Apple is repeating the iPhone 17 Pro's chipping problem with the iPhone 18 Pro
Apple apparently has no plans to fix the finish problem that left many iPhone 17 Pro owners watching their $1,200+ phone chip and flake within weeks of purchase. According to Chinese leaker Fixed Focus Digital, the iPhone 18 Pro will use the same anodized aluminum design as its predecessor — the same material that caused widespread complaints about the camera plateau edges deteriorating almost immediately after unboxing.
The problem, revisited
When Apple switched the iPhone 17 Pro from titanium (used on the 15 and 16 Pro) to anodized aluminum, the stated reason was better heat dissipation and cost savings. In practice, many users reported that the sharp edges around the camera block started chipping within days or weeks, exposing bare metal underneath. The orange and blue colorways drew the most complaints — blue shifted pink, orange faded unevenly.
Apple's response was essentially a shrug. The company classified the chipping as normal wear and tear — not a defect — meaning no warranty coverage. The underlying physics here is real: anodized aluminum bonds well on flat surfaces but is brittle at sharp corners, which is exactly where the camera plateau meets the frame.
The iPhone 17 Pro's anodized aluminum finish drew widespread complaints about chipping around the camera edges within weeks of use.
What's coming in 2026
Fixed Focus Digital's claim, picked up by MacRumors, says Apple will carry forward the same material approach for the iPhone 18 Pro, due in September 2026. Rumored colors include Dark Cherry, Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver — but no word on whether any coating improvements are in the pipeline.
It's worth noting this is a single-source leak; Apple has made no official statement on iPhone 18 Pro materials. But the claim aligns with how Apple handled the 17 Pro situation: acknowledge the behavior, decline to call it a defect, move on.
Worth considering before you buy
For consumers who filed warranty disputes over iPhone 17 Pro chipping — and were turned away — this will sting. Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra uses titanium and holds up visibly better over a year of use. At the premium price Apple charges, a finish that chips in weeks is a legitimate grievance, and consumer protection bodies on both sides of the Atlantic may yet take a closer look at how Apple frames "normal wear and tear" on a known structural weakness.
If you're holding off on upgrading until the 18 Pro, the material situation is worth tracking as the launch approaches.
