching could result in a 15-20% drop in value.
“That means a scratched iPhone 17 Pro could realistically lose between $50 and $180, depending on severity. Owners of higher-capacity models could see even greater dollar-value losses,” McConomy explained.
This is bad news if, like me, you’re not a phone case person. But that is the only way to protect your iPhone 17’s value. However, even in perfect condition, iPhone trade-in prices are declining according to recent data from SellCell.
The company analyzed resale prices of Samsung, Apple and Google phones over the last three generations. Trends clearly show that Samsung phones are depreciating at a slower rate with every release, while the opposite is true for Apple handsets, which are losing more value with every launch.
The iPhone 16, for example, lost 35.4% of its value five months post launch: a 10.7% increase across the last four generations. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 lost 5.3% of its value in the same time period. Despite the changing directions, Apple phones still hold the most value on the secondary market: with the Galaxy S25 losing 46.6% of its value compared to the iPhone 16’s 35.4%.
