iPhone 17 Pro may not have super scratch-resistant screens after all
This year’s iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max allegedly won’t have scratch-resistant screens with an anti-reflective coating as previously rumored.
MacRumors learned from “a source with reliable information” that the Cupertino firm may have cancelled these supposedly super scratch-resistant displays.
The publication learned no additional information, so we don’t know whether prototypers of these screens performed below Apple’s expectations or the company ran into production challenges too difficult to solve in time for the mass production of the 2025 lineup, which typically starts in July or August.
iPhone 17 Pro models may lack ultra-scratch-resistant screens
Leaker “Instant Digital” claimed in March 2024 that some or all models in Apple’s 2025 smartphone lineup would feature a new type of protective display cover glass, supposedly more scratch-resistant than the existing Ceramic Shield, while reflecting less light, claiming it attracts “zero scratches on the screen.”
If this is true, then the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will file as the first Apple smartphones featuring an anti-reflective display coating. The iPhone’s cover glass currently uses an oleophobic coating, which lasts about two years. However, “Instant Digital” claims that the new coating developed for the stronger cover glass for the iPhone 17 Pro models could show finger oil marks sooner than the current oleophobic coating does.
Apple is expected to reshuffle its smartphone offering this year by removing a Plus-branded model while introducing an ultra-thin device, dubbed by the media “iPhone 17 Air.” The iPhone 17 Pros are rumored to bring a redesigned rear camera system with a massive horizontal bar that spans nearly the full width of the device, much like Google’s Pixel phones, to accommodate a 48MP camera sensor with 10x optical zoom. These Pro models may also come in a new Sky Blue color finish.
What is Ceramic Shield?
Ceramic Shield is Apple’s marketing name for a material combining glass and ceramic that Apple co-developed with Corning, consisting of ceramic nano-crystals embedded into the glass matrix. The material is used on all iPhones from the iPhone 12 (2020) onward. Apple claims it has four times better drop performance versus the previous cover glass used before the iPhone 12, advertising it as tougher than any other smartphone glass.
The collaboration between Apple and Corning Glass dates back to the original iPhone (2007), when Steve Jobs commissioned the then-little-known Texas firm to develop a new type of chemically strengthened glass for the iPhone (later known as Gorilla Glass) because the plastic screen of the original iPhone prototype felt cheap and was heavily prone to scratching. Since then, Apple has invested in Corning several times through its Advanced Manufacturing Fund.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/04/29/iphone-17-pro-no-screen-super-scratch-resistant-cover-glass-rumor/
Leave a Reply