iPhone 17 Pro Display Won't Feature Scratch-Resistant, Anti-Reflective Coating: Report

Apple might not equip it's next generation iPhone models with an anti-reflective coating like that Samsung Galaxy S25 series.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 29 April 2025 15:26 IST

iPhone 17 Pro Display Won't Feature Scratch-Resistant, Anti-Reflective Coating: Report

Apple has used a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on its smartphones since the iPhone 11

Highlights

iPhone 17 Pro could miss out on key display upgrade
The feature was intended only for the Pro models
iPhone 17 series is likely to go official in September of this year

Apple's iPhone 17 is expected to arrive in September, alongside the iPhone 17 Air (or iPhone 17 Slim), iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The company was previously tipped to use a scratch-resistant, anti-reflective display coating on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models, but a recent report indicates that this addition has been cancelled due to scaling problems. Apple's existing ‌iPhone models feature a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

Citing anonymous sources, MacRumors reports that Apple has cancelled the scratch-resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The iPhone maker reportedly ran into issues scaling up the display coating process, and it is currently no longer a planned feature for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models.

Applying the anti-reflective coating to iPhone displays was allegedly time-consuming, given the massive scale of Apple's production. Although the feature was intended only for the Pro models, it appears that even the limited implementation was not feasible this year.

iPhone 17 Pro Hands-on Image Points to Redesigned Rear Camera Module

Apple has used a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic (oil repellent) coating on its smartphones since the iPhone 11 that was introduced in 2019.

Weibo tipster Instant Digital last year claimed that a new display coating was in the works for the iPhone 17 series. Apple is said to have developed equipment that could add a “super-hard” anti-reflective layer to the display of iPhone 17 Pro models. This new anti-reflective display layer was tipped to be more scratch-resistant than the company's Ceramic Shield technology.

This technology sounded similar to Corning's Gorilla Glass Armor that debuted with Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra. The screen has anti-reflective properties. It is claimed to be four times more scratch-resistant than competitive aluminosilicate cover glasses.

iPhone 17 Air With Ultra-Slim Design Spotted via These Leaked Dummy Units

Apple is expected to take the wraps off the iPhone 17 series in September. The iPhone 17 Pro series is tipped to have an aluminium frame and run on Apple's A19 Pro chip. They are said to pack 12GB of RAM. The standard iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Slim or Air models are likely to debut with an A18 or A19 chip with support for 8GB RAM.

iPhone 11

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Best-in-class performance
Excellent battery life
Great cameras
Night Mode is a welcome addition
iOS offers regular, timely updates

Bad
Low-resolution display
Slow bundled charger
No PiP or other software features that utilise the big screen

Read detailed Apple iPhone 11 review

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Bright display with fewer reflections
Great battery life
Useful AI features
Excellent performance
Top-quality cameras
Longer software support

Bad
Expensive
Relatively slower charging speeds

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review

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Further reading: Apple, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and... more »