For the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, Apple switched back to an aluminum frame due to the better thermal conductivity and the light weight of the material. Although this practical change makes sense, aluminum is softer than titanium and therefore more easily damaged.
Drop it onto a hard surface from a reasonable height and it will be visible. But here’s the thing. Aluminum is also much easier to repair. Unlike Titan, it responds well to skilled hands, and Chinese repair shops are taking advantage of this fact and doing some crazy repairs.
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These are not minor scratches either. The phones in the video show clear signs of hard drops, with visible marks on the aluminum frame.
However, the repair results are really impressive. The workers methodically remove the scratches and restore the finish to the point where it’s hard to tell the phone was ever damaged. They even repaired the dents in the phone which is a testament to their skills.
Is this type of repair available outside of China?
That’s harder to answer. In the United States, such qualified cosmetic restoration services are not easy to find, and when they do exist, they tend to be significantly more expensive.
Even Tim Cook has made this point. When asked why it was difficult for Apple to move production out of China, he cited the country’s large pool of professional expertise as the main reason. When you see how repair shops carry out such work, this argument is easier to understand.
So if you have a broken iPhone 17 Pro Max and happen to be in China, you’re in luck. For everyone else, maybe just put a cover on it before it’s too late.
