The launch of a new iPhone is always met with a mix of rapturous praise and intense scrutiny. The latest iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are no exception. While being lauded for their revolutionary A19 Pro chip and console-level gaming performance, the devices are now facing a growing wave of user complaints about a surprising and frustrating camera issue: an awkward, persistent shadow that appears when using the flash while recording video.
This new problem adds to an existing critique of the model's allegedly scratch-prone aluminium frame, creating a narrative of a powerful device with puzzling design oversights.
Praise and Power: The iPhone 17 Pro's Highs
Before diving into the controversy, it's important to acknowledge what Apple got right. The tech community has been overwhelmingly positive about the iPhone 17 Pro's raw performance. The new A19 Pro chip, with its massively improved GPU and neural engine, has been described as a "monster."
Complementing this power is a significantly upgraded vapour chamber cooling system. This has effectively tackled the thermal throttling issues that plagued some previous Pro models, allowing users to play demanding AAA titles for extended periods without a drop in performance. The enthusiast community has even taken it a step further, with users experimenting by attaching external SSD coolers to achieve a form of active cooling, pushing the device's limits in ways Apple likely never anticipated.
The Flash Flaw: A Shadow Looms Over Video
However, a new alleged design flaw is now stealing the spotlight, and it's all about the flash. With the iPhone 17 Pro series, Apple made a significant design change by relocating the LED flash from its traditional position within the camera cluster to the opposite end of the device's top edge.
This aesthetic choice, intended to create a cleaner look for the new, larger camera array, seems to have had an unintended optical consequence. Users and creators are now reporting that when the flash is activated during video recording, it casts a strange and distracting shadow over the subject.
Popular tech commentator @marcustechnology on Instagram recently highlighted the issue in a viral reel. He demonstrated that the shadow makes it look "like someone is holding a light from the corner, and it’s honestly super annoying." The problem arises because the light source is now significantly farther from the lens. Any object—most commonly the user's own fingers while holding the phone—can easily block this offset light source, creating a prominent shadow in the frame that is captured by the lens.
You can see the visual evidence for yourself in the reel from @marcustechnology
This issue is unique to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. On every previous iPhone model, the proximity of the flash to the lens minimized the chance of such obstructive shadows, creating more uniform and direct lighting.
A Pattern of Compromise?
This flash issue, combined with the earlier reports of the aluminium frame being susceptible to scratches, is leading some to question Apple's design priorities. It paints a picture of a company pushing the envelope on performance and internal architecture, like their advanced chip design, while perhaps overlooking the practical day-to-day user experience.
Speaking of the competitive chip landscape, the pressure on Apple's in-house silicon team has never been higher. In a surprising turn of events, the industry is seeing major shifts as competitors join forces to keep up. For a deeper look into how this rivalry is shaping the future of mobile processing, a recent report details how chip rivals are forging an unlikely alliance to challenge the dominance of the A-series chips.
What's Next? Awaiting an Apple Response
For now, Apple has not officially acknowledged the flash shadow problem. The company's standard protocol is to typically address such widespread user reports through a future iOS software update, if a software fix is possible. However, given that the issue is fundamentally tied to a physical hardware redesign, a complete solution may be elusive without a hardware revision.
In the meantime, affected users are left with a few workarounds: avoiding the use of the built-in flash for video, using an external lighting accessory, or being hyper-aware of their hand placement to avoid blocking the new, isolated flash module.
As the iPhone 17 Pro series continues its life cycle, all eyes will be on Apple to see how it responds to this latest challenge, balancing its ambition for sleek design with the uncompromising functionality its users have come to expect.
Have you experienced the shadow issue on your iPhone 17 Pro? Let us know in the comments section below.
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