How can the iPhone 17 Pro be dumb and delicate yet still popular?

I have been writing about phones long enough to know there's a pattern to yearly releases: new devices take two steps forward and one step back. That's how many things in life work, but with smartphones, where you pay more every few years, it sometimes feels like two steps back. It almost looks to be the case with the iPhone 17 Pro.

What's special about the iPhone 17 Pro again?

Remember when the iPhone 17 series was first announced and all of us secretly wanted either the iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone Air? After the novelty wore off, it was clear that iPhone Air was an unproven device, and hence too risky to commit to.

The iPhone 17 Pro continues to hold sway over buyers, as reports indicate it's outselling the iPhone 16 Pro.

Why wouldn't it, though? The square camera bar has evolved into a plateau, and the phone doesn't even heat up like the last two generations of iPhones. Sure, it was Apple's own decision to switch to aerospace-grade titanium from surgical-grade stainless steel that caused the phones to get toasty, but we must still reward it for undoing that mistake by opting for aluminum, a material previously used by the standard models. Some upgrade.

Apple has also stopped trying to act like it's too cool for a vapor chamber, because without a cooling system, its phones were getting too hot for their own good.

The new Pro models also last longer than their predecessors on a single charge, though they are also a little heavier, so it's debatable whether that counts as a win.

You'll take what I give you, and you'll like it

Apple has a habit of overhyping incremental changes, which makes it harder to trust its claims about the iPhone 17 Pro's aluminum body. Titanium was one of the iPhone 15 Pro's main upgrades, chiefly because it made the phone lighter. The iPhone 17 Pro is made with aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminum alloy, and though this material is better at dissipating heat, it's also the reason why one wrong look at your iPhone 17 Pro is enough to leave scratches on it, or so it seems.

Apparently, Apple forgot to smooth out the edges on the plateau, which is why they are prone to scratches. Shoppers noticed that MagSafe chargers also leave a visible circular mark on the back, but Apple has chalked the issue up to worn MagSafe stands.

The silver lining here is that it's only the area around the camera bar that's prone to getting scratched, and this isn't exactly a durability concern, as the device has fared fine in bend and drop tests. Apple dismisses it as normal wear and tear.

The scratches are nothing more than a cosmetic concern. Why care if your $1,099-plus phone ends up looking like it has been through your personal battles?

Dumbest flagship of 2025?

We are past the dumb phones vs smartphones era. We have entered the age of pre-AI vs. post-AI phones.

The iPhone 17 Pro is in the first camp right now. It doesn't come with any Apple Intelligence feature we hadn't already seen. Those carried over from the last generation aren't particularly impressive. 

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