The Color Gate? iPhone 17 Pro Owners Face Decolorization issues

For good or bad, Apple can't stay out of the headlines. Once again, the recently released iPhone 17 Pro series is getting the spotlight. Unfortunately, this is happening due to a new controversy involving the devices. A considerable number of users started to post on Reddit about a strange discoloration on their orange iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max models. Now, more and more cases are emerging.

We knew since the first days that the paint coat on the iPhone 17 Pro series wasn't the best. The first users to get their hands on the device revealed how easily their fancy orange and blue units could scratch due to a very thin layer of paint. Now it seems that the painting is not only fragile, but can quickly fade after a few weeks of usage.

The Cosmic Orange isn't the only color affected by the issue. Some owners report the same decolorization happening with the Deep Blue iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max as well.

The issues seem to begin on the camera island. It eventually spreads across the entire aluminum body, leaving only the matte glass in the middle unaffected.

Some users believe that this happens due to exposure to the UV light outside. Many of the affected users report that their iPhones began to fade after being outside in the sun for a short period.

Are you missing the Rose Gold color option? You can grab a Cosmic Orange unit, leave it out in the sun for a bit, and you'll get a unique Rose Gold iPhone 17 Pro Max. This is a pun, of course, and unfortunately, the owners of these colors aren't the ones laughing.

It's unclear how widespread the issue is, but hopefully Apple will address the issue by replacing the units. If the owners make enough noise, we are pretty sure the company won't deny replacement for these units. Once again, this isn't the first issue involving the painting of the new iPhones. We strongly believe that Apple will eventually come with revised units with a more durable color.