While Apple’s decision to include a bold orange colour in the iPhone 17 Pro lineup seems to have proven surprisingly popular, there was one design element that attracted more criticism: the two-tone look of the back casing.
A leaker with a decent track record suggests that the company is going to fix that problem in next year’s lineup …
The two-tone color of the iPhone 17 Pro
The design of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max came in for attention for three main reasons.
First and most notably, that cosmic orange colour. Apple has typically stuck to muted color options for the Pro models, but this time went uber colorful with one of the three choices. From online commentary and anecdotal observation of iPhone 17 Pro models seen on the streets of London, it appears to have been a very popular decision.
Second, swapping out the camera island for what Apple refers to as the camera plateau. It now occupies the full width of the phone, and reactions to that have been mixed.
But most of the criticism was reserved for the two-tone colour of the back of the phone. That was the result of Apple mixing glass and aluminum in the rear casing, and our own Chance Miller was one of many who expressed reservations about it.
I’d say it’s the most polarizing iPhone design in years. The two-tone design on the back, in particular, has been the subject of much debate. The reason for that design choice is clear: the glass cutout is what’s used for wireless charging. I’d much prefer better consistency here. The cutout feels awkward and breaks up the seamlessness of the unibody design.
Apple said to be fixing it in the iPhone 18 Pro
Leaker Instant Digital says that Apple has listened to the criticism and is working on a much better color match between the aluminium and the glass.
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