iPhone 17 Scratches Spark Viral Frenzy on Chinese Social Media

Apple's latest flagship shows surprising vulnerability as user-shared images reveal extensive scratching on multiple iPhone 17 units—raising eyebrows across tech communities.

Early Adopters Sound Alarm

Photos circulating on Weibo and Douyin showcase what appears to be premature wear on the device's exterior surface. The scratches—described by some as unusually deep for such a recent release—have ignited fierce debate about material quality and durability standards.

Market Reaction Mixed

While Apple enthusiasts defend the company's design choices, critics question whether cost-cutting measures have compromised the product's resilience. The timing couldn't be worse—just as the company prepares for holiday quarter earnings.

Because nothing says 'premium experience' like watching your thousand-dollar investment accumulate more scratches than a crypto trader's spreadsheet during a bear market.

Photos of scratched iPhone models go viral as Weibo erupts

One photo after another flooded Weibo. Scratches on the backs, chips around the edges. The hashtag tied to the problem hit over 40 million views by late Friday. People weren’t holding back. “This is Apple’s idea of premium?” one post read.

“Mine looked like it fell off a motorbike before I even opened the box,” another user wrote. Others shared close-ups of scratched phones in Apple stores. Some said the scratches appeared within minutes of being handled by store staff.

Apple gave no response. The company didn’t say if it’s aware of the problem or if it’s limited to China. It didn’t give a timeline or plan to address the issue. It just didn’t reply. This isn’t new. Apple has had issues on launch days before.

The iPhone 7’s jet black finish scratched fast. The iPhone 6 bent if you kept it in your pocket. The iPhone 4 lost signal when you held it wrong. Apple never really addressed those problems either.

The iPhone 17 release was supposed to give Apple breathing room. The company is trying to keep its phone sales up while it figures out AI. With no new AI features ready yet, the focus was on the hardware. But this launch isn’t going the way Apple wanted. Buyers are watching a product they paid top dollar for look damaged before it even gets to them.

In China, the new iPhones hit stores early. That gave buyers there the first look, and the first complaints. Many tried to buy the phones in person. At Apple’s Hong Kong flagship, people waited to see the new handsets, but there wasn’t much stock. Staff told walk-ins that only the iPhone Air was available. If you wanted the Pro or Pro Max, you had to order online. That meant a three-week wait.

Shipping times weren’t any better in other parts of Asia. In Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and mainland China, the wait for the Pro Max hit four weeks. The Pro was slightly better, but you still had to wait. South Korea had the shortest wait: one week for the Pro. But even there, the Pro Max is unavailable until late October.

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