Apple was expected to introduce a scratch-resistant anti-reflective display coating to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, making it the first time such a feature arrives to any of the Cupertino giant’s mobile devices. This major change would also likely give customers some much-needed encouragement to pick up the more expensive models, but according to the latest report, this addition has been cancelled due to scaling problems.
The anti-reflective coating process was affecting the production output of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, forcing Apple to remove the feature from the list
Current-generation iPhones feature a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, which reflects light at a significantly higher rate, making Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra superior in this regard. Apple was apparently supposed to catch up to its biggest rival in the smartphone space by bringing anti-reflective display coating to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but sadly, there has been a change in the plans. According to MacRumors, a reliable source provided the information that states Apple will omit this addition from the ‘Pro’ models due to how production was adversely affected.
Given that Apple is required to mass produce millions of new iPhone models annually, the report states that applying the scratch-resistant anti-reflective display coating to the more premium handsets was taking much longer than required, increasing the time it took to finish a single unit. Assuming that the technology giant can find a way to slash the time it takes to apply this coating in the coming months, we should witness it arriving to the iPhone 18 family next year.
Keep in mind that anti-reflective display coating is different from Apple’s nano-texture display, with the latter reducing the amount of glare, but not completely eliminating it. The report does not mention if Apple is open to the idea of bringing nano-texture glass to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but it is something the company can explore if it cannot scale past the time-consuming problem that supposedly plagues the anti-reflective display coating process.
News Source: MacRumors
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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